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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 cocoa
tree can flourish only in the hottest
regions of the world.
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 Harvest
Immediately after harvesting, the fruit
is treated to prevent it from rotting.
At fermentation sites either in the
jungle or at, collecting points, the
fruit is opened.
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 Butter
The cocoa butter has important functions.
It not only forms part of every recipe,
but it also later gives the chocolate
its fine structure, beautiful lustre
and delicate, attractive glaze.
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.
Rolling
Depending on the design of the rolling
mills, three or five vertically mounted
steel rollers rotate in opposite directions.
Under heavy pressure they pulverise
the tiny particles of cocoa and sugar
down to a size of approx. 30 microns.
(One micron is a thousandth part of
a millimetre.)
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.
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