Category: Chocolate questions

1. How to store hazelnut chocolate?
   • Choose a cool, dry place: avoid the refrigerator (far too humid) and remember that the ideal temperature is between 15 and 18 °C.
2. Where does hazelnut come from?
   • Hazelnut chocolate was invented near Lausanne, Switzerland, by a visionary chocolatier.
3. What to drink with hazelnut chocolate?
   • An aromatic non-alcoholic beer.
   • A herbal, alcohol-free gin.

Ever wonder how a bitter-tasting bean from a tropical tree transforms into a smooth, melting piece of chocolate? It’s a complex process that combines science with culinary art.

1. The Harvest

It all starts with the Theobroma Cacao tree. Large colorful pods grow directly on the trunk. Inside these pods are the cocoa beans, surrounded by a sweet, white pulp.

2. Fermentation & Drying

The beans are scooped out and placed in wooden boxes to ferment for about a week. This is where the chocolate flavor actually develops! After fermentation, they are spread out in the sun to dry.

3. Roasting & Winnowing

The dried beans are roasted in large ovens to bring out the rich, nutty notes. The shells are then cracked open (winnowing) to reveal the “nibs”—the crunchy heart of the cocoa bean.

4. Grinding & Conching

The nibs are ground into a thick liquid called chocolate liquor (don’t worry, it’s non-alcoholic!). This is mixed with sugar and milk powder. The mixture is then “conched”—kneaded by heavy rollers for hours (or even days) to make it perfectly smooth.

5. Tempering

To get that satisfying “snap” and a glossy shine, the chocolate is carefully cooled and reheated. This is called tempering. Without it, your chocolate would be soft and dull.

💡 Fun Fact

It takes approximately 400 cocoa beans to make just one pound (450g) of chocolate. Every bite is a concentrated burst of nature!