The process of growing and producing chocolate
• The process of growing and production of chocolate
The path of any chocolate you ate in your life begins with the cacao tree (Theobroma Cacao), which grow brightly colored pods. The photo was taken in Hawaii, the only place in the US, where it is possible to grow cocoa trees.
cocoa pods grow directly on the branches of a large tree.
Colored pods of cocoa.
Inside each pod 25-40 cocoa beans surrounded by white pulp.
Inside the cocoa bean.
During harvest the pods are cut, and cut the beans. They were put in wooden boxes and covered with banana leaves. There they are left to ferment for 5-7 days. It is the fermentation process is so important for the future of the taste of chocolate.
Then the beans are spread in the sun, that they were dried for 7-10 days.
The beans are regularly turned over, so that they are dried evenly. In some parts of the world, particularly in Grenada, beans stirred feet just walking on them.
After drying, the beans are packed in bags and shipped to chocolate manufacturers around the world.
First of all, beans are carefully sorted by hand, separating the damaged fruits, stones and twigs.
The sorted beans are sent to the oven, where they twist and roast 20 minutes. In small manufacturers are not many, so you have to improvise.
Then the beans are passed through the device is here. Upstairs - a juicer, which splits the beans. Below - grain cleaning machine, attached to a vacuum cleaner, which exfoliates the skin lighter beans.
So the beans are ready for polishing.
Crushed cocoa beans poured into a granite millstone. In sliding crushed beans are heated and begins to melt cocoa butter beans from which consist of 50 percent. At this stage, add brown sugar and milk powder for the future of milk chocolate.
Millstones work for three days. Every minute the mixture became softer and softer. During a process called conching, chocolate flavor in there. Constant movement of the millstones and the heat removed from any bitterness mixture appear characteristic aromatic chocolate notes.
A small batch of milk chocolate.
Three days passed, it's time to pour the resulting chocolate mixture.
Chocolate wave.
Chocolate exists in several crystalline forms. It is heated and cooled in a special machine. Then poured into a polycarbonate mold and passed through a vibration to remove all air bubbles. After sent to the refrigerator for a few hours. If everything was done correctly, the chocolate is easily separated from the molds.
And ready to chocolate bars.