Stage Three: Grinding

At this stage, nothing has been added to the nibs. They enter a mill to be finely pulverized. What comes out is a rough powder that melts in the mouth but that has the texture of a praline. It is called cocoa paste, cocoa liqueur, or cocoa mass. But it still does not have the taste of chocolate; it is bitter, acidic, and a little grainy. Now is the time to add the necessary proportion of sugar, that indispensable complement to the cocoa percentage. It is also the moment when powdered milk is added to milk chocolate. This takes place in vast mixers where the sugar is incorporated into the paste. The mass that emerges is now chocolate paste, in the form of block. These sandy-textured blocks give us an initial idea of what the finished product will taste like.