The conche at Scharffen Berger is actually two machines in one—one that grinds (refines) and one that conches the chocolate. It consists of a drum on its side lined with steel ribs and a series of blades that repetitively scrape against the lining of the drum.
During the refining part of the cycle, partially ground nibs from the mélangeur, sugar, and whole vanilla beans are reduced to tiny particles.
Conching (which takes place simultaneously) is a prolonged mixing process that aerates the paste and creates a smooth liquid by completely coating all the cacao and sugar particles with cocoa butter.
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