BEVERAGE PLANTS 27! 



ure, for heat has made them brittle. A winnow- 

 ing process separates them, leaving the solid 

 meats, now called "cocoa nibs." They break 

 easily; indeed there is no way to prevent them 

 from breaking while the hulls are being removed. 

 We can buy cocoa as nibs in grocery stores. Some 

 people make cocoa by boiling these. Others are 

 better pleased with the ground beans; the nibs 

 make a beverage too rich for their taste. The 

 difference is this: The nibs contain cocoa oil; 

 it constitutes 50 per cent, of the substance of 

 them. 



In the manufacture of cocoa, the nibs are ground 

 fine, and the mass is subjected to great pressure. 

 The fat oozes out and hardens into yellowish cocoa 

 butter. What is left is a cake of brown substance, 

 which again goes through the grinders, and is 

 ready to be boxed and labelled for sale. This is 

 the unsweetened cocoa we buy. 



The cocoa butter extracted turns white in course 

 of time, but it keeps without becoming rancid; so 

 it is used in making ointments and salves that 

 druggists keep for sale. 



One objection to the manufactured cocoa is 

 that it is frequently adulterated with cheap starch 

 like Brazilian arrowroot. Only the reputation of 

 good manufacturers can defend the public from 



