Stage Five: Conching

This procedure was invented by Rodolph Lindt in the late nineteenth century. Conching considerably improves the texture of chocolate, bringing out all its aromatic force. In a vat at a temperature of 176°F (80°C), the machine churns and agitates the chocolate paste continuously for one to three days. The heat and friction heat the fatty particles and liquefy the chocolate. During this process the cocoa butter (see There’s Cocoa Powder and Cocoa Powder) is added into the conch. This ingredient—chocolatiers will never divulge its proportions—binds the chocolate, increasing its unctuousness, something like an emulsion. Valrhona, like most other manufacturers, also adds soy lecithin, an emulsifier* that plays the same role as cocoa butter, as well as natural vanilla extract to finish the aromas.