Sometimes I get asked, “Why does cocoa powder come in different shades of brown depending on the brand I buy?” This is a very good observation as cocoa powder comes in a range of colors from light brown to deep brown, from red to black, and many shades in between. 

The general cocoa powder making process consists of squeezing out the cocoa butter after the cocoa beans are crushed into liquid form. This liquid, also known as chocolate liquor or unsweetened baking chocolate, is poured into a hydraulic press.

When the chocolate liquor is pressed, the cocoa butter is separated from the cocoa solids. The cocoa solids become hard cakes of cocoa which are then dried, broken apart, and pulverized into a powder.

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