From cocoa bean to chocolate bar
Turning cocoa (or cacao) beans into a delicious chocolate bar is a long and complicated process.
Plantations are always located within twenty degrees of the Equator and the beans are notoriously difficult to cultivate. The altitude and the temperature have to be just right and they require a rain forest environment. Midges are the only insects that can pollinate the small five-petalled flowers of the cocoa tree. The trees start producing their fruit when they’re four to five years old. Beans grow in large yellow-green, oval-shaped pods on the trunk and the sturdiest branches.
The pods are picked twice a year and are immediately split open with a machete. The beans are scooped out and are left in the sun to ferment for up to nine days, depending on the variety of bean. The heat dries the beans and turns them brown. The pulp turns to alcohol and then drains off. During this time the beans go through a chemical change which is crucial for shaping the flavour of the bean. Poorly fermented beans leads to acidic and bitter chocolate. The beans are then dried in the sun for up to four weeks to extract their high water content and make them suitable for shipping. Each tree yields only a couple of pounds of beans every year, since the beans lose 50% of their weight during drying. When the beans are sold, they’re transported around the world to be turned into chocolate.
The beans are roasted to allow the volatile aromas to develop and to get rid of the acidic notes. How long this takes depends on the type of bean. A criollo bean from Venezuala needs only mild roasting whereas a Forastero bean from the Ivory Coast requires a much fiercer temperature.
They’re then shelled or ‘winnowed’ to expose their kernels which are knows as ‘nibs’. The nibs are then ground into a paste known as ‘cocoa mass’ or ‘chocolate liquor’ – which is around 55% cocoa butter and forms the basis of all chocolate products. Other ingredients are now mixed with it such as vanilla and sugar. Then the product is stirred – a process called conching – which creates friction and heat giving the paste a smooth, velvety texture.
The last stage is tempering. The chocolate is then subjected to various temperature changes to ensure that the cocoa butter stabilises and the resulting chocolate sets with a glossy shine. Good chocolate ‘snaps’ when it is broken. Badly-tempered chocolate looks dull and can have whitish streaks in it called ‘fat bloom’.
The chocolate is now ready to be placed in a mould so that it can be shaped into bars or individual chocolates for eating. And aren’t we glad that someone goes to all that trouble!