Chocolate Bloom

Chocolate bloom is a pale, whitish or gray film, streak or dusty coating that appears on the surface of chocolate when fat or sugar crystals migrate to the outside. It is not mold and it is safe to eat, but it dulls the shine and can make the texture crumbly or less smooth.

The two kinds of bloom

• Fat bloom — caused by heat or temperature swings. Cocoa butter softens, travels to the surface and re-sets in unstable crystals, leaving gray streaks or a soft, greasy-looking haze. It often shows up after chocolate gets warm in transit or sits near a heat source.
• Sugar bloom — caused by moisture. When water touches chocolate, for example condensation after it comes out of the fridge, it dissolves surface sugar. As the water evaporates, the sugar recrystallizes as a dry, dusty white coating.

Quick test: rub the spot gently with a fingertip. Fat bloom tends to smear and melt; sugar bloom feels gritty and does not melt away.

How to keep bloom away

• Store chocolate at a steady 60–68°F (15–20°C), away from sunlight, ovens and heating vents.
• Keep humidity low and keep bars sealed in their wrapper.
• If you refrigerate an opened bar, wrap it tightly, and let it warm to room temperature before unwrapping so condensation forms on the wrapper, not the chocolate.
• Avoid repeated warm-cool cycles, which are the main driver of fat bloom.

See chocolate storage for a full guide.

Bloom and your Polkadot order

Polkadot bars are tempered Belgian chocolate, and like any real chocolate they can bloom if they get warm. A bloomed bar still tastes like chocolate, though its snap may be softer. In warm months, bring deliveries indoors quickly and read our tips on heat-sensitive shipping. Bloom is not a sign that a bar is fake, but if something about your order looks wrong, our guide to spotting authentic Polkadot bars and our contact page can help.