How can I make a sweet dark chocolate bar from scratch?
First you harvest the cacao beans, they come off of cacao trees located in countries including, but not limited to: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria, Brazil, Cameroon, Equador, Dominical Republic, Papua New Guinea and Equador. Then you have to ferment the beans, this can take up to a week. Then you have to dry them. Usually done in the sun, the beans will turn from a reddish color to a brown color, and this can take from 1-2 weeks. Then you remove the outer husks and grind them up to make what is called cocoa liquor, or chocolate liquor. (not alcohol) Then sugar would be added, and the liquor and sugar would be ground together, and then cocoa butter may be added, and vanilla. Then the chocolate undergoes a procedure called conching. Conching consists of mixing, heating, agitating and aerating for an amount of time that is individual for each chocolate manufacturer. Most companies will not share this information because it is what gives their chocolate its unique texture. The only
