1. Harvest.

 - Cocoa fruit must be properly ripe, when ripe, it will turn yellow or red-orange depending on the variety. Use scissors to cut the fruit according to the correct technique without hurting the flower cushion.

 - After harvesting, we should store the fruit to help the fermentation process faster and improve the quality of the seeds.

 

 2. Separate cocoa pods, fermentation.

- Separate the fruit with the blade, avoiding the blade to hurt the seeds. After crushing the fruit, we proceed to peel the seeds inside the fruit and bring it to incubation (fermentation), remove the germinated seeds, mold... The fermentation process of cocoa beans is divided into 2 stages: aerobic fermentation and anaerobic fermentation. Fermentation stage is the most important stage, good fermentation of seeds will reduce bitterness and dark chocolate flavor. Fermentation time is about 5 to 6 days.

   3. Drying cocoa beans

  - Drying in the shade to reduce direct sunlight helps the seeds dry slowly.

  - Drying time is about 10-15 days depending on the weather.

  - After drying, the seeds will be stored in storage to complete the fermentation process.

 

 

 

  4. Screening.

 - The cocoa beans will be screened to remove poor quality cocoa beans and impurities before being transferred to the roasting machine.

  5. Roast the seeds.
 - The process of roasting the seeds enhances the flavor and aroma of the seeds, making them darker. Roasting temperature is extremely important, requiring rigorous monitoring.

 

 

     6. Break the seeds and blow the shells.

  - After breaking, separating the shells, we get the crumbs of the Nibs seed powder used to make cocoa tea, the Nibs seeds are ground to be the raw materials for the production of cocoa powder and chocolate...

                          

 

     7. Grinding (Conching)

   - Nibs cocoa grinding time is about 48-72 hours into a thick paste called cocoa powder.

   - At this stage, we mix milk, sugar, and fruit flavors according to the recipe.

 

 

 

 8. Heat training (tempering) and molding.

  - Tempering is the process of using mechanical action, temperature to arrange and connect the individual fat crystals in cocoa butter together. From there, a stable chocolate crystal form is formed.

- Chocolate after tempering will have smooth glossy surface, tight structure and difficult to melt under normal conditions.