Although, in some cases this may be true, what is also very important for flavonoid levels is how the cocoa beans are handled.
Flavonoids occur naturally in the cocoa plant as a way of protecting the plant.
Their presence affect the taste of chocolate and are responsible for the astringency in the unprocessed cocoa bean. When cocoa is processed into your favorite chocolate products, it goes through several steps that help to develop the flavor of chocolate and determine the amount of flavonoids retained in the finished chocolate product. The longer the cocoa beans are fermented, the more flavonoids are lost and the less astringent the beans will be. Modern technology has allowed for beans to be dried mechanically as opposed to sun-drying, though flavonoids may be lost during both methods. Higher temperatures decrease the flavonoid content to a greater extent, but flavonoids are also lost the longer the beans are roasted.