The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-05-14
A CHOCOLATE FACTORY
WHAT COCOA IS AND HOW IT r.
MADE.

fhe Raw Product Comes From Ven
ezuela and is Of Many Difterenf
Kinds-Cocoa Butter.
biggest chocolate factor
in this country is in New
| York. It uses 100000 pounds
6 of the beans in year. They
are not at all pretty to look at. From
their appearance one would never sup.
pose that such delicious preparations
could be made from them. Most OF
them come from Venezuela. The con-
Germ described ordinarily keeps in
stock as many as fifteen different kind.
of them. Varieties differ so much in
quality that prices paid for them run
I'LL the way from fifteen cents to
twenty-five cents pound raw. Fine
chocolates are made from mixture oil
! ice different sorts of beans in carefully
adjusted portions, few pounds ofthe
best in each hundredweight contribut
ing flavor.
The broken chocolate kernels, dul.
mixed, are poured into a hopper on
the seventh floor. They fall through
metal tube all the way down to the
first floor of the building. There they
drop into machine which grinds
them between two great steel disks
revolving horizontally in the fashion
of q mill. From this mill they come
out by spout-Rot dry any longer,
but in the form of thick liquid. This
is because the beans contain forty-f re
per cent. of oil. The cells holding the
latter are broken by the grinding
process, and the oil liquefes the pow
| lered substance.
The processes by which the beans
are transformed into commercial choc-
olate are very interesting. To begin
with, they are roasted. Then they are
broken in a mill, coarsely. Next,
they are sifted. The shells separated
from the kernels by sitting are sold for
half cent pound to wholesale gro
GERS, who grind them up to adulterate
pepper with. Incidentally to the samt
process the vegetatiye germs of the
beans are removed. It is desired to
get rid of them because they are too
hard to be utilized to advantage; but
they are purchased by manufacturers
If cheap candies for making a poor
quality of chocolate. Each germ looks
Iomewhat like little Glove. All of this
york is performed on the seventh foo7
+ the factory.
The chocolate beans are called
"cocoa beans. The liquid stuff, some
what thicker than molssses, is termed
'cocoa." It is transformed into the
chocolate of commerce simply by add
ing sugar. It is commonly imagined
;hat cocoa is made from the shells of
The beans, but such a notion is alb.
mrd. What cocoa is really will be
presently explained. The liquid stuff
S transferred to circular receptacle
IN which huge rollers so round. Ther
mgar is put in. The rollers mix the
COCOA liquid and the sugar thoroughly
ogether. When this has been done
The mixture is passed through other
machines with rollers revolving against
zach other. It goes through them
lgain and again, until it is so finely di-
rided that there is not the smallest
iump in it. Now it is finished and has
merely to be cooled IN molds in the re-
rigerating room in order to be ready
or sale.
Commercial cocoa is exactly the
anne thing as chocolate, without any
mgar, and with two-thirds of the oil
aiken away. Hence, in q dry state,
has little more flavor than so much
lust. By subjecting the liquid stuff to
pressure the oil is squeezed out of it.
Of the original forty-fve per cent. OF
/ oil thirty per cent. is extracted, leav-
| ing only fifteen per cent. This oil il
caught in tubs. It is clear and linn
pid-almost as transparent as water.
Poured into molds it hardens when
.old, and is thus turned out in tht
shape Of great cakes of yellowish'
white color. These cakes are sold to
iapothecaries and other dealers. They
ire pure 'cocoa butter" To a great
extent this soothing and deliciously
fragrant substance has taken the place
If the old fashioned cold cream. Tits
admirable for sun-burned noses and
:or chapped hands. In South America
he natives have recognized its vrtue'
or many centuries.
Cocoa butter, obtained from the
chocolate factories. is sold by the ton
wholesale. 1t is useful and profit
!ble by product of this sort of manu-.
acture. But how about the cocoa
| it comes out from the pressing appa
.atus in the form of dry cakes. These
ire reduced to powder beneath rollers,
nd the powder is then sifted through !
,loth to an impalpable dust. Now il
ready for market and is poured into
|. machine which fills cans with it auto.
natically. The cocoa butter is put to
mother use. Some of it is added to
;he chocolate that is employed for
coating creams and other candies, be-
.auses it makes the flavor richer. The
chocolate tablets for nickel-in-the-slot
machines are made in molds and set in
:he refrigerating room to harden.
some people make a sort of tea out oi
COCOA beans and recommend it highly.
The factory described uses most Of
It's chocolate in making candies and
Ihs greater part of that for coating
.-eams and nuts. The way in which
he creams are made is very od[. A
hallow tray of wood is filed with
nely sifted flour. Upon the smooth
urface of this is laid down board,
lie under side of which is covered
With ezcrescences in whatever shapes
nay be desired. The board being re-
-,o1Jc oE tho