Chocolate liquor: processing and component

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: processing and component