chocolate-making process
The chocolate-making process begins with harvesting cocoa pods from cacao trees. The beans inside the pods are extracted and fermented, which enhances their flavor. After fermentation, the beans are dried and roasted to develop a rich chocolate taste. The roasted beans are then cracked open, separating the nibs from the shell. Nibs are ground into a paste called chocolate liquor, which can be further processed to separate cocoa solids from cocoa butter. These components are blended with sugar, milk, and other ingredients, then refined and conched for smoothness before being tempered and molded into the final chocolate products.
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The chocolate-making process begins with harvesting cocoa pods from cacao trees, which contain cocoa beans. These beans are fermented to develop their flavor, then dried, roasted, and shelled to extract the cocoa nibs. The nibs are ground into a paste called chocolate liquor, which can be pressed to separate cocoa butter from solids. The solid part is ground further to create cocoa powder. To make chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, and dairy (for milk chocolate) are added to the chocolate liquor, and the mixture is refined and conched for smoothness, before tempering and molding into bars or shapes.