Only 1% Of People Think This Is The Best Type Of Chocolate

Ah, chocolate — What's not to love about this rich, sweet confection that finds its way into all our favorite desserts? From brownies to frosted chocolate cake to a chocolate orange tart, deep, fudgy chocolate provides a flavor and texture that just can't be approximated with any other ingredient.

And in addition to its starring role in so many pastries and treats, chocolate is, of course, just as satisfying to eat just as it is, in the form of bars and chocolate chips. Everyone who likes chocolate seems to have their favorite way to indulge in it, from lowbrow M&Ms to high-end imported chocolates — and they're just as likely to have a preferred shade of chocolate, as well. From milky, sweet white chocolate to medium-toned milk chocolate to intense, bitter dark chocolate, there's a variety out there for all tastes.

Here at Tasting Table, we were curious about which type of chocolate is Americans' favorite, so we asked 515 about their chocolate preference in a poll. The results showed a clear winner as well as a type of chocolate less than 2% of respondents said they enjoy eating.

Have you ever heard of raw chocolate? While many commercial versions of chocolate bars, chips, and other treats utilize cocoa beans which are roasted before being ground with other ingredients, raw chocolate features beans that are allowed to dry naturally, instead, resulting in a final product that raw chocolate makers say contains more nutrients and antioxidants than chocolates using roasted beans (via BBC). Windy City Organics says raw chocolate can also better preserve the flavor nuances of the beans, as opposed to a traditional bar whose roasted flavor is the dominant one.

All those pluses aside, lots of chocolate eaters seem to shy away from raw — at least according to the results of a Tasting Table poll of 515 Americans in which we asked participants what their favorite type of chocolate is. Only 1.36%, or seven respondents, named raw. The overwhelming favorite in the poll was sweet, creamy milk chocolate, chosen by 43%, or 223 respondents. Coming in at a close second place was dark chocolate, whose bitter intensity was named by nearly 36%, or 185 respondents. About 13% of respondents favor white chocolate, while 6% reach for flavored chocolates, such as chocolate caramel and chocolate strawberry.