How Cacao Beans Are Processed

The raw beans contained within the sticky matrix of the cacao pod don’t taste much like chocolate. Therefore, even raw cacao products aren’t made with beans straight from the pod.

Rather, once cacao beans are harvested, they go through several processing steps. In brief, the basic process is (1, 4, 5):

Fermentation: The beans (with some sticky pulp still clinging on) are put into bins and covered for a few days so microbes that feed on the pulp can ferment the beans. This starts to develop the distinctive chocolate flavor and aroma.

Drying: The fermented beans are dried for several days. Once dry, they may be sorted and sold to chocolate makers.

Roasting: The dried beans are roasted unless a raw product is desired. Roasting more fully develops the chocolate flavor and gives them some sweetness.

Crushing: The beans are crushed and separated from their outer hulls, resulting in broken cacao pieces called nibs.

Grinding: Nibs are ground, producing a non-alcoholic liquor. Now it’s ready to be made into chocolate products.

To make cocoa powder, the liquor — which is roughly half fat in the form of cocoa butter — is pressed to remove most of the fat (3).

To make chocolate, the liquor is often mixed with other ingredients, including vanilla, sugar, more cocoa butter and milk (4).

The percentage of cacao, cocoa or dark chocolate on a candy bar tells you how much combined cocoa powder and cocoa butter are present. The specific proportion of each is generally a trade secret of the manufacturer (3).

SUMMARY

After harvest, cacao beans are processed to develop flavor and texture. The percentage of cacao, cocoa or dark chocolate listed on a bar generally tells you the total amount of cocoa powder plus cocoa butter.