Grinding is the stage in which roasted cacao nibs are ground into chocolate liquor.
After cacao beans are fermented, dried, roasted, and cracked, their shells are removed to produce nibs. Grinding those nibs releases their fat, or cocoa butter, and turns the solid pieces into a smooth, dark paste called chocolate liquor.
Despite its name, chocolate liquor contains no alcohol. In chocolate terminology, “liquor” means a liquid or paste produced from ground cacao. It can later be pressed to separate cocoa butter from cocoa solids, or mixed with sugar and other ingredients to make chocolate.
Grinding is different from conching. Conching refines texture and develops flavor after ingredients have been combined, while grinding is the earlier transformation that turns nibs into a flowing cacao paste.