Conching
What is produced during the conching process?
Chocolate
Chocolate Conche Conche Mindo Chocolate Makers Chavacano language
Chocolate-Conching Conche-Abstract Conche-Conching_process Mindo_Chocolate_Makers-Production_process Chavacano_language-Castellano_Abakay_Chino
The penultimate process is called "conching". A conche is a container filled with metal beads, which act as grinders. The refined and blended chocolate mass is kept in a liquid state by frictional heat. Chocolate prior to conching has an uneven and gritty texture. The conching process produces cocoa and sugar particles smaller than the tongue can detect, hence the smooth feel in the mouth. The length of the conching process determines the final smoothness and quality of the chocolate. High-quality chocolate is conched for about 72 hours, lesser grades about four to six hours. After the process is complete, the chocolate mass is stored in tanks heated to approximately until final processing.
A conche is a surface scraping mixer and agitator that evenly distributes cocoa butter within chocolate, and may act as a 'polisher' of the particles. It also promotes flavor development through frictional heat and release of volatiles and acids, and oxidation. There are numerous designs of conches, and food scientists are still studying precisely what happens during conching and why. The name arises from the shape of the vessels initially used, which resembled conch shells. When ingredients are mixed in this way, sometimes for up to 78 hours, chocolate can be produced with a mild, rich taste. Lower quality chocolate is conched for as little as six hours. Since the process is so important to the final texture and flavor of chocolate, manufacturers keep the details of their conching process proprietary. In 1879, Rodolphe Lindt invented the "conche" in Berne, Switzerland. It produced chocolate with superior aroma and melting characteristics compared to other processes used at that time. Legend has it that Lindt mistakenly left a mixer containing chocolate running overnight. Though he was initially distraught at the waste of energy and machine wear and tear, he quickly realized he had made a major breakthrough. Before conching was invented, solid chocolate was gritty and not very popular. Lindt's invention rapidly changed chocolate from being mainly a drink, to bars and other confections. Lindt's original conche consisted of a granite roller and granite trough; such a configuration is now called a "long conche" and can take a day or more to process a tonne of chocolate. The ends of the trough were shaped to allow the chocolate to be thrown back over the roller at the end of each stroke, increasing the surface area exposed to air. A modern rotary conche can process 3 to 10 tonnes of chocolate in less than 12 hours. Modern conches have cooled jacketed vessels containing long mixer shafts with radial arms, that press the chocolate against vessel sides. A single machine can carry out all the steps of grinding, mixing and conching required for small batches of chocolate. 
The conching process redistributes into the fat phase the substances from the dry cocoa that create flavor. Air flowing through the conche removes some unwanted acetic, propionic, and butyric acids from the chocolate and reduces moisture. A small amount of moisture greatly increases viscosity of the finished chocolate, so machinery is cleaned with cocoa butter instead of water. Some of the substances produced in roasting of cocoa beans are oxidized in the conche, mellowing the flavor of the product. The temperature of the conche is controlled and varies for different types of chocolate. Generally higher temperature leads to a shorter required processing time. Temperature varies from around 49 °C for milk chocolate to up to 82 °C for dark chocolate. The elevated temperature leads to a partially caramelized flavor, and in milk chocolate promotes the Maillard reaction. The chocolate passes through three phases during conching. In the dry phase, the material is in powdery form, and the mixing coats the particles with fat. Air movement through the conche removes some moisture and volatile substances, which may give an acidic note to the flavor. Moisture balance affects the flavor and texture of the finished product because, after the particles are coated with fat, moisture and volatile chemicals are less likely to escape. In the pasty phase, more of the particles are coated with the fats from the cocoa. The power required to turn the conche shafts increases at this step. The final liquid phase allows minor adjustment to the viscosity of the finished product, which may be adjusted depending on the intended use of the chocolate. Fats and emulsifiers are added to adjust the viscosity, and thoroughly mixed. While most conches are batch process machines, continuous flow conches separate the stages with weirs, over which the product travels through separate parts of the machine. A continuous conche can reduce the conching time for milk chocolate to as little as four hours. 
Mindo Chocolate Makers use Ecuadorian Nacional variety cacao beans for the production of their chocolate. The beans are grown by a small cooperative of cacao farmers near Mindo, Ecuador. All of the plants are grown in small lots, hand harvested, and fermented. The beans are dried, roasted, and winnowed in Ecuador then sent to the chocolate making studio in Dexter, Michigan. The chocolate is hand-crafted in small batches throughout the conching, tempering, and moulding process. 
 Note: only selected phrases are given with Spanish translations, some are interpretations and rough English translations are also given. La Ayuda  Ayudante: "Señor, yo vino aqui para pedir vos ayuda." (Spanish: Señor, he venido aquí para pedir su ayuda.) (English: Sir, I have come here to ask for your help.) Patron: "Yo quiere prestá contigo diez pesos. Ese ba hija tiene mucho calentura. Necesita llevá doctor." (Spanish: Quiero darle diez pesos. Su hija tiene calentura. Necesita un médico.) (English: I want to give you ten pesos. Your daughter has fever. You need a doctor.) Valentina ý Conching (Conchita)  Valentina: "¿¡Conching, dónde vos (tu) papa?! ¿No hay pa llega?" (Spanish: ¿¡Conching, dónde está tu papá?! ¿No ha llegado todavía?) (English: Conching, where is your dad? Hasn't he arrived yet?) Conching: "Llega noche ya. ¿Cosa quiere ako (yo) habla cuando llega papa?" (Spanish: Llegará esta noche. ¿Qué quiere que le diga cuando llegue?) (English: He will arrive this evening. What do you want me to tell him when he comes?) Ako (yo) habla ese esposa mio, paciencia plimelo (primero). {1}Cuando male negocio, come nugaw (lugaw - puré de arroz). Pero, cuando bueno negocio, katay (carnear) manok (pollo). 1: Cuando nuestro negocio va mal, comemos gachas. Pero si funciona bien, comemos carne y pollo. English: When our business worked badly, we ate oatmeal. But if it worked well, we killed and served the chicken. ¡Corre pronto! Cae aguacero ! Yo habla contigo cuando sale casa lleva payong (paraguas). No quiere ahora mucho mojao. Spanish: ¡Corre rápido! ¡La lluvia está cayendo! Ya te dije que cuando salgas de tu casa, debes llevar un paraguas. No quiero que te moje. English: Run quickly! The rain is falling! I already told you to take an umbrella when you leave the house. I don't want you to get wet. ¿Ese ba Tinong (Florentino) no hay vergüenza? Anda visita casa ese novia, come ya allí. Ese papa de iya novia, regaña mucho. Ese Tinong, no hay colocación. ¿Cosa dale comé esposa después? Spanish: ¿Que Florentino no tiene vergüenza? Fue a visitar a su novia, y comió allí. Su padre, lo regañó mucho. Florentino no tiene trabajo. ¿Qué le proveerá a su esposa después? English: How shameless Florentino is? He went to visit his girlfriend, who I ate with. Her father quarrels a lot. That Florentino has no job. What will he leave to his wife then?  