Browsing: Cocoa

Why cocoa farmers in West Africa can barely live on their harvest, what the NORC report shows about child labour and what to look for when buying chocolate.

Cocoa costs less than half as much as at its record. Why you notice little of this in the shops and what farmers in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana get now.

What bean-to-bar means and how cocoa beans become a bar: every step with temperatures, the difference from industry and tips for reading the wrapper.

Is chocolate healthy? What the EU claim on cocoa flavanols allows, what the COSMOS trial shows, how much sugar it contains and what about cadmium.

Craft chocolate from Germany, Austria and Switzerland: well-known makers with awards, prices per bar and what to look for when you buy.

Without fermentation, cocoa tastes bitter and astringent. How yeasts and bacteria create aroma, how long it takes and what the cut test tells you.

Criollo is rare and mild, Forastero robust and strong, Trinitario often fruity. Plus Nacional, CCN-51, fine flavour cocoa according to the ICCO and genetics.

How to make hot chocolate with couverture: 45 to 65 g per 250 ml of milk, 70°C, the ganache technique and four recipes with milk, cream or oat drink.