By Rafe Calder
The words on the tin are simple. Natural cocoa. Dutch-processed cocoa. Nothing on the tin explains why one is darker, and why the Dutch are in the name. The answer is a family firm in Amsterdam in the early nineteenth century, a press, and two men with the same surname whose roles the sources assign differently.
What the process is
Wikipedia’s article on Dutch-process chocolate says the process treats cocoa with an alkalising agent to lower its natural acidity. The result is less bitter and darker than natural cocoa. The article names potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate and sodium hydroxide as agents, and says potassium carbonate mixed with water is the most common. It describes the nibs being treated, heated under controlled conditions, dried, roasted and ground into chocolate liquor. Pressing the liquor removes much of the cocoa butter, which leaves defatted cocoa powder. Typical Dutch cocoa is dark brown, and further alkali treatment produces black cocoa, which the article says tastes earthier still.
Dates in order
- 1806: a coffee and spice shop opens in Amsterdam, according to the brand’s history page.
- 1815: cocoa and chocolate production begin in Amsterdam under the Van Houten name, according to the brand’s history page.
- 1828: a hydraulic cocoa press is patented, according to the brand’s history page.
- 1846: “Dutching” is patented, according to the brand’s history page.
- 1865: cocoa is packed in tins, according to the brand’s history page.
The press
The brand’s own history page says the company patented a hydraulic cocoa press in 1828 and that the result was a lighter, more dissolvable cocoa powder. It is the producer’s account of itself, so we use it for dates only.
The salts
The brand’s history page gives one year and one verb: 1846, “Dutching” patented. That is the producer’s own account, and we found no independent source for who invented alkalising.
A banner that is not a founding date
The brand’s history page carries the banner “Since 1828”. Its own timeline starts earlier, with the coffee and spice shop in 1806 and chocolate production in 1815. So 1828 is the press, not the firm. This is a small thing, but it is the kind of date that gets copied onto labels, and it is worth knowing which event it belongs to.
Side by side
| Question | Wikipedia (Coenraad) | Wikipedia (process) | Brand history page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who made the press? | Casparus patented it | Casparus developed it, around 1828 | “Van Houten patented”, 1828 |
| When was Dutching invented? | Not dated | Early 19th century | 1846, by Coenraad |
| Where did production move? | Weesp, 1850 | Not covered | Not covered |
Questions a buyer would ask
Does “Dutch” on a tin mean it was made in the Netherlands? Nothing in our sources says so; it names a process. Does it say how the cocoa was alkalised, or how much? We found no source on labelling terms. Does it change how the cocoa mixes with water? The brand’s history page says the aim was a more dissolvable powder.
Roam first. Shop later.