It Wasn't Like You See On TV

I arrive at his front door and was quickly directed to his basement. Walk around his pool table that has long since been abandoned, to a side room. Concrete floor. Without heat, so it was in the 50 degree range. A bare incandescent bulb dangles from the ceiling. I am freezing.

He had gotten the roaster and the mill earlier in the day and told me to be there as soon as possible. His friend had given him cacao beans the week before and we are going to play with them.

We are going to make chocolate of some sort.

We pour a double handful into the roaster and push one of the programs. About 16 minutes go by and I smell it. That heavenly chocolate smell. A smell that the raw beans didn't have when we put them in. And similarly to my keen sense of *knowing* when brownies are done, I knew when the cocoa beans had roasted long enough.

After running them through the mill to crack them into nibs, we walk outside with my blow drier. It's around 40 degrees and very dark outside. He blows and I run my hands through the nibs to sift and blow out the husks. I'm covered in debris, but we have nibs.


After damn near killing his new BlendTec blender, we have finely ground nibs mixed with dried milk and sugar....

and a perfect cup of hot cocoa that I can't even drink.

I did take a tiny taste and it was delicious! A tad gritty, but wonderful. After a little research, it turns out we need a Champion Juicer. I'll let you know if we get one. And if we do, I'm making some sugar free cocoa from scratch!