How Is Chocolate Candy Made?
All processed chocolate starts with the cocoa bean. Cocoa pods are picked from cocoa trees and undergo fermentation to develop their flavor. Once fermented, the pods are dried and roasted; then they are ready to begin the intricate process of becoming chocolate.WinnowingRoasted cocoa beans are put through a winnowing machine to remove the outer husks, revealing the cocoa nibs.Milling and PressingThe cocoa nibs are milled into cocoa liquor, a pure cocoa mass. The pure cocoa mass is often pressed to extract the cocoa solid from the cocoa butter just before the blending of chocolate ingredients.BlendingIngredients of sugar, vanilla, lecithin and sometimes milk solids are mixed with cocoa liquor and cocoa butter to make varieties such as dark, milk or white chocolate. Ingredients such as nuts or caramel may also be added.RefiningThe milk or dark chocolate mixture is refined by heavy rollers until it is a smooth paste.ConchingThe refined mixture undergoes a kneading process known as conchin
