Know all there is to know about chocolate conching

So what is conching?

Conching is the process that lends the finished product its velvety texture and balanced flavour, but few people are familiar with the marvellous stage in the creation of exquisite chocolate that is conching.

This part of the chocolate production process comes after the cacao beans have been roasted and ground. Invented by chocolatier Rodolphe Lindt in 1879, conching consists of stirring and kneading the chocolate liquor in a machine called a conche, thereby enhancing all the natural characteristics of the cacao.

1. Refining the texture: During conching, cacao and sugar particles are crushed more and more finely and homogenised. This process makes for a smooth texture as the particles are microscopically reduced in size, resulting in the chocolate’s incomparably melt-in-the-mouth quality.
2. Developing the flavour: The constant movement and heat of the conching process help to release the volatile aromas from the cacao. That’s what it’s at this stage that the chocolate also develops its most subtle flavour nuances.
3. Reducing acidity and undesirable flavour notes: Conching also evaporates the volatile acids that may lend the chocolate an all too bitter or astringent taste. By eliminating these undesirable compounds, the chocolate becomes smoother and rounder in taste.

How long does conching take?

Knowing to take the time to do things well is important for bringing out the full potential of chocolate.

For lower-quality chocolates (mass-retailed industrial products). that time is frequently reduced to a matter of just a few hours. The short conching period makes such chocolates visually attractive because it is still just long enough to achieve a sufficiently fine texture, while being far from long enough either to develop the flavours properly or to eliminate unwelcome notes. This may have a negative impact on the overall taste, a defect that will be compensated by the addition of more sugar and/or other ingredients (dried fruits, nuts etc).

High-quality chocolate, on the other hand, may undergo a conching process lasting anything from 12 to 72 hours, which will necessarily influence the ultimate cost, but result - and that is key here - in a more exquisite chocolate and some highly developed flavours. To sum up, the longer the conching process, the finer and more aromatic the chocolate will be.

Is conching a quality factor?

Chocolates that have undergone a long conching process are without doubt uniquely exquisite, both as regards their texture and flavours. So as far as chocolate lovers are concerned, conching is generally a key indicator of a product's quality. Chocolatiers who pay attention to detail do not hesitate to invest time and resources in this stage of production, as it goes a long way to determining the pleasure experienced when the chocolate is tasted.

Over the past few years, however, there has been an emergence of a large number of chocolatiers selling « bean to bar » products, meaning that they were involved in all stages of its production. The texture of certain chocolates in that category may not be as fine as that of some industrially produced chocolates, and by choice so, or by lack of material or means.

It is interesting to find that this ultimately results in a different taste experience, but by no means one that’s less interesting. Indeed, such chocolates retain a certain wilder rawness along with punchy notes that I personally can identify and that I appreciate in speciality cacao.

That is why I will now qualify what I explained earlier. A finely textured chocolate is indeed a wonderful thing, but over time its aromatic properties may fade. Once the flavours have been liberated during conching, they become exposed to the surrounding air, making an end product more fragile. In contrast, a more coarsely textured chocolate will unleash a large part of its potential only in the mouth, rendering it more stable in the long term and easier to keep.

In conclusion, a good conching enables the « birth » of an exquisite chocolate that will please the majority of people. It is, however, possible to taste more « rustic » chocolates that can equally be very interesting and allow for the rediscovery of all the flavours of an exceptional cacao in an entirely new way.