[Sca-cooks] cacao nibs

[Dragon]

Beth Ann Bretter did speak thusly:
> > Conching (a long, slow mixing process where some flavor
> > continues to
> > develop, especially any acidic notes)
>
>Huh.  I wasn't aware that conching actually changed the flavor of 
>chocolate since it's only a complicated and intricate grinding 
>system to smooth out grittiness.
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It is a wet mixing process that goes on for many hours (or even 
days), it does continue to develop some flavor. Like I said, this is 
especially so of some acidic notes in the chocolate.

Also, many chocolates are blends of beans with differing qualities. 
With few "varietal" exceptions now on the market, chocolate makers 
select several types of beans to give the finished chocolate a 
particular flavor profile.

And just to clarify, when I say they are gritty, I am not suggesting 
it is like chewing on sand but more like chewing on roasted coffee 
beans. Also, when I say it is bitter, I am comparing it to the 
general profile of most chocolates one would see on the market until 
very recently. The very high solids (85% or more) chocolates on the 
market today are also bitter in such a comparison. I was not 
suggesting that they are unpleasantly so (which I did in fact say 
they are not) just that to the person expecting cacao nibs to be 
chocolate, they will find the experience to be quite different.

Dragon

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