THE ART OF CHOCOLATE MAKING

The art of chocolate making is far more complex than one may think.  There are a multitude of steps that go into producing the chocolate pieces that we so readily enjoy. 

Pod Classification:

Cocoa beans are actually the seeds of large cacao pods that are grown on cacao trees found in tropical regions such as Venezuela, Madagascar and Equador.  The large pods can be categorized under three classifications. 

  1. The Criollo pod is used in production of the highest quality chocolate due to its pleasant and distinctive aroma however is available in limited quantities.

  2. The Forastero pod is used to produce the majority of the world’s chocolate as it is more plentiful and easily cultivated however it tends to have a more bitter taste and a more acrid aroma. 

  3. The Trinitario pod is a hybrid of the aforementioned pods that yield a nice aromatic flavor.

Harvesting & Fermenting:

The cacao pods must be gingerly cut from the cacao trees on which they are grown in order to preserve the health, and thus reproduction, of the tree.  Once the pods are cut, they are opened to reveal the cocoa beans which are encased in a white pulp.  The beans enter the fermenting stage in which they are stored in wood bins and covered by plantain leaves.  This process lasts between 2 and 9 days and it is during this phase that the beans undergo a complex series of chemical events that begin to develop the characteristic of the chocolate flavor.

 

Drying:

Once the fermenting stage in completed, the beans are spread out and allowed to dry in the sun.  During the drying process, the beans are regularly turned to ensure even drying and they lose the majority of their moisture and therefore diminish in size.  The beans are now shipped to various chocolate manufacturers.

 

Roasting:

The beans are now cleaned and sorted to remove any foreign objects.  They are placed into giant roasters that roast the beans for 20 minutes to 2 hours depending on the desired end color and flavor.  The beans are now extremely brittle and allow for greater ease in separating the cocoa nibs from the outside shell.

 

Milling & Mixing:

The cocoa nibs are crushed in large high-speed mills and ground to liquid “cocoa liquor”, a non-alcoholic liquid chocolate.  This liquor is now ready to make chocolate.  Crucial ingredients such as vanilla, sugar and lecithin are added according to the pre-determined recipe, mixed and the resulting paste is processed through chocolate refiners which crush the chocolate into a fine powder-like substance. 

 

Conching:

The chocolate is then submitted to the conching process which kneads and agitates the chocolate for upwards of several days.  This process reduces moisture and improves upon the flavor, texture and aroma of the chocolate.

 

Tempering & Molding:

The conched chocolate is piped into a tempering machine thus yielding a chocolate mass that can, at last, be poured into a variety of molds for cooling.

 

 

As reviewed above, it is easy to determine that the variety and blend of the beans are the components in making a good chocolate. Pierre prefers to use the Criollo bean, which accounts for the top 5% of world production, and is a very high quality bean which is deeply aromatic and lacking in bitterness. For the origin couverture (Madagascar, Venezuela, Equatuer, etc.) he sources the bean himself, and visits individual plantations to find the very best for his chocolate.

 

Once he has assembled the ingredients he is able to fashion what "The Times" call 'the most perfect pralines and tantalizing truffles' by building up layers of textures and tastes. The same care and attention that goes into making the finest wine is applied to making the finest chocolate, and from bean to bar Pierre is wholly responsible for the product.