We have Domingo Ghirardelli to thank for bringing us Ghirardelli Premium Chocolates. Leaving Italy and migrating to United States, he created the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. In the early 1900's, Ghirardelli Chocolate then made its home in Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco (fortunately for me!). I always dropped by Ghirardelli Square for my usual treat whenever I'm in San Francisco.
This time round, my visit to Ghirardelli Square was even better as I met up with Kopi Soh, a former blogger turned avid Facebooker. Only a handful has seen her as she blogs anonymously and photos of her on the blog or Facebook usually shows her hand or her leg or her shoulder...you get what I mean. So, it was quite an exciting thought to be finally seeing her face-to-face and with us meeting up in San Francisco!
Kopi Soh and her cherry blossom tattoo!
With Mr Kopi Soh in tow, we decided to head straight for our sundae treats at Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop in Ghirardelli Square. We joined the queue, ordered and managed to find an empty table though the place was crowded. While Mr Kopi Soh waited for our order to arrive, Kopi Soh and I promptly went around the place and took photos. In this shop, one can actually see how Ghirardelli processes the cocoa beans into their premium chocolate.
Here are the steps and the explanation (taken off each display board at the shop).
In Step 1 - Cocoa Roasters, the outer shell of the bean is removed, leaving behind the kernel (also called "nibs"). These nibs are then roasted thus developing their unique flavor.
Step 2 Chocolate Mills
In three tiered mills, a combination of grinding and frictional heat melt the cocoa nibs into a liquid called chocolate liquor or unsweeted chocolate as we know it today.
