Extracting chocolate liquor from cocoa beans

The foundation of all forms of chocolate is chocolate liquor, made from the nibs or meat of cocoa beans.

Chocolate liquor is a suspension particles in cocoa butter that produced by milling cocoa beans that have undergone dehulling. At the beginning of the process, the beans are first passed over magnets and vibrating screens to remove any unwanted debris. The beans then are roasted, their outer shells removed and the nibs ground up until friction reduces them to a liquid.

The grinding process generates heat which melts the fats, causing them to become liquid. This chocolate liquor is fifty percent fat, or cocoa butter.

Chocolate liquor is a key component of chocolate that is also known as cocoa liquor, chocolate mass and cocoa mass.
Extracting chocolate liquor from cocoa beans

Chocolate liquor

Chocolate liquor is the solid or semiplastic food composed of cocoa butter and coca solids, and may be used as the base for chocolate production or separated into these discrete components.

Cocoa beans are first fermented, then dried roasted freed from chaff, blended, and ground to release the chocolate liquor. In Europe, chocolate liquor is often called chocolate mass. This rich liquid is then pressed to produce either cocoa powder or cocoa butter.

Alternatively, the chocolate liquor can be hardened into unsweetened chocolate (100% chocolate liquor), or dark, semi sweet, and bittersweet chocolate, in which some sugar has been ground in with the nibs. To be considered a dark chocolate the chocolate must contain at least 35% chocolate liquor, although many premium chocolates have an even higher percentage.

Bittersweet chocolate has a high chocolate content and a very dark color. Its chocolate liquor content is higher than 35%: a content of 55 % chocolate liquor is fair common.

Chocolate liquor can also be processed to produce chocolate by mixing it with cocoa butter sugar and/or milk. In this case, chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, milk products, emulsifiers and flavors are the basic ingredients are blended together.

The result is a paste with a rough texture and plastic consistency. It is often passed through a kneader or plasticizer to improve uniformity prior to entering the conches.
Chocolate liquor