And there was a chocolate waterfall...

Apparently, the chocolate waterfall we all imagined Swimming in at willy wonkas chocolate factory exists in real life!! Unfortunately there are no oompa lumpas and the waterfall isn't big enough to swim in but the fall still exists. 

I had the incredible privelage and honor to work with Lonohana and make chocolate from start to finish. Yes. I do mean from roasting the raw cocoa beans. And what an experience it was. The amount of focus Seneca Klasson exerts to make an amazing product is on par to some of the best chefs in the world. Smelling the roasting beans to be sure he doesn't smell a certain bitterness to tasting the nibs every 4-6 minutes until there is just the right amount of florality, nuttiness and chocolateyness present. What a fascinating process. 

I think we may take for granted the entire process of chocolate making. The entire process is about 3-4 days and is extremely labor intensive. Perhaps it would be wise of us to start to take note of all these elements in order to truly appreciate what the product has to offer. 

Once cooled, the beans get cracked and sorted. (While cooking they sound like Rice Krispies in milk). This process is quite loud and tedious but very necessary. As the beans get cracked, they fall to a vibrating tray to let the husk float to the top. The tray is tilted and bottle necked so the nibs and husks move forward. As they do so, a vacuum sucks up the husks so only the nibs remain. The last step is repeated to be sure as much of the husk is removed. The less husk present, the better the chocolate. 

Once the cracking and sorting is complete, it's time to grind. Stay tuned for a detailed process of how we go from coarse and crunchy nibs to the delectable silky smooth chocolate we know and love. Mahalo.