The Journey from Bean to Bar

When it comes to enjoying the fruits of the earth, we have to consider ourselves lucky; we can enjoy Bolivian quinoa, Asian pears, South African rooibos tea, and Finnish Lingonberry jam by visiting a local gourmet food store.  Still, no matter how readily available rare items have become, it is still fun to consider just how far they have traveled in order to end up on your plate.

 

Let’s look at some of the challenges a single cocoa bean may face in its journey to your palette.

Growing--  Theobroma cacao trees grow within 15-20 degrees of the equator; it takes about 5 years of careful farming before the tree can reach its maximum yield.  Challenge: Cacao trees must be protected from direct sun, strong winds, and pests that attack the trees or try to eat the cacao fruit.

Harvesting-- Farmers cut the pods from the tree and extract the pulp-covered beans. Although there are peak yield seasons, it is always harvest season for cacao pods! Challenge:  Harvesting pods over 3 meters high can be difficult; some farmers keep cacao trees pruned and short.

Drying and Fermenting-- The pulp-covered beans are laid out, shaded by banana leaves, to ferment in open air for 3 to 7 days. The fermentation is what gives the beans that chocolatey taste when roasted!  Challenge: Keeping insects and other animals away from the drying beans.

Selling-- This is where the beans first leave the farm. They are sold from farmer to local agent, and are sometimes sold again in order to reach the docks at the port cities.  Challenge: The beans must meet inspection standards every time they change hands.

Shipping and Packaging-- The beans are placed in sacks and transferred via sea vessel to the port of destination, after which they are transferred to a warehouse for storage. Challenge:  Sometimes beans need to be dried again before shipment.



Roasting and Grinding-- Once the beans reach a processing plant, they are roasted and de-shelled, leaving behind cocoa nibs. The nibs are ground into what is called cocoa mass or cocoa paste, and then melted to form cocoa liquor.  Interesting fact: cocoa liquor contains no alcohol and is solid at room temperature.

Processing-- Cocoa liquor can be processed in several ways. Dutching consists of adding an alkali solution to the cocoa liquor, which reduces acidity, rendering a milder flavor and making it more chocolatey to the taste, (also known as Dutch processed cocoa).  Sometimes the cocoa liquor is fed into a presser which separates the cocoa butter and cocoa solids, (also called cocoa mass or cocoa cakes).  Then the cocoa solids are often ground and sold as powder.  Challenge: the chemistry of the processing must be just right in order to obtain the desired taste of the final chocolate product.

Making chocolate-- Conching is the process in which the cocoa liquor is slowly heated and mixed with cocoa butter and sometimes sugar and milk. This process adds smoothness to the chocolate, and depending on desired smoothness can last from 3 hours to 3 days.  Challenge: Mastery of this process takes many years of experience; it was Rudolf Lindt that started conching to refine chocolate in 1879.


So let’s recap on this journey: if you eat a chocolate that was grown in Ghana, processed in Switzerland, and then sold to you in Chicago, your chocolate has traveled 7,500 miles so that you can enjoy a mouth-watering bite.

Let Them Eat Chocolate

We have our standards when it comes to chocolate cafes, and there are many great ones out there. But have you ever found one with an in-house fireplace?

Look no further than Let Them Eat Chocolate, celebrating five years of success in their tucked-away location on 5306 North Damen Avenue, Chicago.  This is no cafe; it is a chocolate lounge...and yes, it has a fireplace.



All of the chocolates in the store are made in Belgium, with a special focus on hazelnut varieties. There are plenty of chocolates to choose from, including a wide selection of vegan chocolates, all uniquely sweetened with beet sugar.  



Home-made pastries include thick, fudgy brownies and chocolate chip scones.  And if you have ever tried to look for a German Chocolate cake on short notice, you will be elated to hear-- German Chocolate cake is a permanent item on the menu!  The menu also includes savory paninis, if you simply want to enjoy a healthy lunch.



During the sunny summer months you can enjoy a variety of home-made gelato flavors, from a dark chocolate blend to a raspberry chocolate chip.   Here’s the added bonus for buying 2 scoops of gelato--- one free piece of chocolate on the side!



Open mic events on weekends pull in a good crowd-- the lounge’s calendar is full of comedy showcases, poetry readings, and live music on the mini stage.




And another plus-- if any of your Vegan friends have become heckled by all your talk of chocolate, this is the perfect place to visit. The store sells gift boxes of the vegan chocolates to go, in 4-piece, 9-piece, 16-piece, and 24-piece boxes.   You can even bring home the scent of chocolate, by purchasing the Essence of Chocolate candle.

So, let’s face it-- the model for this business consisted of a brilliant idea: let’s set couches around a fireplace and let them eat chocolate.

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www.letscoco.com

What the FDA Has to Say

If it’s true that we are what we eat, I guess the first step to knowing what we are...is to know exactly what we are eating!  It’s not too difficult to look at labels before you buy your chocolate, but what exactly do they mean?  For example, something called “chocolate” could contain 70% sugar.  So, let’s see what the Food and Drug Administration has to say about chocolate labels.

The FDA defines unsweetened chocolate as the solid or semiplastic food prepared by finely grinding cacao nibs; it must contain between 50 and 60% cacao fat.

(Sidenote: If warning bells are going off in your head about the word “semiplastic” describing something you will be ingesting-- I am with you!  After looking in to this, I found that “semiplastic,” describes the state of a compound that is solid but somewhat malleable, as in, a piece of chocolate vs. chocolate syrup.  What a relief!)

If you want to choose healthy, looking for unsweetened chocolate is your best bet, as it contains the highest concentration of flavonoids, anti-oxidants, and natural stimulants.  Keep an eye out-- this type of chocolate can go by many names: "chocolate liquor", "chocolate", "bitter chocolate", "baking chocolate", "cooking chocolate", "chocolate coating", or "unsweetened chocolate coating."

Now, if unsweetened chocolate doesn’t satisfy that craving-- don’t worry!  Studies show that treats with 60-70% unsweetened chocolate still provide the healthy benefits of the natural cacao bean.

Here is how the FDA defines chocolate that has additives.

Bittersweet chocolate: 35 to 99% unsweetened chocolate, and less than 12% sweeteners or dairy ingredients. 

Sweet chocolate: 15 to 34% unsweetened chocolate, and at least 12% sweeteners or dairy ingredients.

Milk chocolate: At least 10% unsweetened chocolate, at least 12% milk solids, and at least 3.39% milkfat.  (I guess that leaves 74.61% left over for ingredients like...sugar!)

Here’s where it gets tricky.

White chocolate: defined by the FDA as the solid or semiplastic food prepared by intimately mixing and grinding cacao fat with dairy ingredients and nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners; it must contain at least 20% cacao fat, at least 14% milk solids, at least 3.5% milkfat, and no more than 55% nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners.  It also must be free of coloring material.

Even though this treat can be labeled as a type of “chocolate,”  it contains no nutritious cacao solids.  In other words, it is possible that the cocoa butter lotion on your bed-stand contains more cocoa content than the Lindt white chocolate bar you put on the other side of your bed-stand.

So now you know-- if you want the best chance of getting those healthy flavonoids, chose a chocolate that is high in cacao content.  I mean, think about it-- your mother did say, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"-- but would she say the same thing for a candied apple?

Chips and Nibs: Details on Chocolate Vocabulary

Now that you’re serious about chocolate, you may have noticed a few peculiarities in how things are labelled.  For example, "Belgian chocolate" most certainly does not contain cocoa grown in Belgium.  And a treat labelled "white chocolate" probably does not contain cocoa solids.  So, in order to continue our chocolate adventure, let’s get down to the chips and nibs of some basic chocolate vocabulary.



COCOA VS. CACAO
The word cocoa might bring to mind a steaming cup of hot chocolate, but it is simply the English translation of the Spanish word cacao.  Cacao refers to the beans that grow encased in the hard-shelled pod of the Theobroma cacao tree.

CHOCOLATE CHIPS VS. COCOA NIBS
The main difference between these two is the cocoa content-- chocolate chips, while we find them in all sorts of baked goods and ice-cream, are probably high in sugar and low in cocoa content.  Cocoa nibs, on the other hand, come directly from the Theobroma cacao tree; they are little, unprocessed pieces of the cocoa bean, that have been roasted and then de-shelled.
 

COCOA BUTTER VS. COCOA SOLIDS
Once the cocoa bean is roasted and in the form of nibs, the next step is the separation of the oil from the solids.  The pale yellow, edible vegetable fat that is extracted from the nibs is called cocoa butter, or theobroma oil.  (It is used to make health products, and is also the only cocoa ingredient found in white chocolate). Cocoa solids are what remains after the cocoa butter has been extracted, which is often sold as cocoa powder.

TRUFFLES VS. PRALINES
A truffle is usually round or cone-shaped, and typically consists of a ganache filling and outside coating of cocoa powder, shaved nuts, or coconut.  Pralines, in most cases, differ greatly from truffles. In general, a praline is a confection made with nuts and sugar syrup.  In France, it usually includes almonds and caramelized sugar; in the United States, milk or cream is often added so it resembles a nutty fudge. It only gets tricky when we talk about Belgian pralines-- they resemble a truffle in that they have a soft filling.  The give-away is that Belgian pralines usually have a hard outer-shell.



GANACHE VS. FONDANT
Ganache is a soft filling or glaze made from chocolate and cream.  Fondant is quite similar, although it does not necessarily contain chocolate.  For example, a truffle is usually filled with ganache, where the Cadbury Creme Egg is filled with poured fondant.

FUDGE VS. HOT FUDGE
Fudge, although it might bring to mind a mouth-watering bite of chocolate confection, actually does not include cocoa by definition-- it is a combination of sugar, butter, and milk, heated to 240 degrees and then whipped to get a smooth creamy consistency.  (Of course, chocolate is one of fudge’s many flavors, along with peanut butter and penuche).  Hot fudge, on the other hand, has come to mean a chocolate-flavored topping in syrup form-- essential to the hot fudge sundae.

Just Think of Someone...

Now that I've talked about harvesting cocoa, let’s fast forward to the part where the cocoa has magically transformed into delicate and refined chocolate treats!


Enter, Leonidas Chocolate Cafe, located in downtown Chicago at 59th East Chicago Avenue.  This year they are celebrating their 100th year providing high quality, fine Belgian chocolate.


Where did these Belgian delicacies get their start? Leonidas is in fact named after an American confectioner of Cypriot and Greek descent.  After Leonidas Kestekides brought his chocolates to the 1910 World's Fair in Brussells and won the bronze medal, he never left!

 
Leonidas transported his confectionery business from the U.S. to Belgium, married a Belgian woman, and began selling his chocolates at a tea shop that he opened in Ghent in 1913.  It was a hit!  The company now sells chocolates in 350 locations within Belgium, and in 40 countries worldwide, from Cameroon, to Italy, all the way to South Korea and Chile. 

From what I chose to sample at Leonidas, these were my favorites:  a vanilla bourbon butter-cream truffle, a dark chocolate covered Marzipan stick, and a speculoos ganache-filled chocolate square. (Speculoos is the mouth-watering treat that you might know as the Dutch Windmill cookie, which, due to it's delectable compatibility with chocolate, warrants its own post in the future!)

And one last thing--  their hot chocolate is feverishly delicious! My favorite, the Mexican blend, adds a slight bite of chili pepper to the smooth, rich cocoa taste. If you thought you couldn’t enjoy hot chocolate in the summer, Leonidas will change your mind!



As I sipped at the divine chocolate drink, I wondered about the origin of the Leonidas cocoa. After all, their website does mention the origin of other ingredients in their confections: “ Hazelnuts from Turkey, Morello cherries from the Périgord, almonds from Italy and walnuts from Grenoble.”  So...where does the cocoa come from?  When I asked, the woman at the counter said, “Belgium.  It’s all from Belgium.”  So I did a little more perusing and found one clue-- a praline labeled: Pure origin, Sao Tome.

 

Sao Tome e Principe is a West African island country sitting on the equator, just off the shores of Gabon.  The country consists of about 165,000 inhabitants, is the second smallest in Africa (after Seychelles), and is the smallest Portuguese-speaking nation.  And here is the best part about Sao Tome e Principe-- 95% of its export industry comes from cocoa!



So, if a tiny bite of gourmet chocolate doesn’t tickle your fancy, Leonidas also offers coffee, pastries, fresh crepes, and gelato. Imagine all that Leonidas Chocolate Cafe has to offer-- the assortment of cocoa-dusted truffles, chocolate-covered strawberries, white chocolate pralines, and nutella-filled crepes-- and then do what the Leonidas slogan tells you to do: Just think of someone.  There’s got to be something here just for them.

Question: Is Cocoa Important?

Answer: Yes, it is important to me because there is not an hour of the day or day of the week during which I don’t want to eat it.  Square of Lindt chili-pepper flavored dark chocolate? Yes.  Fudge brownie from Tony’s Patisserie? Yes again.  Chocolate-dusted vanilla bourbon-filled truffle from Leonidas?  YES!!! Please...?

So, clearly chocolate is essential in the daily survival of my own cravings.


Here are a few more reasons why cocoa matters to me, you, and the world.

It’s healthy!
A recent Harvard study has shown that eating a small amount of dark chocolate daily can augment cardiovascular health. Cocoa’s natural component of flavonoids has been shown to dilate the blood vessels, decreasing hypertension and increasing blood flow to the brain.  Cocoa also includes anti-oxidants, which delays oxidation of cells and keeps cells strong and healthy.

It’s a mood-enhancer!
Cocoa includes known mood-enhancers such as serotonin and endorphins, as well as natural stimulants such as caffeine and theobromine.  A study performed by Swinburne University of Technology in England found that the polyphenols in cocoa significantly altered the happiness levels of people aged 40-65 who had a daily dose of dark chocolate in the form of a drink.

Demand is growing! 
Cocoa is nothing new-- it was discovered by the Mayans and the Aztecs in Mesoamerica dating back to 1900 BC-- but the global demand for chocolate is certainly on the rise. To date people spend $83 billion a year on chocolate.  A new report by MarketsandMarkets believes the industry will grow to $98.3 billion by 2016.  That will mean people are spending almost as much money on chocolate as they are on...coffee!  According to BusinessInsider.com, coffee is worth over $100 billion worldwide. 

 














Cocoa trees help the earth!
While some crops deplete soil nutrients quickly, cocoa trees can be grown in an agroforestry system that closely matches the ecosystem of the rainforest.  MMRF (The Maya Mountain Research Farm in Belize) is a wonderful example of how cocoa trees can be grown in an organic and sustainable way that is ecologically sound and replenishes nutrients into the soil around its roots.

Cocoa supports many farmers around the world!
Farmers in the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Indonesia, Cameroon, Nigeria, Brazil, and Ecuador contribute the largest amounts to export markets of cocoa. Half the world’s cocoa comes from West African farms, and one third of that comes from the Ivory Coast.  In fact, the Ivory Coast is highly dependent on the cocoa market-- 30.9% of their export industry is entirely derived from the sale of cocoa beans and cocoa paste.    

Those were some solid reasons-- still not satisfied?

Well, if you need one more reason to justify your craving, you can tell people this: At least I'm eating my vegetables-- chocolate is made from beans.