chocolate appreciation 101

CHOCOLATE APPRECIATION 101

Heavenly Chocolates, 27th March 2010

Chocolate!

It’s addictive, delicious, tempting, and good for you. But do you have any idea how this treat came to be? Better yet: are you appreciating your chocolate properly?

Theobroma cacao

Chocolate is made from the beans of the cacao fruit.

Its scientific name means the food of the gods.

The Cacao Tree

Cocoa Pods at Harvest

Husking the Beans

Fermenting the Beans

Drying Out the Beans

Ready for Roasting!

The History of Chocolate

Above: The Mayan glyph for

kakaw or cocoa

Archaeologists discovered that cocoa beans have been used as both an important food source and a form of currency in South America as far back as 2,000 BC.

Among the Maya, 4 beans could buy you a rabbit for dinner, 100 would get you a slave, and 10 would get a man a wife!

The History of Chocolate

Cocoa beans were sacred to the Aztecs fertility goddess Xochiquetzal.

The Aztecs were aware of its aphrodisiac properties. Montezuma was said to have drunk 50 pitchers of xocolatl (“bitter water”) to appease his harem.

Xochiquetzal and a representation of a cacao tree in bloom

The History of Chocolate

In 1528, the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes brought chocolate to Spain where it gained popularity as a beverage.

In 1670, Pedro Bravo de los Camerinos begins the cultivation of cacao in the Philippines.

Cortes among the Aztecs

A Taste of Chocolate

Single-origin Ecuador

Flavor profile is bold with a rather sharp end note.

Flavor Profile for Ecuador

Cocoa

Fruity/Bouquet

Sweetness

Acidity

Bitterness

Others

Who Grows Cocoa?

Major Single-Origin Areas

Ivory Coast 38%Ghana 20%

Ecuador 3%

Peru 0.5%

Madagascar 0.1%

Bolivia

Mexico

Flavor Profile for Ivory Coast

Cocoa

Fruity/Bouquet

Sweetness

Acidity

Bitterness

Others

Flavor Profile for Ghana

Cocoa

Fruity/Bouquet

Sweetness

Acidity

Bitterness

Others

- Good base for chocolate, smooth and mellow.

Flavor Profile for Peru

Cocoa

Fruity/Bouquet

Sweetness

Acidity

Bitterness

Others

- Weak cocoa, but unique floral notes.

(floral)

Flavor Profile for Madagascar

Cocoa

Fruity/Bouquet

Sweetness

Acidity

Bitterness

Others

- Good balance, dried fruit (raisin) character.

(raisin)

Three Unique Varieties

Criollo – or chocolate porcelana is the rarest (5% of total production) and has the most delicate flavor.

Forastero – comprises the bulk of all chocolate produced and has the strongest “classic” chocolate flavor.

Trinitario – a hardy criollo/forastero hybrid, quite flavorful.

Milling the Beans - Traditionally

The Modern Way

Pre-refiner

Pre-refiner Outlet

Refining the Chocolate

Conching the Chocolate

In-line Sieves, 400 micron mesh

Chocolate Tempering Machines

Cooling Tunnel (chips, chunks, buttons, blocks)

The Forms of Chocolate

Cocoa Powder Cocoa Butter Couverture Bars for Eating Chips/buttons Drinking

Chocolate Confections Ganache Truffles

A Taste of Chocolate

Single-origin Mexico Robust yet pleasant The flavors are

reminiscent of old-fashioned chocolate de batirol / de tablea

On Ganache

In essence, ganache is an amalgam of chocolate melted in cream.

It was discovered by accident by a French patissier in 1850 when heated cream was poured into a bowl of chopped chocolate.

To Make Ganache

Pour le Fondue (For a Fondue) 200 grams chocolate + 250mL cream

Pour les Gateaux (To Frost Cakes) 250 grams chocolate + 250mL cream

Pour les Truffes / Truffettes (For Truffles) 300 grams chocolate + 250mL cream 3 tablespoons flavoring tincture (optional)

On Truffles

Truffles were created by the Dufour family in 1895 and were, simply, chilled ganache lumps rolled in bitter cocoa.

There are now three specific styles: the classic French, American (a ganache-filled chocolate shell), and Swiss (the ganache is compounded with butter and poured into molds).

A Taste of Chocolate: Nama

Nama is a truffle-style confection that became popular in Japan in the early 1980s.

Sachi Nama is HC’s house nama brand and is certainly a sophisticated confection.

DIY: Chocolate Truffles

Any questions, suggestions, or violent reactions?

THANK YOU!