During the this process the beans have gathered a lot of moisture from the environment which makes them look plump, their flavour has also begin to change from extremely bitter to a more chocolaty taste. Fermentation can take up to eight days depending on the species of the beans.
Drying and Storage
Cocoa beans come out of the fermentation process with a high moisture content so in order to be shipped or stored they have to be dried. The drying process is differs on each plantation depending on the climate and the size of the plantation. Sometimes, where the climate permits it, the beans are dried on racks outside in the sun. Sun drying is mostly done on smaller plantations. Larger plantations usually dry their beans in huge sheds which have a lot of circulating air. When the moisture content in the beans are about 6-7% they are sorted and bagged. Surprisingly the sorting is extremely important because beans are sold according the size and quality.
To be continued in the next issue.