how we make chocolate
1 s t a r t w i t h t h e b e s t r a w i n g r e d i e n t s
Only three ingredients enter our chocolate: cocoa beans, cane sugar and cocoa butter.
We slow drum roast beans for each chocolate batch, releasing the cocoa’s unique flavors.
Cocoa’s character changes dramatically with different roasts. We publish roasting levels on
each bar for your comparison.
Roasting Levels
light - just enough to soften the cocoa’s raw, acidic edge
medium - cocoa flavors develop to be balanced and flavorful
dark - full bodied, bold, intense, new flavor notes can develop while others may be subdued
2 c r e a t e r e m a r k a b l e c h o c o l a t e r e c i p e s
Single origin or blended cocoa determines much about the final flavor. Cocoa percentage (%) is decided for each recipe. Sugar must enhance, not overpower cocoa flavors.
Added cocoa butter makes the chocolate smooth, velvety. Too much will dilute the cocoa’s natural flavors. Changes to any of these variables can produce astonishingly different chocolate flavors.
3 s t o n e g r i n d a n d c o n c h e u s i n g a g e - o l d m e t h o d s
Solid granite rollers grind beans and sugar hour after hour as in ages past. Heat, motion, aeration and time develop each chocolate’s flavor;
this is conching.
Changes in time and temperature result in dramatically different chocolate flavors.
Conching Levels
none - primitive, natural, pungent, not appropriate for all cocoa, exquisite for some
subtle - softens primitive edge while retaining aggressive flavor notes
medium - balance between aggressive and subdued, mellow
long - flavor peaks and valleys softened to a melodic harmony
4 t e m p e r, m o l d a n d f i n i s h e a c h b a r
Molten chocolate is heated and cooled to allow the natural development of cocoa butter crystals;
this is tempering.
Tempered molten chocolate is pumped into bar molds and cooled until solid, then wrapped and labeled.
Tempering is responsible for the sheen, snap and proper melting in the mouth when tasting - which should be vigorously pursued as often as possible.
b e a n t o b a r v i d e o
This short video was shot down inside the chocolate making "gears and wheels" for an inside look at cocoa being transformed to chocolate.
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