Originally created by chocolatier/chocovangelist Benjamin Pedro, this presentation was used for the monthly Chocolate Appreciation lectures at Heavenly Chocolates.

1. CHOCOLATE
APPRECIATION 101
Heavenly Chocolates, 27th
March 2010

2. Chocolate!
 It’s addictive,
delicious, tempting,
and good for you.
But do you have any
idea how this treat
came to be? Better
yet: are you
appreciating your
chocolate properly?

3. The o bro m a cacao
 Chocolate is made
from the beans of
the cacao fruit.
 Its scientific name
means the fo o d o f
the g o ds.

4. The Cacao Tree

5. Cocoa Pods at Harvest

6. Husking the Beans

7. Fermenting the Beans

8. Drying Out the Beans

9. Ready for Roasting!

10. The History of Chocolate
Above:
The Mayan glyph for
kakaw or cocoa
 Archaeologists
discovered that cocoa
beans have been used
as both an important
food source and a form
of currency in South
America as far back as
2,000 BC.
 Among the Maya, 4
beans could buy you a
rabbit for dinner, 100
would get you a slave,
and 10 would get a
man a wife!

11. The History of Chocolate
 Cocoa beans were
sacred to the Aztecs
fertility goddess
Xochiquetzal.
 The Aztecs were
aware of its
aphrodisiac
properties.
Montezuma was said
to have drunk 50
pitchers of xo co latl
(“bitter water”) to
appease his harem.
 Xo chiq ue tzaland a
re pre se ntatio n o f a
cacao tre e in blo o m

12. The History of Chocolate
 In 1528, the Spanish
co nq uistado r Hernan
Cortes brought
chocolate to Spain
where it gained
popularity as a
beverage.
 In 1670, Pedro Bravo
de los Camerinos
begins the cultivation
of cacao in the
Philippines.  Co rte s am o ng the
Azte cs

13. A Taste of Chocolate
 Single-origin
Ecuador
 Flavor profile is bold
with a rather sharp
end note.

14. Flavor Profile for Ecuador
Cocoa
Fruity/Bouquet
Sweetness
Acidity
Bitterness
Others

15. Who Grows Cocoa?

16. Major Single-Origin Areas
Ivory Coast 38%
Ghana 20%
Ecuador 3%
Peru 0.5% Madagascar 0.1%
Bolivia
Mexico

17. Flavor Profile for Ivory Coast
Cocoa
Fruity/Bouquet
Sweetness
Acidity
Bitterness
Others

18. Flavor Profile for Ghana
Cocoa
Fruity/Bouquet
Sweetness
Acidity
Bitterness
Others
- Good base for chocolate, smooth and mellow.

19. Flavor Profile for Peru
Cocoa
Fruity/Bouquet
Sweetness
Acidity
Bitterness
Others
- Weak cocoa, but unique floral notes.
(floral)

20. Flavor Profile for Madagascar
Cocoa
Fruity/Bouquet
Sweetness
Acidity
Bitterness
Others
- Good balance, dried fruit (raisin) character.
(raisin)

21. Three Unique Varieties
 Criollo – or cho co late
po rce lana is the
rarest (5% of total
production) and has
the most delicate
flavor.
 Forastero –
comprises the bulk of
all chocolate
produced and has the
strongest “classic”
chocolate flavor.
 Trinitario – a hardy
criollo/forastero
hybrid, quite flavorful.

22. Milling the Beans - Traditionally

23. The Modern Way

24. Pre-refiner
Pre-refiner Outlet

25. Refining the Chocolate

26. Conching the Chocolate

27. In-line Sieves, 400 micron mesh

28. Chocolate Tempering Machines

29. Cooling Tunnel (chips, chunks, buttons, blocks)

30. The Forms of Chocolate
 Cocoa Powder
 Cocoa Butter
 Couverture
 Bars for Eating
 Chips/buttons
 Drinking Chocolate
 Confections
 Ganache
 Truffles

31. A Taste of Chocolate
 Single-origin Mexico
 Robust yet pleasant
 The flavors are
reminiscent of old-
fashioned cho co late
de batiro l/ de table a

32. On Ganache
 In essence,
g anache is an
amalgam of
chocolate melted in
cream.
 It was discovered by
accident by a
French patissie r in
1850 when heated
cream was poured
into a bowl of
chopped chocolate.

33. To Make Ganache
 Po ur le Fo ndue (For a Fondue)
 200 grams chocolate + 250mL cream
 Po ur le s Gate aux (To Frost Cakes)
 250 grams chocolate + 250mL cream
 Po ur le s Truffe s / Truffe tte s (For Truffles)
 300 grams chocolate + 250mL cream
 3 tablespoons flavoring tincture (optional)

34. On Truffles
 Truffles were created
by the Dufour family
in 1895 and were,
simply, chilled
ganache lumps rolled
in bitter cocoa.
 There are now three
specific styles: the
classic French,
American (a ganache-
filled chocolate shell),
and Swiss (the
ganache is
compounded with
butter and poured into

35. A Taste of Chocolate: Nam a
 Nam a is a truffle-
style confection that
became popular in
Japan in the early
1980s.
 Sachi Nama is HC’s
house nam a brand
and is certainly a
sophisticated
confection.

36. DIY: Chocolate Truffles

37. Any questions, suggestions, or
violent reactions? 

38. THANKYOU!