Tuesday, December 22, 2009

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!

15 comments:

Queen-Size funny bone said...

sounds like an awful lotof work.

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh. I never knew! Hot cocoa from scratch? I can only dream of that kind of heaven.

we're doomed said...

You are enjoying the good life.

Jeanne Estridge said...

Why can't you drink cocoa?

Dana said...

One word for you ... Stevia!

lynette355 said...

oh my.....I would be making bath salts out of that and bathing away in the sweet scent of cocoa!

Doc said...

That does seem like a boat load of work!

Gary's third pottery blog said...

are you kidding????? Wow!
Thanks for the card :)

Vinny "Bond" Marini said...

What fun!

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS

Hope you can begin visiting again next year

Akelamalu said...

Can't you buy it in a packet anymore? (wink)

I'm wishing you and yours a Very Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year. x

nitebyrd said...

WOW! That is total dedication to the perfect cup of hot cocoa!

Anonymous said...

First I have ever heard of someone making hot cocoa from scratch, but that sounds great!

CheekyMonkey said...

Yumm.... sounds delish!!!!

Lori said...

This post had me drooling a little. I would have been drooling a LOT, except I was trying VERY hard to maintain control by the time you got to the word "nibs." One of my favorite things in the world is cacao nibs....*sigh*

Personally, once you've had chocolate in a more pure form, I'm not sure why anyone would still opt for the "milk chocolate" Hershey bar brand. NOT that I would turn down, well...pretty much any kind of chocolate, BUT...there is the Yugo of chocolates, and then...there is the Rolls Royce. They may both be automobiles, but there's no arguing quality there, is there? :)

tattytiara said...

You roasted your own chocolate? Woah. Talk about touching divinity.