How are Cocoa Beans Turned into Chocolate?
I don’t know about you, but it took me many years to realise that chocolate actually grows on trees. I didn’t have an alternative theory either, other than assuming it magically appears on supermarkets’ shelves. Once I looked into the process all the way from cocoa bean to fancy chocolate bar, I realised how interesting it actually is, and how much there is to it. Please join me in this journey from strange looking bean to delicious snack.
Open cacao pod, showing white pulp inside.
Harvesting
Chocolate comes from the Theobroma cacao, also known as cacao tree or cocoa tree. It’s relatively small (6–12 m (20–39 ft) tall), and produces cocoa beans. One of its singularities is that the flowers are produced directly on the trunk of the tree. From these flowers grow the fruits, which are the cacao pods. This pod contains 20 to 60 seeds and are embedded in white pulp, as seen on the image to the right.
To harvest, one must collect mature pods from the trees and open them to extract the moist beans. This process requires manually cutting the stalk off the pods with a sharp blade.
2. Fermentation
Fermenting is an essential step in the process of turning cacao into chocolate. The cocoa beans are removed from their pods and placed in piles or containers to ferment for an average of 6 to 10 days. What makes fermentation possible is the yeast, acids, and bacteria present in the cocoa beans.
During this procedure, the natural aromas of the beans are released, which contributes significantly to the development of their characteristic flavour. If this fermentation process was omitted, the resulting chocolate wouldn’t barely have any flavour.
3. Drying
Now that the beans have fermented, it’s time to start the drying process. It usually takes 5 to 7 days, and after this time period, moisture is reduced from 70% to only 7%.
Traditionally, the main method has been sun-drying. It’s much more cost effective than drying artificially, which makes it the best option for smallholder farmers. To make sure the beans are dried evenly, the are spread in mats or concrete floors in a thin layer, and turned occasionally. This method is much more effective during dry seasons in warm climates.
The more sophisticated option is artificial drying, because it uses mechanical methods to dry the beans. As it requires a certain level of investment, it turns out to be more costly. Sometimes this is the only viable option for farmers though, for example if the climate where they live is very humid, and the sun-drying option would take too long and not be fully effective.
4. Roasting
Roasting the cocoa beans is an art in itself, it plays a big part on the final flavour profile of chocolate, and it has other practical purposes too. It helps separate the outer husk from the inner bean, which makes cracking easier. It sterilises the cocoa bean, because during fermentation, beans are naturally full of bacteria, fungi, and molds. Roasting vastly reduces the risk of infection from these elements.
There’s something about roasting that I find pretty fascinating, which is that raw beans don’t taste like chocolate at all, but roasted beans do. This is due to the chemical reactions that occur during roasting. Some of these reactions include the Maillard reaction, caramelisation, and pyrolysis. During the Maillard reaction, amino acids and reducing sugars combine to produce new flavor and aroma compounds. Caramelization involves the breakdown of sugars to produce caramel-like flavors and brown color. Pyrolysis, on the other hand, involves the breakdown of complex molecules into simpler compounds due to high heat, which can contribute to the overall flavor of the roasted cocoa beans.
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not only the ingredients that determine chocolate’s flavour, the chemical changes that occur during the roasting process can significantly modify its flavour profile.
5. Grinding
Grinding cocoa beans consists of crushing or pulverising roasted cocoa beans into a fine paste, known as cocoa liquor or cocoa mass. To achieve this, a cocoa grinder is needed, which is a specialised machine that applies pressure to the roasted cocoa beans, breaking them down into smaller pieces.
The resulting product can be processed further to become cocoa powder or chocolate, as well as other cocoa goods. One of the reasons why grinding is such an essential part of the process, is that it helps release cocoa butter from the beans, which is what gives chocolate its amazing velvety texture.
6. Mixing
The cocoa liquor is pressed to separate the cocoa butter from the cocoa solids. The cocoa solids are then ground into a powder. This powder can be mixed with other ingredients to form a smooth and homogeneous mixture. Some popular ingredients chosen for this task are sugar, milk powder, and vainilla. Once the mixture is completed, the result product is what we know and recognise as chocolate.
7. Conching
Conching is a crucial step in the production of high-quality chocolate. It involves mixing and kneading the chocolate mixture for several hours or even days in a machine called a conch, and adding sugar, cocoa butter, and other ingredients to make deliciously smooth chocolate treats. All of this is done slowly, carefully and in a controlled environment, as any small deviations could spoil the process.
The conching process also helps develop the flavour and aroma of chocolate by reducing the acidity and bitterness of the cocoa. As the chocolate mixture is continuously mixed and heated, the volatile compounds are released, giving the chocolate its characteristic luxurious quality.
8. Tempering
Tempering means heating, cooling, and reheating chocolate to specific temperatures (which can vary depending if we work with dark, milk, or white chocolate) to achieve a smooth and glossy finish and to ensure that the chocolate has a satisfying snap when broken.
It is a necessary part of the overall process because cocoa butter can solidify in different crystal forms. When chocolate isn’t tempered correctly, it can potentially result in having a dull, grainy appearance. Not what we want our chocolate to look like!
9. Molding
Well done for getting all the way to part 9. We’ve seen the cocoa beans transform and become velvety chocolate, now it’s time to mold it into any shape we like, such as bars, bonbons, truffles, you name it!
There are several types of molds that can be used, including silicone, plastic, and metal. Silicone ones are a popular choice because they are flexible and easy to use. In the case of plastic and metal molds, there are some benefits to consider too, for example they are generally more durable and can be used to create intricate shapes and designs that would be harder to achieve with a silicon mold.
Molded chocolate
10. Packaging
Now that the chocolate is ready and has the desired shape, it’s time to pack it. Chocolate needs to be protected from light, heat, and moisture, so it should be packed in a way that protects it from these conditions.
The most popular packing options for chocolate are:
Boxes. The materials used are usually cardboard, plastic, or metal. High-end chocolates tend to come with this type of packaging, which makes the product very appealing.
Bags. This option tends to be the easiest to transport, which is definitely an advantage. The materials used are typically plastic or paper, they’re lightweight, and can be customised.
Wraps. Wrapping chocolate in foil or paper gives the product an endearing and homemade appearance. There are very creative ways of wrapping chocolate, and some distributers choose to combine this packaging option with a branded bag or box.
Conclusion
Turning cocoa beans into chocolate is a complex and interesting process, from collecting the beans, fermenting them, roasting them, all the way to consuming a delicious chocolate bar or bonbon. If performed with attention and care, amazing results are guaranteed.
I can only imagine the sense of achievement that the first person who discovered this must have felt, finding an unknown and amazing liquor from a cocoa bean casually grabbed from the closest tree, what a day that must have been!
References:
https://www.icco.org/
https://www.fao.org/
https://www.intechopen.com/
https://www.ice.edu/
https://news.grainpro.com/
https://chocolatealchemy.com/
