Chocolate Conching

Today we have the privilege of enjoying excellent high quality chocolate thanks to the invention of a method called conching. Conching is one of the last steps in the chocolate production. Without proper conching of the chocolate, you won't be able to feel that smooth, creamy sensation when placing a praline on your tongue, since unconched chocolate is grainy and gritty. Just like many other steps in the history of chocolate it took place in Switzerland . In 1879 Swiss chocolate maker Rudolphe Lindt discovered how he could make the chocolate super-smooth by rolling and kneading the chocolate mass using a special container. The name conching is derived from the Spanish word for shell, since the shape of the first conching machine resembled a shell. A conche is a contaioner with metal beads. You put the raw chocolate in and let the mass be blended by the metal beads inside the container. The frictional heat ensures that the chocolate is kept liquid during the process. After the conching process the cocoa and sugar particles will be so tiny that the tongue can't detect them, and you will perceive the chocolate as absolute smooth and homogenous. All the liquid inside the chocolate will also be absolutely evenly blended. During the conching process air is constantly worked into the chocolate mass and the aeration reduces the natural acidity of the cacao bean and makes bitter flavours less protruding. The chocolate manufacturer can choose how smooth and aerated the final chocolate should be by adjusting the length of the conching process. High quality chocolate is usually conched for at least 72 hours, but since conching affects the natural flavour of the chocolate, extensive conhing thus not necessarily equal high quality chocolate. Every manufacturer needs to be vigilant when deciding the exact amount of conching suitable for each chocolate brand.

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