Do you know what happens in the life of a chocolate bar before you sink your teeth into it? No?
Don't worry, after reading this article you too will be (almost) an expert!
So we're going to break down, step by step, how small cocoa beans turn into delicious chocolate bars to enjoy.
Warning: do not try this at home!
Step 1: Roasting the beans
Upon receiving the cocoa beans, everything begins with roasting. A word that shouldn't be unfamiliar to coffee lovers.
It's during this stage that the small beans are cooked in a large machine where it's very, very, VERY hot, even hotter than on your deckchair this summer! (Around 120 degrees Celsius, no kidding!)
Indeed, it's essential to remove all the moisture from these beans; this is also what will allow them to develop and release all their aromas!
Step 2: Grinding
Once roasted, the beans are crushed, meaning the small shell of the beans is removed to keep only the cocoa nibs (also called "grué"; a technical term to remember to impress your guests during a meal). The nibs are then ground to obtain a thick paste called cocoa liquor. Hmm, our mouths are already watering! Too bad we can't convey smells through this article.
Step 3: Mixing
The cocoa liquor will then be mixed, and mixed, and mixed, and mixed for hours... So many hours that those who are behind in Game Of Thrones will be able to catch up on all their episodes.
A little sugar is added, or even milk powder if you want to get a milk chocolate bar like our Paris Multi bar! For creaminess, we can thank the cocoa butter, which makes up 50% of the beans.
Step 4: Conching-refining
The paste is already quite beautiful, but for more fluidity and homogeneity, it will be agitated for several hours in the conche (Second technical word to remember to impress your father-in-law) for 10 to 48 hours! Careful, we're almost reaching nirvana with this step because it's during this time that the cocoa paste loses its acidity and thus becomes CHOCOLATE!
This is the moment when everyone on earth would want to dip their finger into the vat, remembering the time they licked the edge of the dish when mom finished her chocolate cake. YUM!
At the end of this stage, we obtain what is called chocolate liquor. Just a few more steps, and we're almost there!
Step 5: Tempering
The chocolate continues its journey to the temperer, which, as its name suggests, will keep the chocolate at a perfect temperature of 32 degrees. To twist the flavors, you can decide to add a little caramel, some good Guérande salt, hazelnuts, etc.
Step 6: Molding
From the temperer, delicious chocolate is poured onto the bar mold! Yes, we know what you're thinking, it looks like a chocolate fountain, and you'd love to put your mouth at the end of the pipe to have a chocolate coma.
Step 7: Freezing and demolding
Finally, we freeze the bar for 30 minutes, enough time to do twenty abs, 6 minutes of planks, 50 jumping jacks and 40 squats because yes, a chocolate bar must be earned. The cocoa butter will solidify, allowing for easy demolding.
And BAM, that makes a chocolate bar! #ohyeah
All that's left is to call a talented artist to adorn it with a charming wrapper and re-BAM, that makes a sumptuous chocolate bar by Le Chocolat des Français.
PS: The word "Freezage" does not exist in the Larousse dictionary, it was just for the consistency of the "-age" suffix, sorry!
