How To Make Your Own Chocolate In 7 Easy Steps

Ok, so you want to make your own chocolate.

First, cover your pile of seeds with more leaves or another sheet of canvas and whatever leaves come to hand in order to contain the heat and moisture. Wait about 3-7 days with high humidity. You want the beans to ferment completely, so use your own best judgment. Fermenting begins when the beans come into contact with the air.

 

During fermentation, the pulp disintegrates, producing steamy heat and a pervasive, yeasty, sour smell. It is at this point that the beans first develop thier complex characteristics.This fermentation process is what gives the chocolate its flavor.

 

As soon as the fermentation process is complete, lay the beans out to dry in the sun, stirring consistently to dry the beans evenly. Once the beans have dried sufficiently, ie reached a moisture content of about 7% which will take another 7-9 days, you can go back to civilization.

 

The third step is to clean the beans completely. Remove rocks and other large foreign matter then wash off any leftover dirt, leaves or bugs. Now you can roast the beans. Keep the oven at 250 degrees for between 20 and 30 minutes. The time will vary, so you must watch the beans to make sure they do not burn. As the beans dry, their colors deepen, turning them into a carpet of sepia, umber, and mocha.

 

Finally shell the beans and discard the outer husk. This process is called winnowing when done by machine, however you can do this by hand. The insides are called 'nibs'.

 

Now that you have yourself some nibs, it's time to start grinding them. The resultant slurry is called chocolate liquor. Chocolate liquor is not actually a liquor but rather just a name that the chocolate industry uses to talk about the liquid nibs yield when ground. The liquor is squeezed to remove the cocoa butter.

 

Next, for a creamier chocolate, you need to add some of the cocoa butter back in. Mix the desired amount of separated cocoa butter and cocoa liquor for desired creaminess, along with sugar and vanilla.

 

If you're really into the milky stuff, by all means go ahead but use evaporated milk as you are mixing a water based product with an oil based product so regular milk will not work.

The final step should be to conch your chocolate. Conching is the process that will mix and smooth your chocolate. The longer you mix it, the smoother and creamier your chocolate will be. Give this process at least 6 hours, but by all means continue on for a couple of days if you like a nuggat creaminess.

If you're into vanity chocholates, only conch your chocolate for 6 hours then you'll want to temper your chocolate before cooling it, to ensure an even shine and luster. So, heat it up to 93 degrees, let it cool to 87, and bring it back up again. Repeat as necessary.

 

Congratulations! You have now made your very own chocolate! Now you just have to decide in what shape you would like to eat it.

 

Reheat it to 93 degrees. Pour. Let harden. Eat.

 

Enjoy the sweet taste of success!

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