1. St. Michael Catholic High School Mr. Knight
Chocolate
St. Michael Catholic High School
Mr. Knight

2. History of the Cocao Bean
Cocoa dates back to the Olmecs (a pre-Columbian civilization living in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, near the modern-day city of Veracruz) who lived from 1500 to 400 BC and were the first humans to drink cocoa. More recently, the Mayans in 600 AD cultivated cocoa in Central America and made a nourishing and fiery drink they called “Xocolatl” from where we get our word “chocolate”. Cocoa beans were used as currency.
In 1528, Hernándo Cortés, the famous Spanish conquistador, took the first cocoa back to Spain where it’s said that the Spanish court gave it great approval, although the drink was nothing like today’s cocoa. It was sharp, highly concentrated and was even drunk with pepper added, and possibly sweetened with honey.
It wasn’t till the 1830s that eating chocolate was developed.
In 600 AD the Mayans cultivated cocoa in Central America and made a nourishing and fiery drink they called “Xocolatl” from where we get our word “chocolate”.

3. 17th Century Molinillo
A molinillo is a wooden whisk- stirrer for Mexican hot chocolate. It’s a beautifully carved piece of wood with loose rings of wood around the end. When held upright and held between the palms of your hand, the molinillo is twirled back and forth in a pot of hot chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla to create a frothy drink.

4. Cacao

5. From Cocao Pod
The cacao was originally a wild plant from the rainforests in South America.  People discovered its many potential uses and decided to domesticate the plant, and later was then able to thrive in tropical and subtropical climates. 
Cacao eventually became a popular beverage because of its medicinal powers.  The Europeans praised the cacao beverage so much that even Pope Pious V allowed the people to drink the beverage even on days of fasting. 
The desire for chocolate became tremendous which led researchers to make a study on its main ingredient –cocoa.  It then became known that cocoa has phenyl ethylene, a chemical which stimulates the production of dopamine and serotonin in the brain.  Both are pleasure inducing chemicals which affect our moods.

6. Harvesting of the bean

7. Cocoa beans being frequently turned and dried on raised bamboo mats

8. Fermented fine 'Trinitario' (top) and 'Criollo' (bottom) cocoa beans grown in Venezuela, Madagascar and some Central American countries

9. In order to obtain tasty beans, the pods are picked at the same ripening level, according to their species. They must be free of all hole or disease. Then, they rest for 6 days so that the beans absorb the fructose (fruit sugar) of the pulp. The pods are broken open in a clean environment and on the same day, the beans are put into fermenting tanks. The first fermentation phase is the alcoholic fermentation in anaerobic (without air) conditions. The reaction of yeast with sugar produces alcohol. From the second day on, the beans are stirred so that the oxygen induces fermentations by bacteria. During this phase, the first hints of the typical cocoa flavour arise. Finally the beans are taken to large platforms to be allowed to dry in a temperature of 45° maximum. During this last phase, the chemical reactions go on, intensifying the cocoa’s aroma and flavour.

10. Cocoa beans ready for shipping

11. From Cocoa bean to chocolate
Before chocolate can be made, the beans must be processed into the raw ingredients needed for mixing chocolate: cocoa mass, cocoa butter, and cocoa powder. First, the beans are mixed to achieve the desired balance and taste. Beans from various places have different properties.
Next, the beans are cleaned and de-dusted to make sure they are perfectly pure. They are passed through a sieve and a metal detector to thoroughly ensure their purity.

12. Roasting the cocoa bean is a critical step, with time and temperature the most important elements. The roasting process determines the desired cocoa aroma. The shell of the bean comes loose from the kernel during roasting and the heat of roasting removes any bacteria in the bean.
After the shells are loosened, the beans are hurled against large crushing plates that separate the shells from the kernels The beans are then sieved and the fragments blown through wind channels, where the upward flow of air separates the shells from the kernels.

13. Milling: Now that the kernels have been separated from the shells, the kernels pass through two types of mills. First they enter the pin mills, where they are roughly ground. Then they enter the ball mills, where they are very finely ground, producing cocoa mass.
The cocoa mass is stored in underground tanks, where it is pumped to various production lines. When the mass is brought under high pressure, we obtain cocoa butter and cocoa powder.
Before chocolate can be produced, the batter, a mixture of various the raw materials mixed and kneaded into smooth dough, must be prepared. To ensure that the chocolate is as smooth as possible, the batter is finely rolled. Sending the batter through tightly pressed steel cylinders finely crushes the cocoa particles and sugar crystals, resulting in granule free batter. This process ultimately determines the smoothness of the chocolate.

14. Conching : The next step in the production of chocolate is conching
Conching : The next step in the production of chocolate is conching. Conching the chocolate requires the use of a large kneading machine that also chafes, heats and aerates (adds air to) the batter, creating the final aroma of the chocolate. After adding lecithin and cocoa butter to the batter, the chocolate is stored in tanks, awaiting its final destination.
Molding : Before the liquid chocolate can be molded, it must be tempered. Tempering chocolate involves bringing the chocolate to just the right temperature, where the cocoa butter reaches its most stable crystal form. The result is a shiny and hard chocolate, perfect for molding.

15. Types of Chocolate
The main types of chocolate are white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, sweet dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, bittersweet chocolate and unsweetened chocolate. These types of chocolate may be produced with ordinary cocao beans (mass-produced and cheap) or specialty cacao beans (aromatic and expensive) or a mixture of these two types. The composition of the mixture, origin of cocao beans, the treatment and roasting of beans, and the types and amounts of additives used will significantly affect the flavour and the price of the final chocolate.

16. White Chocolate
Chocolate made with cocoa butter, sugar, milk, emulsifier, vanilla and sometimes other flavourings. It does not contain any non-fat ingredients from the cacao bean and has therefore an off-white color. In some countries white chocolate cannot be called 'chocolate' because of the low content of cocoa solids.

17. Milk chocolate
Sweet chocolate which normally contains 10-20% cocoa solids (which includes cocoa and cocoa butter) and more than 12% milk solids. It is seldom used for baking, except for cookies.

18. Dark chocolate
Sweetened chocolate with high content of cocoa solids and no or very little milk, it may contain up to 12% milk solids. Dark chocolate can either be sweet, semi-sweet, bittersweet or unsweetened. If a recipe specifies 'dark chocolate' you should first try semi-sweet dark chocolate.

19. Sweet dark chocolate
Similar to semi-sweet chocolate, it is not always possible to distinguish between the flavour of sweet and semi-sweet chocolate. If a recipe asks for sweet dark chocolate you may also use semi-sweet chocolate. Contains often 35-45% cocoa solids.

20. Semi-sweet chocolate
This is the classic dark baking chocolate which can be purchased in most grocery stores. It is frequently used for cakes, cookies and brownies. Can be used instead of sweet dark chocolate. It has a good, sweet flavour. Contains often 40-62% cocoa solids.

21. Bittersweet chocolate
A dark sweetened chocolate which must contain at least 35% cocoa solids. Good quality bittersweet chocolate usually contains 60% to 85% cocoa solids depending on brand. If the content of cocoa solids is high the content of sugar is low, giving a rich, intense and more or less bitter chocolate flavour. Bittersweet chocolate is often used for baking/cooking. If a recipe specifies bittersweet chocolate do not substitute with semi-sweet or sweet chocolate.

22. Unsweetened chocolate
A bitter chocolate which is only used for baking. The flavour is not good, so it is not suitable for eating. Use it only if a recipe specifies 'unsweetened chocolate'. It contains almost 100% cocoa solids, about half of it might be fat (cocoa butter).

23. Tempering

24. Time to taste the Chocolate
Chocolate Taste- test
Describe the sound of the Chocolate.
What is the colour of the chocolate?
Where do you taste it on the tongue?
What is the texture?
Describe the “melt” on your tongue.
Flavour and Texture Notes:
Dairy Woodsy Citrus
Smooth Winey Floral
Granular Earthy Coffee
Caramel Bitter Nutty
Fruity Sweet Buttery
Time to taste the Chocolate

25. Some examples of Truffles:
Peppermint
Cranberry Orange
Gingerbread
Cafe au Lait
Egg Nog
Fresh Raspberry
Maple

26. Other Chocolate Designs