A chocolate maker is a person or business that makes chocolate from cacao beans that are still raw. Cacao beans are the fruit of the cacao tree and are refined into cocoa solids and cocoa butter, which are the two main ingredients in chocolate. To achieve the desired flavor and consistency, the beans are typically subjected to a variety of treatments, including fermentation, grinding, heating, and tempering. The chocolate that results is frequently allowed to harden into bars.
Chocolate maker is frequently confused with chocolatier, a culinary professional who creates candies and confections with processed chocolate. Before the chocolatier creates his or her creations, the cacao beans are usually converted into usable chocolate. Bakers, candy makers, and private individuals are among those who use chocolate in their cooking.
The cacao tree’s raw beans are the starting point for a chocolate maker. The majority of these beans are grown in Africa, but they are also grown in many other countries. They bear no resemblance to store-bought chocolate.
Before the chocolate maker processes the raw beans, they are usually fermented. Cacao beans are bitter and have a distinct lack of chocolate flavor. The bitterness is reduced the fermentation process.
To bring out the chocolate flavor, a chocolate maker usually roasts the beans. The fleshy, edible center of the roasted beans is usually cracked and sifted out of the shell. The nib refers to the bean’s fleshy meat. After that, the cacao nibs can be ground and refined to make chocolate liquor. Chocolate liquor is simply liquid chocolate in its purest form, with no alcohol.
Conching is the next step in a chocolate maker’s cacao bean refinement process. The bourbon is passed through heated grinders, which reduce it to tiny particles. As a rule of thumb, the longer a batch of chocolate is conched, the smoother the finished product will be.
A chocolate maker will typically heat and cool the chocolate liquor several times at this point. Tempering is the term for this process. It makes it possible for the liquid cocoa butter and cocoa solids to solidify into a solid chocolate bar. Chocolatiers frequently have to temper chocolate again before using it.
Before tempering a batch of chocolate, a chocolatier can add sugar, powdered milk, and more cocoa butter. Chocolatiers frequently purchase chocolate that already contains these ingredients. Extra cocoa butter is added to high-quality chocolate, known as couverture, to give it a shinier sheen and a milder flavor.