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Once the cacao seeds have been harvested and fermented they will begin the journey to becoming cocoa powder and chocolate. The cacao seeds will be packed for shipping to the countries where they will be processed.
The most important factor is to keep the cacao seeds dry while in transit. If the seeds became moist, the fermentation process could begin all over again. This would cause them to decay and rot while at sea. Formerly they were shipped in smaller jute bags, but in later years this system changed to save costs. They are now transported in bulk bags, which are, of course more cost effective.
Roasting
Once a consignment of cacao beans reaches a factory, the first thing to be done is to roast the beans. They will be placed in a roaster and roasted for about an hour to make cocoa powder. The roasting period will be shorter if they are to be used for chocolate.
Crushing
Once roasted, the cacao beans must be crushed into small pieces. They are then known as nibs. The pieces of shell are removed by blowing air over them. Now the nibs are ready to be finely ground. The smoother and finer this process is done the better the quality of the chocolate will be. This smooth substance is called chocolate liquor, or paste.
Either the ingredients to make chocolate can now be added, or the process to make cocoa powder can begin. By using a hydraulic press the cocoa butter will be squeezed out of the paste. The remaining product is the powdery cocoa. This process produces 50% cocoa butter and 50% cocoa powder.
Adding cocoa butter and flavors
Extra cocoa butter is added to the liquor in order to make it creamier, but at the same time it will lose some of its flavor. Less cocoa butter on the other hand will make the chocolate have more flavor, but will be less creamy. This is the art of chocolate making
