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Glossary
The chocolate industry has invited much curiosity in the last few years, and as chocolate lovers are increasingly buying chocolate online, more choco-jargon is getting used. Here is a handy guide to many words and phrases used by chocolate people. The use of these terms is inconsistent; so we have chosen to give you “our take” on definitions that makes sense.
Cacao. Frequently used to describe the Theobroma Cacao tree, the pods and the beans. We have chosen to use it broadly when we talk about IgnaFire chocolates, because our chocolates are so close in flavor and texture to the original bean.
Cocoa. Sometimes used interchangeably with the word cacao. Also commonly used to describe components or by-products of chocolate-making and associated with commercial processing.
Chocolate mass. Ground cacao bean compound that still retains all of the original cocoa butter. Also known as cocoa mass or cocoa (or chocolate) paste.
Cocoa liquor. Fluid form of chocolate mass (when warm). Also known as chocolate liquor. Note that this term does not refer to alcohol.
Cocoa powder. By-product of the pressing process in commercial chocolates. What is left after most of the cocoa butter is extracted from cocoa mass. Our powdered forms of IgnaFire chocolates do not start with cocoa powder as an ingredient. We simply grind the cocoa mass (with all its cocoa butter intact) for making our powdered chocolates.
Cocoa butter. Refers to the vegetable fat naturally present in the cacao bean. Most beans contain 50-53% cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is special in that it resists oxidation and can be kept for many years without becoming rancid. It also remains solid at room temperature.
Cocoa fat. Used interchangeably with cocoa butter.
Hot cocoa mix. Highly processed food commonly marketed for making a hot chocolate drink. In contrast to this, our IgnaFire Hots are simply a powdered (ground up) form of our eating chocolates, preserving all of their original flavors.
Tempering (verb: to temper). Process step in commercial chocolate-making that re-arranges the molecules for very specific physical properties (shiny, smooth, snaps when broken). IgnaFire chocolates are untempered.
Conching. Industrial process that smoothes out texture and taste. Not used in IgnaFire chocolates.