130 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE 



skins, and afterwards crush and grind them between 

 two stones." 



He further definitely recommends that the beans 

 " be roasted enough to have their skins come off easily, 

 which should be done one by one, laying them apart 

 . . . for these skins being left among the chocolate, 

 will not dissolve in any liquor, nor even in the stomach, 

 and fall to the bottom of the chocolate-cups as if the 

 kernels had not been cleaned." 



That the ' ; Indian " practice of removing the shells 

 was followed from the commencement of the industry 

 in England, is shown by the old plate which we have 

 reproduced on p. 120 from Arts and Sciences. 



The removal of the shell, which in the raw con- 

 dition is tough and adheres to the kernel, is greatly 

 facilitated by roasting. If we place a roasted bean in the 

 palm of the hand and press it with the thumb, the 

 whole cracks up into crisp pieces. It is now quite easy 

 to blow away the thin pieces of shell because they offer 

 a greater surface to the air and are lighter than the 

 compact little lumps or " nibs " which are left behind. 

 This illustrates the principle of all shelling or husking 

 machines. 



(e) Breaking the Bean into Frag?nents. 



The problem is to break down the bean to just the 

 right size. The pieces must be sufficiently small to 

 allow the nib and shell readily to part company, but it 

 is important to remember that the smaller the pieces 

 of shell and nib, the less efficient will the winnowing 

 be, and it is usual to break the beans whilst they are 

 still warm to avoid producing particles of extreme 

 fineness. The breaking down may be accomplished by 

 passing the beans through a pair of rollers at such a 

 distance apart that the bean is cracked without being 

 crushed. Or it may be effected in other ways, e.g., by 

 the use of an adjustable serrated cone revolving in a 

 serrated conical case. In the diagram they are called 

 kibbling cones. 



