Home chocolate project day 8

So days 6 and 7 were a wash out because we were so busy with Christmas orders. I think this means I left the beans fermenting too long. I checked them again this evening and they now have a strong acidic smell, like strong but not sour vinegar. This is very reminiscent of Steve de Vries’ Costa Rica bar if anyone’s tried it. Even with 84 hours conching (as proudly advertised on the front of the wrapper) this bar tastes more like balsamic vinegar than chocolate. The beans are clearly hugely over-fermented and even all that conching couldn’t correct it. I’ve never tried a chocolate like it before and I’m not that keen to repeat the experience.

Anyway, even incorrectly fermenting the beans is educational, but enough is enough. I’ve now moved to ‘sun’ drying them by placing them on a plate near the radiator in the kitchen.

I think a few days of this and then I’ll try to roast and make something with them. The end product may well be inedible, but finding out how not to make chocolate from the bean is as useful as finding out how to do it right – kinda. At least it will help to identify defects in properly made chocolate.