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Cocoa Mill Chocolate Company is a member of Retail Confectioners
International (RCI), an association of the most prominent candymakers
throughout the world. Qualifications for membership in RCI insure the the
candy you buy from an RCI member is of the highest quality available -
including the use of only real chocolate - not imitation coatings.
Our confections are always prepared in
small batches because we believe freshness contributes as much to flavor as
quality ingredients, with each piece hand dipped, hand decorated, and hand
packed so that careful attention is paid to every detail.
We know that you will taste and enjoy the difference that premium chocolate,
fine ingredients, fresh production, and Old World craftsmanship make.
What is chocolate? Where does it come from?
Chocolate is a food made from the seeds of a tropical tree called the cacao.
These trees flourish in warm, moist climates. Most of the world's cacao
beans come from West Africa, where Ghana, the Ivory Coast and Nigeria are
the largest producers. Because of a spelling error, probably by English
traders long ago, these beans became known as cocoa beans.
How is chocolate made?
Workers cut the fruit of the cacao tree, or pods open and scoop out the
beans. These beans are allowed to ferment and then dry. Then they are
cleaned, roasted and hulled. Once the shells have been removed they are
called nibs. Nibs are blended much like coffee beans, to produce different
colors and flavors. Then they are ground up and the cocoa butter is
released. The heat from the grinding process causes this mixture of cocoa
butter and finely ground nibs to melt and form a free-flowing substance
known as chocolate liquor. From there, different varieties of chocolate are
produced.
What kinds of chocolate are there?
Depending on what is added to (or removed from) the chocolate liquor,
different flavors and varieties of chocolate are produced. Each has a
different chemical make-up, the differences are not solely in the taste. Be
sure, therefore, to use the kind the recipe calls for, as different
varieties will react differently to heat and moisture.
* Unsweetened or Baking chocolate is simply cooled,
hardened chocolate liquor. It is used primarily as an ingredient in recipes,
or as a garnish.
* Semi-sweet chocolate is also used primarily in recipes.
It has extra cocoa butter and sugar added. Sweet cooking chocolate is
basically the same, with more sugar for taste.
* Milk chocolate is chocolate liquor with extra cocoa
butter, sugar, milk and vanilla added. This is the most popular form for
chocolate. It is primarily an eating chocolate.
* Cocoa is chocolate liquor with much of the cocoa butter
removed, creating a fine powder. It can pick up moisture and odors from
other products, so you should keep cocoa in a cool, dry place, tightly
covered. There are several kinds of cocoa:
Is
chocolate really an aphrodisiac?
Chocolate is the traditional gift of love, ranking right up there with
roses as the most romantic gift one can give. But is it really an
aphrodisiac? There is some evidence that the answer might be yes. Chocolate
contains three substances, caffeine, theobromine and phenyethylamine that
might be related to this myth. Caffeine acts as a stimulant. Theobromine
stimulates the heart muscle and the nervous system. And phenyethylamine is
reputed, no conclusive proof exists yet, to be a mood elevator and an
anti-depressant. The combination of these three substances, giving you extra
energy, making your heart beat faster, making you a bit jumpy and slightly
giddy....well, you can see how chocolate could be linked to love. In fact,
Montezuma used to drink a frothy chocolate beverage before going to visit
one of his wives. |
