Learn of the making of fine chocolate starting from the beans in the pods in the Theobroma Caca, through the intense and lengthy processes of cleaning, drying, roasting, winnowing and conching, to the finished product which is the fine couverture used in the fabulous ChocoLamour chocolates.
See the Glossay of Terms page for a detailed description of chcoolate terms.
From Cocoa to Chocolate
Cocoa beans are grown on the Theobroma Cacao (cocoa tree) and are grown in pods. They grow in tropical regions within latitudes of 20◦ north and south of the Equator where the year-round temperature is 21-25◦ C. Cocoa seedlings take 7 years to grow into a tree that is mature enough to produce pods. Cocoa trees produce pods all year round, giving 2 harvests a year. Pods are cut from the tree and split and the beans are removed and are then dried in the sun. Cheaper manufacture of cocoa does not dry the beans in the sun, which affects the taste of the finished chocolate, being a lot less ‘pure’.
The beans are then cleaned, which develops the flavour and loosens the beans from the shell. This is done by removing the beans from the soggy, pulpy, white sack that holds them in the shell. The beans are covered with banana leaves that help the fermentation process and help drain the mucilage, leaving just the beans. This fermentation process can take up to 7 days, but the timing depends on the variety of bean and greatly impacts the end flavour of the chocolate.
Beans are dried so they contain less than 6-8 % moisture. This helps prevent the beans from going mouldy and allows them to be stored for several years. Again, this part of the process impacts how the final chocolate will taste. Cheaper chocolate is not dried in the sun, but dried in a drying room.
Beans are then roasted and a winnowing machine is used to shell the beans. This leaves the cocoa nibs.
The cocoa nibs are milled into a liquid. This liquid is known as cocoa liquor, or cocoa mass. When this sets, it is similar to unsweetened chocolate, or bitter chocolate and it has the consistency of peanut butter.
When the liquor is pressed, it is split to leave cocoa butter (55%) and cocoa powder (or cocoa presscake) (45%)
This cocoa liquor is mixed with extra cocoa butter to make gorgeous chocolate. Other ingredients are added at this stage such as lecithin, milk, vanilla and sugar.
This mixture is then refined by passing it through huge rollers, which reduces the particle size or the cocoa solids and sugar crystals and improves the texture.
A conch is used to subject the chocolate to constant pummeling and buffeting, for up to 3 days, which produces the delicious smooth chocolate I use in my chocolates. This also allows any acidity in the chocolate to evaporate. The conch is so called because the original machine that did this job was shaped and looked like a shell. The spanish word for shell is concha.
The chocolate is then ready to be stored and sold. I buy my chocolate in this form. It’s then when I have to temper the chocolate properly and then it is ready to be used to create the fabulous ChocoLamour chocolates ready for you to buy.
‘Thank you for doing the chocolates. They are so impressive to look at and taste absolutely delicious too!’
Anna M, Stevenage
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'Thanks for sorting it out - my bosses loved your chocolates'
Katherine M, Nottingham
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‘This might sound weird but they don’t taste like normal chocolate – which is a good thing – none of that manufactured rubbish. They taste more superior than that!’
Michelle B, Aylesbury
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‘A unique high quality product and service'
Clare R, Hitchin
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'My wife has done nothing but rave about the chocs Chris bought her for
Mother's Day so I'm sure I will be buying some more.'
Denis M, Norwich
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'You could tell they were homemade, not something just pulled off a shelf. I would definitely buy some more and definitely have them for my wedding next year.'
