Making Chocolate 101: Bean to Bar

Chocolate lovers rejoice! The journey from bean to bar is not just a fascinating process; it’s an art form that allows you to create rich, flavorful chocolate right in your own kitchen. In this blog post, we will explore the intricate techniques involved in crafting artisanal chocolate, providing you with the knowledge and confidence to embark on your own chocolate-making adventure.

Cacao beans ready for processing into chocolate

Understanding the Basics of Chocolate

Before diving into the techniques, it’s essential to understand what chocolate is made of. At its core, chocolate is derived from cacao beans, which grow in pods on cacao trees. The beans undergo several processes before they become the delicious treat we all love, mainly fermenting and drying.

The Cacao Bean

The cacao bean is the heart of chocolate. Each bean is roughly 50/50:

• Cocoa solids: These are responsible for the chocolate's flavor and color, also what coco powder is made from.

• Cocoa butter: This fat gives chocolate its smooth texture and mouthfeel.

  
  

Types of Chocolate

There are several types of chocolate, each with its unique flavor profile and uses:

• Dark Chocolate: Contains a high percentage of cocoa, you are looking for 70%+.

• Milk Chocolate: Contains milk powder, giving it a creamier texture and sweeter taste but with additional sugar.

• White Chocolate: Made from cocoa butter, sugar, and milk (I would put this squarely into candy category).

  
  

Sourcing Quality Cacao Beans

The first step in crafting artisanal chocolate is sourcing high-quality cacao beans. The flavor of your chocolate will largely depend on the beans you choose. Here are some tips for selecting the best cacao:

• Origin: Different regions produce beans with distinct flavor notes. For example, beans from Madagascar are known for their fruity flavors, while those from Ecuador may have floral notes.

• Varietal: There are several cacao varietals, such as Criollo, Forastero, and Trinitario, each offering unique flavor profiles.

• Sustainability: Look for beans sourced from sustainable farms that prioritize ethical practices.

  
  

In the end chocolate flavor is subjective, we have made chocolate from over 50 origins, and they are all unique in their own way.

The Bean to Bar Process

Now that you have your cacao beans, it’s time to transform them into chocolate (as this is 101 it will be very coarse chocolate). The bean to bar process consists of several key steps:

1. Roasting

Roasting cacao beans enhances their flavor and aroma. Here’s how to do it:

• Temperature: Roast beans at a temperature between 250°F to 300°F (121°C to 149°C).

• Time: Depending on the bean size and moisture content, roasting can take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.

• Monitoring: Keep an eye on the beans to prevent burning. You should start experiencing a strong smell of brownies some 15 min in, this is a sure sign that you are on the right path. If the brownies smell dissipates likely, it was over roasted. Once the 20 minutes is up, take the beans out of the oven and let them cool down.

  
  

2. Cracking

Now that your beans are roasted the next step is to crack them.  This literally means to crack them, the goal is to goal is to break them down into smaller pieces (not pulverize). 

• One way of doing this to put them into bag (large Ziploc bags work) to contain the debris, then take a heavy roller pin and go at it, other tools in the house that can help: tenderizer, hammer, cast iron skillet, mason jar, etc..

• Once you are done, you should have a mixture of nibs (did we say that is where our Nibbys name comes from) and husks.

  
  

3. Winnowing

Typically, around 1/5th of the bean is the husk weight wise but volume wise would be more than 1/2. After cracking, the next step is winnowing, which involves separating the outer shell from the nibs. This can be done using:

• A hairdryer: Blow air on the beans to separate the shells from the nibs.

  • You will need to go outside, and blow with the hairdryer into the bowl at the nibs and husks, the husks being the lighter ones will float away, leaving the heavier nibs behind.

  • Prepare to have a large radius around you of husks, start at a greater distance with the hair dryer to prevent blowing away the nibs (ultimately you will lose some amount), and then get closer (but not too close).

• A winnowing machine: For larger batches this is a must even for a few lb, consider investing in (or making) a machine designed for this purpose (This would be chocolate making 201).

  
  

4. Grinding

Now that you have just the nibs, it is time to refine them. For 101 level without specialized equipment (aka melanger) you can use your food processor (not a blender like Vitamix), the chocolate will be come out a bit gritty but still quite good.

At this point you have a choice of how dark/sweet you would like the chocolate to be. For example, most of the chocolate we make is 70% dark, this means that in a 100 gm bar, 70 gm is the cocoa bean (nibs) and 30 gm is sugar.

To take the guesswork out of this we created a calculator.

• Using food processor: Combine the nibs and the sugar (powdered sugar works best). The longer you run the processor the finer the chocolate will become, but you will not get to a creamy consistency. Typically, around 20 minutes should be enough (similar to chunky almond or peanut butter).

  
  

5. Bar

At this point you have liquid chocolate, the friction of the food processor blade broke down the nibs and the generated heat released the cocoa butter. All that is left to do is to cool it down, you can simply pour it onto a plate and either leave at room temperature or in the fridge for a few minutes.

If you have a mold available you would pour it, and wait for a bit.

The picture is the very first bar we ever made.

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Conclusion

It is possible to make our own chocolate in your own kitchen with a bit of time and what you have available. To graduate to chocolate making 201 it takes a bit more equipment and patience, stay posted.