Cocoanuts can be picked twice a year, and the pods are opened immediately after being picked. The cocoa beans are taken out and dried in the sun. An average tree can only produce 0.5 kg to 1 kg of dry cocoa a year. Because cocoa beans lose 50% of their weight during the drying process. There are two main types of cocoa beans: one is high-yield bitter cocoa, and the other is sweet cocoa with excellent taste. The two are mixed evenly, which is convenient for improving the taste.
The manufacturers have their own unique formulas for the processing of cocoa beans, but the basic processing methods are the same. Cocoa beans must first be roasted to make them smelly, and then crushed to remove the protective shell and outer skin. The remaining nut kernels are called "bean crumbles". Bean crumbles must be ground again. During the grinding process, the cocoa fat in the bean crumbles is melted and most of it is extracted to form a thick paste called "chocolate sauce". After this juice is cooled and solidified, it is temperature-adjustable. chocolate. If it is squeezed again, more cocoa butter can be extracted, and the remaining hard pieces are ground into powder, which is cocoa powder. To make sweetened chocolate, some extra cocoa butter, sugar, and spices are added.