HOW IT MEK | PROCESS

Chocolate starts out as a fruit from the Theobroma Cacao tree, so the process begins on the farm. It takes between3-5 years from planting for the tree to produce fruit. The pods have to be carefully harvested, cracked open and the pulpy seeds removed by hand to be fermented. Fermentation can last for a week or more before the seeds (beans) are sun-dried to reduce moisture content and prevent mold growth.

As a craft chocolate-maker, I buy the dried beans, sort them to remove debris and compromised beans, then roast them. Roasting is a crucial part of the process in developing the beans' flavor profile. They are rested for 24 hours before being funneled through a hand-cranked mill that serves to break open the beans, releasing them from their husks. A winnower separates the husks from the cracked beans (nibs) which may be ground like coffee to reduce refining time in a melanger.

The ground nibs are added to a melanger or refiner, where rotating granite wheels crush them into a liquor/liquid against a granite plate. Sugar is added to any recipe that is not 100% dark chocolate. Cocoa butter may be added to enhance the texture of the chocolate. This part of the process runs between 2-3 days.

Before molding into bars, the liquid chocolate has to be tempered, a process that gives the hardened chocolate its sheen, crisp snap and ideal melting point. Depending on the size of the batch, I use a tempering machine or temper by hand.

The tempered liquid chocolate is then poured into molds where it's left to solidify into Thea Broma Chocolate bars!