Hawaiian Chocolates

The candy making process begins with a rather small item: a simple bean.  This bean goes through a wonderful process that turns it into some very delicious chocolate.  In this process, there are some very specific steps that must be taken.

To begin with the cocoa bean must harvested by hand.  Machetes will then be used to cut the bean open so that both the bean and the pulp can be extracted.

Once the bean and pulp is extracted it must go through a fermentation process.  This will last between 5 to 6 days.  During this time, the natural sugars begin to create alcohol that is drained away and chocolate’s deep brown color begins to appear.

After the fermentation process, the beans must be dried in the sun for two weeks.  Hot air will produce a much less desirable result as the chocolate will not be as of such high quality.

This is not the end of the processing though.  The cocoa beans must be further processed through a roasting process that is quite similar to that which is used in the creation of coffee.  In this process the temperature must reach around 210 degrees for between a few minutes and an hour.  Herein chocolate gets its rich flavor.  If the temperature is too low during this process, the bean will get a fruity taste to it.

For really bitter beans, a longer roast is required.  This is known as winnowing.  Herein the cocoa beans are shelled and prepared to go into the grinder, which is another important part of the process.  The winnowing process will continue until eventually some very tasty chocolate is created.

As you can see, making chocolate takes a lot of patience and time.  This should make your next bite of chocolate all that much more enjoyable.