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The process to make chocolate from bean to bar. At Captain’s Chocolate, we have total control and transparency of the chocolate making process. We know our farmers and we work with them in Costa Rica to bring you the best quality chocolate possible. Everything from the harvesting all the way to the grinding and packaging is in our control. If you’re wondering how chocolate gets into your hands from start to finish, then stay tuned and we’ll walk you through it. Getting to know our farmers: Our farmers implement traditional agricultural methods that have been in their families for generations,...

Tempering chocolate is quite possibly the most important and difficult step of chocolate making. The tempering process requires heating the chocolate liquor to a precise temperature and then cooling it in a controlled method to prevent an inconsistent chocolate flavor profile. Let’s look into the complexities of chocolate tempering so you can understand why our chocolate is so smooth. Time to bust out the lab coat and safety goggles because we’re about to get a little science-y. The molecules in cocoa butter (the naturally occurring fat in chocolate) can be arranged into six crystal structures, ranging from one through six;...

Chocolate liquor is chocolate in a liquid form after it’s been separated from the cacao bean. Despite its name, there is no alcohol in chocolate liquor. Chocolate liquor is an essential part of any chocolate making process. Cacao beans are first winnowed to become coarsely ground into cacao nibs. Chocolate liquor is about 50% cocoa butter (the fat naturally found in chocolate) and 50% actual chocolate, known has cacao (or cocoa) solids. To create the liquor, at least at Captain’s Chocolate, the winnowed cacao nibs are added to a machine known as a melanger. A melanger mechanically separates the fats...

This is one of our most common questions and it is quite confusing on what to call brewed cacao. Unlike coffee and tea, brewed cacao can go by many different names and is often confused with hot chocolate, which is an entirely different product. We'll go over the different names of brewed cacao and go into how those names all relate and mean the same thing. Brewed cacao and chocolate brew are the same drink that go by different names. Think of it like how some regions will call a fizzy beverage soda, pop, or "Coke". The same rule applies...