Chocolate making, professionally
Bean-to-bar, refining, conching, tempering at scale, molding and shelf life.
Chocolate making, professionally · Guide
Bean-to-Bar Process: Every Step a Chocolate Maker Controls
A maker's guide to the bean-to-bar process: what to measure and decide at each step, from incoming beans to tempering, shelf life and food safety.
6 articles
Chocolate Molding: Solid, Shell, One-Shot
How chocolate molding works: solid, shell, cold stamping and one-shot compared, plus mold temperature, release, defects and the BPA rules for molds.
Chocolate Refining: Melangers, Roller Refiners, Ball Mills
How refining sets the particle size and mouthfeel of chocolate, and how melangers, roller refiners and ball mills compare on scale, time and flow.
Cocoa Bean Quality Checks: Moisture, Cut Test, Bean Count
How to check cocoa beans on arrival: moisture limits, the ISO cut test, bean count and size, and why trade grades are not a quality bar for chocolate.
Conching: What It Does to Flavor and Texture
What conching does to chocolate: the dry, plastic and liquid phases, flow, aroma and acids, times and temperatures, and whether you can over-conch.
How Chocolate Drops and Chips Are Made Industrially
How chocolate drops and chips are made: recipe, tempering, piston or rotary forming, belt cooling, and what keeps bake-stable chips in shape.