The cocoa-bean -- the heart of the sweetest delicacy in the world -- is bitter! This is why, up to the 18th century some native tribes ate only the sweetish flesh of the cocoa fruit. They regarded the precious bean as waste or used it, as was the case among the Aztecs, as a form of currency.

The Varieties

There are two quite different basic classifications of cocoa, under which practically all varieties can be categorised: Criollo and Forastero cocoas. The pure variety of the Criollo tree is found mainly in its native Equador and Venezuela. The seeds are of finer quality than those of the Forastero variety.

They have a particularly fine, mild aroma and are, therefore, used only in the production of high-quality chocolate and for blending. However, Criollo cocoa accounts for only 10% of the world crop. The remaining 90% is harvested from trees of the Forastero family, with its many hybrids and varieties. The main growing area is West Africa. The cocoa tree can flourish only in the hottest regions of the world.

Fermentation

The fermentation process is decisive in the production of high quality raw cocoa. The technique varies depending on the growing region.

Drying

After fermentation, the raw cocoa still contains far too much water; in fact about 60%. Most of this has to be removed.

What could be more natural than to spread the beans out to dry on the sun-soaked ground or on mats? After a week or so, all but a small percentage of the water has evaporated.

Cleaning

Before the real processing begins, the raw cocoa is thoroughly cleaned by passing through sieves, and by brushing. Finally, the last vestiges of wood, jute fibres, sand and even the finest dust are extracted by powerful vacuum equipment.

Roasting

The subsequent roasting process is primarily designed to develop the aroma. The entire roasting process, during which the air in the nearly 10 feet high furnaces reaches a temperature of 130 °C, is carried out automatically.

Crushing and shelling

The roasted beans are now broken into medium sized pieces in the crushing machine.

Blending

Before grinding, the crushed beans are weighed and blended according to special recipes. The secret of every chocolate factory lies in the special mixing ratios which it has developed for different types of cocoa.

Grinding

The crushed cocoa beans, which are still fairly coarse are now pre-ground by special milling equipment and then fed on to rollers where they are ground into a fine paste. The heat generated by the resulting pressure and friction causes the cocoa butter (approximately 50% of the bean) contained in the beans to melt, producing a thick, liquid mixture.

This is dark brown in colour with a characteristic, strong odour. During cooling it gradually sets: this is the cocoa paste.

At this point the production process divides into two paths, but which soon join again. A part of the cocoa paste is taken to large presses, which extract the cocoa butter. The other part passes through various blending and refining processes, during which some of the cocoa butter is added to it. The two paths have rejoined.

Cocoa Powder

After the cocoa butter has left the press, cocoa cakes are left which still contain a 10 to 20% proportion of fat depending on the intensity of compression.

These cakes are crushed again, ground to powder and finely sifted in several stages and we obtain a dark, strongly aromatic powder which is excellent for the preparation of delicious drinks - cocoa. Cocoa paste, cocoa butter, sugar and milk are the four basic ingredients for making chocolate. By blending them in accordance with specific recipes the three types of chocolate are obtained which form the basis of ever product assortment, namely:

Kneading

In the case of milk chocolate for example, the cocoa paste, cocoa butter, powdered or condensed milk, sugar and flavouring - maybe vanilla - go into the mixer, where they are pulverized and kneaded.

Conching

But still the chocolate paste is not smooth enough to satisfy our palates. But within two or three days all that will have been put right. For during this period the chocolate paste will be refined to such an extent in the conches that it will flatter even the most discriminating palate.

Conches (from the Spanish word "concha", meaning a shell) is the name given to the troughs in which 100 to 1000 kilograms of chocolate paste at a time can be heated up to 80 °C and, while being constantly stirred, is given a velvet smoothness by the addition of certain amounts of cocoa butter. A kind of aeration of the liquid chocolate paste then takes place in the conches: its bitter taste gradually disappears and the flavour is fully developed. The chocolate no longer seems sandy, but dissolves meltingly on the tongue. It has attained the outstanding purity which gives it its reputation.