The Production of Edible Chocolate

Once cacao beans have been  cleaned, graded, roasted, and  ground they are ready for the  next stage: the making of  chocolate.

From this point on, the  chocolate liquor is separated  according to its purpose.  For the production of cocoa  powder, most of the cacao butter  is extracted from the liquor and  the remains are formed into discs  that are then ground. Emulsifiers  such as lecithin are added to  improve particle solubility in  milk, or the cocoa powder is  dutched to enhance its solubility  in cold water.

In the case of edible chocolate,  the process is a bit more  complicated.

Once at the factory, the  chocolate paste is passed through  a mixing machine referred to as  the "mélange" (from the French  "to mix"). This equipment kneads  the chocolate liquor into a  dough and is used to combine  into the paste additional  ingredients such as evaporated  milk (for milk chocolate).

The chocolate dough is then  refined and passed through a series  of flattening rollers that  stretch the dough and improve its  elasticity. As the refined paste  comes out of the rollers, it's so  thick it looks like paper.   Quality chocolate follows  refining with a process called  conching, a term derived from the  French word "conch," meaning  shell. During conching, the  chocolate sheets are melted and  liquefied, and then shaken to infuse  all the flavors, reduce  bitterness, and achieve a creamy,  velvety texture.

Conching also allows for the  thorough incorporation of  flavorings like vanilla, where  the essence becomes completely  mixed in and infused in the  chocolate flavor.

After the conching period, the  chocolate is tempered inside  tempering kettles where it's  continually stirred to  lower its temperature while  keeping it liquefied.   The tempered chocolate is fed  into both moulding and enrobing  machines. The first is used to  create chocolate shapes that are  hollow in the center, and the second  coats confectionery centers  without the risk of the chocolate  bursting.