The cocoa tree has been part of human culture for over 2000 years. All around the world, cocoa is grown on small family farms in tropical areas. More than 70 percent of the world's cocoa supply is grown in West Africa, mostly on small family farms of less than 15 acres.
There are three main varieties of cocoa beans grown today. The criollo bean is a native of Central America. Approximately 10 to 15 percent of the cocoa trees are criollo. These trees are small and hard to grow. The forastero cacoa is much easier to grow and makes up 70 percent of all the cocoa grown. The forastero is more bitter than the criollo. The third type of cccoa bean is the trinitario. It is a cross between the criollo and the forastero. About twenty percent of the cocoa beans produced are forastero.
Cocoa trees produce oval-shaped fruit about 8-10 inches long. Cocoa beans, which are the main ingredient in chocolate, are actually the seeds inside the fruit of the cocoa tree.
Although cocoa trees grow to about sixty feet in the wild, plantation owners trim them to about 20 feet so that workers can reach the pods at harvest time. Since the cocoa tree prefers shade banana trees, rubber trees, or coconut palms are planted beside the cocoa tree in the orchard.
During harvesting season, the cocoa pods are collected and the seeds removed. Once the cocoa beans have been harvested, they are brought to the village to dry.
Next they are packed in burlap sacks and hipped to factories. When the beans arrive at the chocolate factory they are sorted and cleaned. The beans are roasted in large revolving drums at 250 to 350 degrees for thirty minutes to two hours depending on the type of bean.
After roasting the beans are winnowed. This is the process that removes the outer shell. The shells are sold as animal feed. The inner nib is then crushed and heated to melt the cocoa butter and ground to a thick paste. This paste is called chocolate liquor, but contains no alcohol.
There are different processes involved depending upon the type of chocolate being made:
Dutch-processed cocoa uses the nibs, which are treated with an alkali.
To make cocoa powder a large press extracts all but 10 to 25 percent the cocoa butter from the chocolate liquor. The remaining cake is then ground and sifted through fine nylon, silk, or wire mesh. Low fat cocoa contains between 10 to 13 percent fat where high-fat contains 15 to 25 percent. Low-fat cocoa is usually used for cocoa drinks. The high-fat cocoa is used to flavor desserts.
To make unsweetened or "baking" chocolate the chocolate liquor is molded and solidified.
Dark chocolate is made by combining chocolate liquor with sugar, cocoa butter, and vanilla.
Milk chocolate is made by combining chocolate liquor with cocoa butter, sugar, and milk solids or powder.
White chocolate does not contain any chocolate liquor. It is the cocoa butter that gives it the chocolate flavor.
Dipping chocolate is made with more cocoa butter than regular eating chocolate.
Another type of chocolate is gianduia. It is a blend of chocolate and roasted hazelnuts. Yum!
Once the ingredients are combined the chocolate mixture goes through a refining process. It is kneaded between large steel rollers, which makes the mixture smooth. Next is it conched. During this process the liquid mixture is heated and continuously mixed, ground, and stirred. High quality chocolate is conched for several days and lower quality chocolate are conched for only a few hours.
After the chocolate is conched, it moves to the final process of being tempered. This process gradually raises and lowers the temperature to a set degree. At this point, the chocolate is ready to be molded into chocolate bars.
Kind of makes you wonder how manufacturers can afford to sell a chocolate bar for 50 cents, doesn't it?
Want to experience some of the finest chocolate in the world? Visit Organic Planet Coffee and Tea and order Dagoba chocolate bars. You'll never go back to "ordinary" chocolate again!
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