Chocolate production can be a long and hard procedure that is not as simple to explain as you could imagine, however, we now have strived to offer you a fundamental guide same goes with be capable of view the work behind that delicious chocolate bar.
Harvesting the cocoa pods is obviously the 1st step. Inside these cocoa pods are the cocoa beans.
The pods will now be crushed. Once crushed the pulp and the cocoa beans will be extracted and left to ferment naturally for approximately weekly. This is done by placing in boxes or piles.
After fermenting, the cocoa beans are dried. The higher tasting and finest chocolate is done when the drying procedure is performed by placing under the sun to get a week or even more as opposed to using other methods. Other methods for example Accelerated or artificial drying is of course much faster, however, during this method the caliber of the chocolate is diminished. This process can be used more regularly in commercial productions when chocolate has been mass-produced or cake coverings.
After the cocoa beans are dried, they will go through the same grading system seen with coffees. Following your beans are graded, they'll be roasted. The roasting process is yet again just as the manner in which coffee is roasted; just how long the cocoa beans is going to be roasted depends of the size and type with the cocoa beans. This affects the flavour and aroma from the chocolate just as it does with coffee.
The next phase after roasting is comparable to shelling called Light Crushing. This task splits the kernel or nibs from your shell, after which the shell is disposed of.
The next phase is more to do with the preferred choice of the producer. Generally, the cocoa nibs that have been separated from the shells are not put in an alkalization process, which boosts the color and flavor. Some manufacturers, alternatively, like the nature flavor, color, and aroma and thus skip this task.
The cocoa nibs or kernels are very high in cocoa butter also called fat. The nibs after the alkalization process, if chosen, aren't finely milled to produce cocoa liquor. This is accomplished from your heat that's created throughout the milling procedure. Once the cocoa liquor is created, it'll need to chill at which time it will become a sold.
If the cocoa turns into a solid, the chocolate will probably be split up into its final product. In the event the product will be chocolate, a percentage with the cocoa liquor is kept aside even though the rest is pressed to obtain the cocoa butter, that can leave a residue. This residue known as the press cake is solid. Press cake can be used to create hot chocolate mix whereas the cocoa liquor that was set aside will be used to create various form of chocolate once combined with Chocolate butter as well as other ingredients.