There are many small pleasures in life, such as stopping to smell the roses, watching a beautiful sunset, and enjoying delicious chocolate.
It has been said, “A day without chocolate is like a day without sunshine.” We couldn’t agree more.
For most of us, getting our hands on chocolate can be as simple as a trip to the store. The hard part may be deciding exactly how you want to enjoy chocolate on any given day, given all of the choices. Some popular ways to enjoy chocolate include candy bars, hot cocoa, ice cream, cake, chocolate-covered nuts, and, of course, chocolate chip cookies.
It has been said that “nine out of ten people say they like chocolate. The tenth person is lying.” Once again, we agree.
We all know how delicious chocolate is, but how many people truly realize the work that goes into making chocolate? Keep reading to find out more about the chocolate-making process.
(Pablo Merchan Montes/unsplash)
1. Cultivation
To learn about chocolate, we need to start at its roots. The roots of the Cacao tree that is. You can find Cacao trees in Africa, Central America, and South America. These tropical trees require hot temperatures, rain, and shade.
Cacao trees have oval fruit, called pods, which contain cocoa beans. Cocoa beans are the harvested treasure used to produce the delicious chocolate we all crave.
2. Harvesting
To harvest cocoa beans, the cacao pods must be ripe. A ripe cacao pod is about the size of an American football and is usually bright orange in color. Harvesters must harvest the pods by hand to avoid damaging the trees or branches.
After harvesting a pod, a harvester will split it open to reveal the cocoa beans. The cocoa beans, which are about the size of an olive, are then removed. Cocoa beans aren’t brown like you would expect; they are actually cream-colored. The brown color doesn’t come until later.
3. Fermentation
Like a fine wine, cocoa beans require fermenting to bring to life their best flavors. The fermentation process takes from two to eight days. During this process, the full cocoa flavor begins to develop.
Fermentation can be completed by heaping piles of beans on the ground or by placing beans in trays or boxes. Banana leaves or a plastic sacking then covers the beans. This helps to hold in the heat produced during fermentation.
Before long, the beautiful brown color associated with chocolate begins to emerge.
4. Drying
After the fermenting process is complete, the cocoa beans must undergo the drying process. The beans are placed on boards or mats to allow the hot sun to dry them. The drying process takes about one to two weeks. Cocoa beans must be rotated or turned by hand to ensure the beans are dried evenly.
Once dried, the cocoa beans will be packaged and shipped to chocolate manufacturers or processing factories.
5. Manufacturing
At the processing plant or factory, the cocoa beans go through a roasting process. The roasting process completes the development of the cocoa flavor. Although the flavor is essential, roasting also kills bacteria and reduces moisture.
After roasting, the workers crack open the beans. The nibs, or the inside meat of the bean, are broken into small pieces. The nibs are then ground into cocoa liquor, otherwise known as cocoa mass or unsweetened cocoa. Cocoa liquor is actually a paste and not an alcoholic liquid, as its name might suggest.
This unsweetened cocoa is combined with other ingredients such as cocoa butter, sugar, and milk powder. The ingredients used are dependent on the type of chocolate being produced.
6. Conching
Conching is an integral part of the chocolate-making process. A conche is a large machine that heats, mixes, grinds, kneads, aerates, and smooths the chocolate mixture. During the conching process, the chocolate is refined until it is smooth. The longer the conching, the smoother the chocolate.
7. Tempering
Tempering is one of the final steps of the chocolate-making process. The tempering process consists of gradually heating and cooling the chocolate. This gradual process stabilizes chocolate, giving it the beautifully smooth, glossy finish we all know and love.
8. Molding
Once the chocolate is tempered correctly, it can be poured into molds. This is the final stage of the chocolate-making process. The chocolate can be poured into molds of various shapes and sizes. Once cooled, the chocolate can be packaged and shipped around the world.
9. Creativity
Although the technical “chocolate-making process” is complete, once bakers, chefs, chocolatiers, etc., get their hands on the packaged chocolate, it will often change forms as they unleash their creativity. These tasty new forms could include chocolate truffles, gourmet cookies, chocolate-shaped bunnies, etc.
Eating chocolate is easy. Producing it’s the hard part. The next time you enjoy your chocolate bar or chocolate baked good, take a moment to appreciate the hard-earned wonder of this decadent treat.
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We wholeheartedly concur with the adage, “A day without chocolate is like a day without sunshine.” We are all in agreement that chocolate is mouth-watering, but how many people essentially recognize the laborious process that goes into making chocolate? Continue reading to learn more about the chocolate-making process.
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