When the sacks of beans reach the chocolate factories, they are sampled to confirm their quality. They are then removed from the sacks and stored in large silos under carefully controlled conditions of temperature and humidity.The inside of a chocolate factory is quite an extraordinary sight. The beans are moved and processed using very large industrial machines.

The first step in processing is cleaning. The beans are brushed, vacuumed and filtered to remove all extraneous materials. Some types of beans are roasted first and then cracked open to extract the cocoa particles (commonly called nibs). Others are cracked open first and then roasted. The roasting continues until the water content is reduced to less than three percent.

Some types of beans are roasted first and then cracked open to extract the cocoa particles (commonly called nibs). Others are cracked open first and then roasted. The roasting continues until the water content is reduced to less than three percent.The nibs are then ground.

The grinding process produces enough heat to cause the fatty portion of the nibs to liquify. The liquid part is called cocoa butter; the dry part is cocoa powder. Actually, during this part of the process, the powder is coated by the butter to form a pasty mixture called chocolate liquor. The word "liquor" is just chocolate manufacturers' jargon; there is no alcohol at all in this liquor.

This mixture is then pumped through heated pipes to heated holding tanks before it is further processed.The next step is to separate the powder from the butter. This is done in huge heated hydraulic presses. By controlling the temperature, hydraulic pressure and duration of the process, the desired amount of fat is squeezed out.

The remaining cocoa (still containing some fat) is extracted in the form of hard round disks about two inches thick and resembling the wheels of a railroad train.

The liquid cocoa butter is filtered to purify it and is then allowed to cool into yellowish blocks. Some of it will be blended back into the chocolate later to achieve the desired texture and taste. The solid chocolate is then ground up and treated with an alkali to neutralize the acidity. The processed chocolate is then again ground up,

this time into a finer powder. Depending on their goals, some manufacturers will treat the cocoa with alkalai before the hydraulic press process.At this point, various ingredients are added, depending on the type of chocolate desired.

These include:Unsweetened or baking chocolate, made from the chocolate liquor that is allowed to cool into (usually) rectangular molds.Increasing amounts of sugar are added depending on whether the end product is to be extra-bittersweet, bittersweet or semi-sweet.

Some cocoa butter is also added back into the chocolate at this stage, depending on the flavor and texture desired. Small amounts of vanilla are added to enhance flavor.These different types of chocolate can be made into milk chocolate by adding varying amounts of milk solids or powder.White chocolate is produced by adding milk solids or powder to the pure cocoa butter.Lecithin (an extract from soybeans) is usually added in very small quantities to make the chocolate uniform and pliable.Sometimes finely ground roasted hazelnuts and/or almonds are added to produce a form of chocolate called gianduia.

The next step is conching. This is a stirring and kneading process performed with large mechanical devices in large vats - up to several feet in diameter. Depending on the outcome desired, this process may go on for several hours or as many as five days. Obviously, the longer it goes on, the more expensive the process.

As you might expect, the less expensive products are more likely to have a shorter conching period. At appropriate times in the process,additional cocoa butter may be added to the mix to control the texture, the melting temperature and the taste of the chocolate.

One of the main effects of the kneading action is to reduce the size of the crystals embedded in the chocolate. Short conching periods result in chocolate with crystals which, although small, are still noticeable if you pay attention to the feel of the chocolate on your tongue. The longer the conching, the less likely you are to notice that slightly rough feel.

The finest chocolates feel totally smooth on the tongue.When the conching is completed, the molten chocolate is cooled down slowly to prevent recrystallization. Sometimes the chocolate’s temperature is elevated for a short period of time and then cooled further to minimize the reformation of crystals. This process is called tempering. Finally, the chocolate is poured into large molds and cooled until it becomes solid. The most carefully conched and tempered chocolates with the highest cocoa butter content are usually selected to be used as the coverings (referred to in the industry as couverture) for high quality chocolate candies.Depending on how the chocolate is to be used, further processing is performed in a variety of ways.