How Is Chocolate Made?

General Overview

Chocolate is derived from the cacao bean. The scientific name "theobroma cacao" literally means "food of the gods," and clearly reflects the delicious, heavenly taste revered by both ancient and modern peoples. Chocolate was first discovered and consumed by the Aztec and Mayan tribes of South America. The bean comes from the tropical cacao tree, which grows very close to the equator. The top cacao tree-growing countries are the Ivory Coast and Ghana. The cacao tree is in bloom all year long, and the beans vary in ripeness throughout the year.

The First Steps

Chocolate-making begins with the harvest of the cacao beans. The ripest beans are picked and harvested by hand. The bean pods are split open, and the cocoa beans are removed along with the surrounding pulp. Then, the beans and pulp are left to ferment for two to eight days in baskets. The fermentation process allows the flavor of the beans to mellow, and sharpens the fruity flavor of the pulp. Otherwise, the beans would be too bitter to taste or make into chocolate desserts, and, thus, fermentation is a highly crucial step. Afterwards, the beans are spread out and left to dry completely. Following this step, the beans are packaged and shipped to the manufacturing plant.

The Manufacturing Process

When the beans arrive at the manufacturing plant, they are roasted to further bring out the flavorful chocolate taste. Then the roasted beans are sent to the winnower that removes the shells, but leaves the nibs of the beans. The nibs are the very essence of the chocolate bean and contain the most intense flavor and the cocoa butter. At this point the nibs are ground into a thick paste often called chocolate liquor. This is the foundation of all chocolate products, and it is at this time in the process that the familiar taste and smell of chocolate becomes noticeable. The liquor is then pressed to remove the cocoa butter, and a powdery disc called presscake is left over. Depending on the quality of chocolate to be made, this cocoa powder is mixed with vegetable fats or oils to produce lower quality chocolate. If the chocolate is to be high quality, the powder is mixed with cocoa butter, milk, sugar and vanilla. The final step in making chocolate is the conching process. The conching machine kneads the chocolate for several hours up to several days. Conching smooths the chocolate and removes any remaining acidic elements. At last, the chocolate is cooled and molded into bars or other shapes, wrapped and shipped to consumers throughout the world.