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From cocoa to chocolate
Refining
Next to the cocoa butter other ingredients such as sugar, milk powder, cocoa mass and vanilla are
added. The composition makes chocolate but there is a lack of flavour. The mixture undergoes a
refining process by travelling through a system of rollers until a smooth paste is formed. This
system of 5 cylinders reduces the particles to 30 micron.
Our taste buds detect particles from 30 microns on. The smooth paste is typical for Belgian and
Swiss chocolate. If the particles are bigger, we get a sandy feeling in our mouth.
Conching
Conching is a crucial step. The chocolate is heated slowly at a temperature of 45 to 75°C and cocoa
butter, natural soya lecithine or vanilla are added. The ingredients are stirred into a homogeneous
mass and the typical aroma is developing. At this stage chocolate becomes smooth, refined and gets
its final flavour. Only after conching one can speak of chocolate.
Conching used to be done in shell-shaped tanks in which a rolling machine was moving from one side
to the other side. Nowadays, they use big rectangular tanks in which big “stirring arms” are
installed. Each session produces 1.500 to 12.000 kg of chocolate.
The conching is a long process: 12 to 72 hours. The big secret of each chocolatier is the exquisite
flavour of the chocolate. That is why the conching is so important, it determines the quality and
flavour of the chocolate. After the conching, the chocolate is put under fluid form in big tanks at
a temperature of 40 to 50°C.
Tempering
By slowly lowering the temperature, all instable crystals are neutralised. Good tempering isolates
the stable cocoa crystals and creates a brilliant glow, a good breaking and conservation of the
chocolate. Heavy fluctuations in temperature activate the neutralised crystals. Result? The chocolate
melts and gets a white shimmer. Tip: never leave the pralines in a car where it is warm and never
keep them in the refrigerator but at a temperature of 18 to 20°C.
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