
Cocoa Butter or Cacao Butter – What Is It?
Cocoa butter is made from cocoa beans of the Theobroma cacao tree. The process starts with fermenting and sun drying the harvested beans. This takes up to two weeks. Then the cocoa…

Cocoa Mass
What is Cocoa Mass?
Cocoa Mass is a single ingredient chocolate ground from the beans of the cacao fruit - nothing is added. Cocoa mass is the first step ingredient that can be processed…

The Art of Chocolate Making
The art of chocolate making is a fun process that makes millions of people happy each and every day. But how exactly is it done? Follow along for a trip through the process that produces…

What are Cacao Nibs?
Nutrition, Benefits and Culinary Uses of Cacao Nibs
The dark and bitter cacao nibs are perfect for adding an intense flavour to baked goods, ice cream, breakfast cereals, hot drinks…

What is Winnowing Chocolate?
Most everyone loves chocolate but know little about winnowing chocolate. Whether you prefer dark, light, bittersweet or unsweetened, this confectionary is a favourite fare for many.
In…

What is Grinding and Conching Cocoa Beans
Grinding and conching cocoa beans are two portions of the bean-to-bar artisanal chocolate-making process, a popular trend that has captured the imaginations of entrepreneurs and the…

What Does Bean to Bar Mean?
A growing number of consumers today buy artisanal chocolate, known as "bean to bar chocolate" whenever possible.
Experienced chocolatiers consider this label to be an indication…

How Do You Know When Cocoa is Ripe to Harvest?
Let's talk a little bit about harvesting cocoa. A lot of people are interested in the idea of sustainable home food production. Not only is it a lot healthier, but it also tends to…

How to Temper Chocolate for Molds
Like magic, the alchemy of chocolate turns a gooey mass of brown paste into heaven. It’s the height of accomplishment to pop out a perfectly snappy, shiny molded chocolate bar and…

How to Make Chocolate Molds
Have you ever wished you could make your very own chocolate molds? Surprisingly, you can, and it's pretty easy too. With very little equipment and a few basic steps, you can create…

How Do You Ferment Cocoa Beans?
Why do we ferment cocoa beans? When you are preparing to bake, do you ever stop to consider how the cocoa you are using got into your pantry? The process of producing cocoa is a multi-step…

2 Methods for Drying Cocoa Beans
In this blog post we will discuss what drying cocoa beans means and the processes used. Making anything with chocolate is fun and tasty. There is a process to get the cocoa you bake…