Products

Terra Nostra's Process

Chocolate making is a complex process. Terra Nostra participates in the chocolate making process from the grower to the retail level. Whether it is deciding where to buy supplies for the chocolate bar to where the chocolate is sold, Terra Nostra is involved.

Selecting the beans — Terra Nostra sources their beans around the world to ensure that only the best organic beans with appropriate flavor profiles are harvested. Not unlike wine grapes or coffee, cacao beans from different regions develop different flavor characteristics; floral, smoky, leather, currant, prune, jasmine etc. Each of these characteristics is taken into consideration when making our master blend. The goal is to provide a consistent flavor profile from year to year given that flavor characteristics from each region may vary seasonally.

Fermentation - This process allows the flavor of the cocoa bean to develop its initial and most distinguishing characteristics. Terra Nostra, unlike many manufacturers, uses only fermented and dried cacao beans. At the grower level this fermentation process is a very big “extra” step, one many farmers would rather by-pass. The fermentation process is delicate and spoilage can occur if rotation of the fermenting beans is not done properly. A significant amount of the cocoa used in conventional or mass-produced chocolate is derived from un-fermented cacao beans.

Roasting - Terra Nostra is one of the few chocolate manufacturers whose cacao beans are roasted medium dark to dark, depending on the bean type, a style similar to French Roast in the coffee industry. Unlike coffee, however, very dark roasted cocoa beans can yield unwanted acrid tastes, so the challenge is to have the Terra Nostra beans roasted to a dark toasted level to ensure maximum flavor without going over to the acidic side.

Winnowing - The separation of the tough cacao bean shell from its inner meat is accomplished solely with forced air in order to maximize the separation and the reduction of bitter, unwanted shells. The resulting pieces are now called cacao nibs.

Initial refining - In the mill cacao nibs are converted into a thick, dark, rich paste, now called cocoa mass. Terra Nostra chocolate is always processed though five roll refiners at this stage to ensure accurate particle
sizing that guarantees the delicate smoothness for which the Company is known.

Conching - The unwanted volatile flavors and acids are evaporated through a heat/milling process in large conches or vats for anywhere from 18 to 72 hours. This process creates Terra Nostra’s fine texture. Terra Nostra maintains a fineness not to exceed one thousandth of an inch. During the conching stage, generous amounts of cocoa butter, the most expensive ingredient in cacao, are added by Terra Nostra, ensuring superb melt-in-your mouth qualities that allow the flavor to be delivered throughout the palette. The only other ingredients added at this stage are sugar and milk powder to create milk chocolate.

Moisture - One of the mortal enemies of chocolate production is water, which is maintained below 1% in the finished chocolate goods.

Additional ingredients - For its bars, for added flavor, Terra Nostra may add raw pecan pieces, California Thompson select raisins, expeller pressed organic safflower, sunflower or canola (rapeseed) oils.