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Hot Chocolate

Good morning Hastings!  

In the words of Roosevelt E Roosevelt it is ‘Hot, Damn Hot, Real Hot, Fool it is Hot I’ll tell you again, were  you BORN on the SUN? It’s Damn Hot’. 
(apparently a Good Morning Vietnam reference according to the team – James)

What does this mean for us?  Well, as you may imagine things are getting pretty melty in here. Now as many of you will know from inhaling with deep pleasure as you step into our shop, we are often melting chocolate in Coastal Cocoa, but usually on purpose. We have two glorious chocolate tempering machines behind the counter (have a peer over our shoulder next time you’re in) which we use to melt our couverture chocolate to precisely the right temperature, and then shell our many beautiful chocolate moulds, make our single-origin bars, or dip truffles, crystallised ginger, nuts and all manner of other treats.  

Central to all this is the fascinating process of tempering. 

Untempered vs tempered chocolate

But what is chocolate tempering, I hear you clamouring?  

WELL 

In the mid-19th century, chocolate production as we now know it was in full swing (see https://www.coastalcocoa.co.uk/a-brief-history-of-chocolate-part-3/), but manufacturers found that their chocolate sometimes became gritty, or developed chocolate bloom (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_bloom). While they developed some strategies to reduce the frequency of this, it took until the start of the 1930s to define a reliable process for preventing it, which was called tempering. The science behind tempering wasn’t understood until the 1970s. As well as being able to control the above issues, tempering also allows chocolatiers to make the perfect chocolate that is SHINY with a SMOOTH SURFACE and a DEEPLY SATISFYING CLEAN SNAP and OPTIMUM MOUTHFEEL (for more about that slightly creepy term, see Leeds University researchers’ artificial tongue here: https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/chocolate-tastes-good-mouth/) 

 

And now for the science bit, triglyceride fans:  

Tempering is the manipulation of the fats in chocolate by precise heating and cooling to encourage them to form a specific, desired crystallisation.  

[source: https://scienceblogs.com/brookhaven/2013/02/08/the-nanostructure-of-noms-why-edible-fats-are-so-tasty] 

All fats (including cocoa butter) are made up of several triglycerides which solidify at different temperatures and crystallise into SIX different structures depending on the temperature (more about shapeshifting fat here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_polymorphism), but ONLY ONE of these structures (catchily named Triglyceride 5 or Form V) creates chocolate with all the above desired qualities. In the words of this article: Why Edible Fats are So Tasty: 

Form V… produces a melting range close to the temperature of the mouth… But if Form V crystals transform to Form VI, the chocolate will have a higher melting point and the cocoa butter will coat the inside of the mouth, leaving a waxy sensation. Form VI crystals can also bloom into large, visible crystals, transforming a chocolate bar from a silky melt-in-your-mouth treat into a rough, white, waxy snack. [https://scienceblogs.com/brookhaven/2013/02/08/the-nanostructure-of-noms-why-edible-fats-are-so-tasty] 

 No one wants a waxy snack.  

 

X-ray diffraction patterns reveal the orientation of fat crystals. The distribution and directionality of these crystal nanostructures affects the flavor and texture of foods.
A tempering curve

So, to achieve the precise and delicious chocolate temper that we love so much, we: 

  1. Heat chocolate to over 40 °C to melt the liquid completely 
  2. Cool to 32 °C to begin crystallisation 
  3. Crystallise at 27 °C  
  4. Heat to convert any unstable crystals 29–31 °C 

There is a bit more to it than this, and there are several ways to achieve it, but as far  as temperature goes, this is the gist. (You don’t necessarily need a proper tempering machine to do this in small amounts at home – come to our workshops (https://www.coastalcocoa.co.uk/workshops/) to learn how you can do this yourself with simple household kit!) 

All this is to say that on hot days, chocolate tempering is more difficult, or even impossible! 

 And not only this. Even once we’ve tempered our chocolate and filled our moulds, if the ambient temperature is too hot it can cause the chocolate shells to lose some of their temper and cause problems getting the lovely little fellows out of their moulds again (this is nice for the staff and our secret box of broken chocolate snacks, but not so good for the shop, or our waistlines). And of course, our fridges are under more pressure, our  ceiling fans are doing their best, and our staff are trying to stay hydrated.  

So if you see our door closed over the summer, chances are we’re open but just trying to keep the cool air in! 

And if as well as our usual goodies, you need cooling support, come and see us Tues – Sun for  

ICE CREAM 

ICED COFFEE 

CHOCOLATE MILKSHAKES 

And there’s always a doggie water bowl outside for our hot four-legged friends! 

Until next time, keep cool and stay hydrated!  

  • The Coastal Cocoa team X 
Our chocolate ice cream