01 cocoa beans
Cocoa bean producing areas are mainly distributed in areas within 20 degrees north and south of the equator. Growing cocoa beans requires high temperatures and humidity, but each region has its own unique flavors, such as fragrant and smoky flavors. The main producing areas of cocoa beans are Central and South America, West Africa and Southeast Asia.
02 Cocoa Solids Cocoa Powder
Cocoa powder is a powdery substance obtained from cocoa beans through fermentation, coarse crushing, peeling and other processes to obtain cocoa bean fragments, and then defatting and crushing. It has a strong cocoa flavor.
03 Natural cocoa
Natural cocoa powder is light brown in color, usually with a strong cocoa aroma and an alkaline taste. Cocoa powder has a slightly bitter taste and is often used in recipes that need to enhance the rich flavor of chocolate, such as brownies and chocolate chip cookies.
If a food manufacturer needs to use baking soda, he should choose natural cocoa powder.
04 Dark Chocolate
It is mainly made by adding cocoa butter and sugar to cocoa powder. Generally contains a small amount of milk ingredients, the total content does not exceed 12%. Dark chocolate tastes differently due to the different cocoa content – the higher the cocoa content, the more bitter the taste.
05 Semisweet Chocolate
Semi-sweet chocolate is the most classic baking chocolate. It is made with chocolate syrup, cocoa butter, sugar and vanilla extract. It usually contains 40% to 62% cocoa solids and has a strong cocoa flavor.