ChocolateFactory / rolling & conching
Waltzing along the rollers
What follows next is the mixing and Zotter has a particular gift for that. Sugar, milk powder and natural vanilla are added to the cocoa mass depending on the variety. In the rolling mill the cloggy cocoa mass is pressed onto the sugar portions by means of two rollers. The cycle is concluded by five other mills until only a tinge of chocolate will finally be left as a fine powder. The ideal combination, the delicate mellowness and the aromas are created under an enormous pressure. During this process the settings of the complex plant may be manipulated from the rotation to the thickness of the nip. The rolling mill is a playing field for creative persons and naturally also the favourite machine of Josef Zotter. “The rolling mill is one of the most important machines which are involved in the art of chocolate-making.” At this point no automatism is at work – the human being is required to control the complex system in a creative way. The mellowness is created if the grain spectre is below 25/1000 mm, and this means a challenge for Josef Zotter. In his chocolate the particles have a size of 15 – 17/1000 mm – a fabulous mellowness!
Finale Grande
The generated cocoa powder is now refined in the conche. During the conching which was invented by Roderich Lindt (from the company of the same name) the finishing touches are put to the chocolate. The unique and poetical name in the production cycle of the chocolate is derived from the original shape of the conche which resembled a shell (in Spanish “concha”). This was a last homage to the Spanish tradition of chocolate. In former times chocolate was conched in order to render it fine. Nowadays this is done in rolling mills. Nevertheless this time-consuming processing may not be renounced because it is of great importance for the unfolding of aromas. The fine and dry powder is stirred in heatable agitators – the conches – for about 20 hours. Due to the warmth the aromas blossom out, humidity and interfering aromas are removed and the cocoa butter is once again liquefied which enables a particularly smooth distribution of the sugar and fat particles. Now the chocolate is finished – or BASiC as Zotter would say.
