Cocoa Mass (Cocoa Liquor)

Delicious black chocolate chunks (natural dark cocoa mass from Africa), closeup

Home  /  Cocoa Products  /  Cocoa Mass

Cocoa Mass (Cocoa Liquor): Pure African Cocoa Mass in Blocks, Chips and Liquid

Cocoa mass, also called cocoa liquor, is 100% pure ground cocoa nibs with nothing added: no sugar, no milk, no flavouring. Radad International supplies it in bulk to chocolate makers, bakers, confectioners and food manufacturers worldwide.

Request a Quote

At a glance

Type

100% pure cocoa liquor, nothing added

Forms

Blocks, chips and liquid

Fat content

52 to 56% on dry matter

Packaging

25 kg cartons, solid blocks

100% pure

Ground cocoa nibs only

25 kg cartons

Solid blocks, inner polyethylene bag

African origin

From fermented, sun-dried beans

Worldwide

Export documents with every shipment

Overview

What is Cocoa Mass?

Cocoa mass, also known as cocoa liquor, cocoa paste or unsweetened chocolate, is what you get when roasted cocoa nibs are ground to a smooth paste. It is 100% cocoa: no sugar, no milk and no added flavour. It is the base of dark chocolate and the starting point for cocoa butter and cocoa powder.

From liquid liquor to solid mass

Fermented and dried cocoa beans are cleaned, roasted, cracked and winnowed into nibs. The nibs are then ground. The friction melts the natural cocoa butter inside them, so freshly ground cocoa mass is a warm, flowing paste called cocoa liquor. Despite the name, it contains no alcohol.

As the liquor cools, the cocoa butter sets and the paste hardens into a solid, dark block. That is why the same product is called both cocoa liquor and cocoa mass: liquor describes the liquid state, and mass describes the solid one.

Nothing is taken out and nothing is added, so cocoa mass keeps both parts of the bean: the cocoa solids that carry the flavour and colour, and the cocoa butter. In international trade, cocoa paste falls under HS code 1803.

Cocoa liquor

Cocoa paste

Unsweetened chocolate

Chocolate liquor

Cocoa mass

cocoa mass in its liquid form called cocoa liquor

Freshly ground: a flowing paste called cocoa liquor.

Organic African Cocoa mass (cocoa liquor) in blocks | Radad International

Cooled and set: solid cocoa mass.

What it contains

Roughly half cocoa butter and half cocoa solids. Our specification calls for 52 to 56% total fat on dry matter. The solids supply protein, dietary fibre, starch and minerals.

Nutritional content

Cocoa mass is energy-dense because of its fat, at about 600 kcal per 100 g. It naturally contains cocoa butter, protein, fibre and minerals such as magnesium, iron, copper and potassium. It has no added sugar.

Nutritional value

Cocoa is a natural source of flavanols and theobromine, the compounds behind its bitter taste and mild stimulant effect. Cocoa butter is mostly saturated and monounsaturated fat. Final values depend on the beans and the recipe.

Flavour and character

Deep, bold and bitter-sweet, with the classic chocolate flavour of African cocoa. It is unsweetened, so the taste is intense and is balanced by sugar and milk when it is made into chocolate.

Where it is used

Dark chocolate and couverture, bean-to-bar chocolate, baking and pastry, ganache and glazes, ice cream and desserts, spreads and fillings, and pressing into cocoa butter and cocoa powder.

Handling and storage

Melt gently, below about 50 °C, and keep water away. Store in a clean, cool, dry, odourless place at a maximum of 25 °C and 70% relative humidity. Shelf life is 24 months from production.

How it is made

From fermented bean to cocoa mass in four steps

Cocoa mass keeps every part of the cocoa bean, so each step before grinding decides how clean, dark and smooth the final mass will taste.

01

Clean and sort

Fermented, sun-dried beans are cleaned to remove dust, stones and foreign matter.

02

Roast

Roasting develops the deep chocolate aroma and loosens the shell from the bean.

03

Crack and winnow

Beans are cracked and the shell is winnowed away, leaving clean cocoa nibs.

04

Grind to mass

Nibs are milled until the cocoa butter melts and a smooth liquid mass forms. It is then moulded into blocks or kept liquid.

Where cocoa mass sits in the cocoa value chain: beans become mass, and mass can be pressed into cocoa butter and cocoa powder.

Forms of cocoa mass

Liquid when fresh, solid when set

Cocoa mass changes form as it cools, and buyers meet it in a few different forms depending on where it is in the process. Radad International mainly supplies solid cocoa mass, packed in 25 kg cartons.

cocoa mass in its liquid form called cocoa liquor

Freshly ground

Cocoa liquor (liquid paste)

Straight from the grinder, the warm nibs have melted into a smooth, flowing paste. This is cocoa liquor. It stays liquid only while it is warm.

Premium cocoa mass from africa in blocks Radad International

Cooled and set

Solid cocoa mass blocks

As the cocoa butter cools it sets, and the liquor hardens into dense dark blocks that are easy to store and transport. This is the form most buyers work with, and the one we mainly supply.

cocoa mass, cocoa liquor, chocolate chips and cocoa powder Radad International

Broken down

Chips and smaller pieces

Solid cocoa mass can be broken or chopped into smaller pieces, which melt faster and are easier to weigh for recipes and small batches.

Specifications

Natural cocoa liquor (cocoa mass) specification

Natural cocoa liquor is made by grinding medium-roasted natural cocoa nibs. Colour is typical of cocoa liquor, with no off flavours or odours. Figures below come from the Radad specification sheet.

Max 1.5%

Moisture

52 to 56%

Total fat on dry matter

Min 99.6%

Fineness through 75 µ (200 mesh)

24 months

Shelf life from production

Chemical and physical

Analysis

Specification

Moisture content

Max 1.5% (IOCCC 1, 1952)

Total fat on dry matter

52 to 56% (IOCCC 14, 1972)

pH

5.2 to 6.2 ± 0.4 (IOCCC 15, 1972)

Fineness (75 µ = 200 mesh)

Min 99.6% ± 0.2 (IOCCC 38, 1990)

Shell (non-alkalized nib basis)

Max 1.75%

Active lipase

Negative

Aflatoxin B1+B2+G1+G2

Below 4 ppb

Aflatoxin B1

Below 2 ppb

Microbiological

Parameter

Specification

Total standard plate count

Max 500 cfu/g (ISO 4833)

Yeast

Max 50 cfu/g (ISO 7954)

Mould

Max 50 cfu/g (ISO 7952)

Enterobacteriaceae

Absent (ISO 21528-2)

E. coli

Absent (ISO 7251)

Salmonella

Absent in 375 g (ISO 6579)

Natural cocoa liquor in block form, Radad International

Packaging, storage and shelf life

Packaging: 25 kg corrugated cartons with an inner polyethylene bag, complying with international standards.

Storage: a clean, cool, dry and odourless environment, at a maximum of 25 °C and a maximum of 70% relative humidity.

Shelf life: 24 months after the production date under the recommended storage conditions.

Request the Specification Sheet

Compare

Cocoa mass vs cocoa butter, cocoa powder and cocoa nibs

All four come from the same bean. The difference is what has been separated out.

Product

What it is

Contains

Typical use

Cocoa mass

Whole cocoa nibs ground into a smooth paste, then set into blocks or kept liquid

Cocoa solids and cocoa butter together

Dark chocolate, couverture, baking, further pressing

Cocoa butter

The natural fat pressed out of cocoa mass

Fat only

Chocolate, confectionery, cosmetics

Cocoa powder

The pressed cake left after the butter is removed, then milled

Cocoa solids with most of the fat removed

Baking, beverages, ice cream, coatings

Cocoa nibs

Roasted, cracked and winnowed pieces of the bean

Whole bean, not yet ground

Chocolate making, snacks, baking, superfoods

Explore our related products: raw cocoa nibs, alkalized cocoa powder and whole cocoa beans.

Uses

What buyers use cocoa mass for

Cocoa mass is a base ingredient. These are the main ways our customers put it to work.

Variety of delicious and tasty chocolate made with cocoa mass

Chocolate manufacturing

The core ingredient of dark chocolate, blended with sugar and extra cocoa butter.

Organic certified cocoa mass Artisan chocolate making and adding cocoa grits in the melanger stone grinder.

Bean-to-bar craft chocolate

Ready-ground mass lets craft makers skip the roasting and grinding stage.

Dark chocolate pieces, cocoa mass (chocolate mass) crushed and cocoa beans, top view

Dark chocolate and couverture

Gives dark chocolate its depth of flavour, colour and cocoa percentage.

dark chocolate (dark cocoa mass) big chunks isolated on white background

Baking and pastry

Melted into cakes, brownies, ganache, glazes and fillings for a pure cocoa taste.

Cocoa mass and cocoa butter together natural unscented and unsweetened Radad International

Cocoa butter and powder production

Pressed to separate cocoa butter from cocoa cake, then milled into powder.

Cocoa mass (Unsweetened chocolate) also called cocoa liquor, in its pure form Natural Radad International

Confectionery, fillings and spreads

Used in truffles, coatings, ice cream, hazelnut-style spreads and desserts.

Why Radad

Why buyers choose Radad cocoa mass

Pure and simple

100% cocoa with no sugar, milk, flavouring or additives.

African origin

Made from fermented, sun-dried African cocoa beans with the bold, classic chocolate flavour.

Solid, ready to store

Supplied mainly as solid cocoa mass in 25 kg cartons with an inner polyethylene bag.

Flexible volumes

Tell us how much you need and where it is going, and we will quote to match.

Export ready

Full export documentation with every shipment, to ports worldwide.

Direct support

Reach our team by form, email or WhatsApp for samples, specifications and quotes.

How to order

From enquiry to shipment in four steps

Ordering cocoa mass from Radad International is simple and works the same wherever you are.

01

Send your enquiry

Tell us the format, volume and destination port.

02

Review the specification

We send the specification sheet, and a sample on request.

03

Receive your quotation

You get a clear quote with packing and shipping terms.

04

We pack and ship

Your order is packed and shipped with full export documents.

Ready to Source Cocoa Mass?

Tell us the format, volume and destination, and the Radad team will send a specification sheet and a quotation.

Request a Quote WhatsApp Us

Call or WhatsApp +971 522 501 039  |  Monday to Sunday, 09:00 AM to 06:00 PM

FAQs

Cocoa mass: frequently asked questions

Quick answers on what cocoa mass is, how it is used and how to buy it. Click a question to open it.

Cocoa mass, also called cocoa liquor, cocoa paste or unsweetened chocolate, is 100% ground cocoa nibs. Fermented and dried beans are roasted, cracked and winnowed into nibs, then ground. Nothing is added and nothing is removed, so it keeps both the cocoa solids and the cocoa butter.
Cocoa liquor describes the liquid state. When the nibs are ground, the cocoa butter melts and the mass flows like a thick liquid. The word comes from the old sense of liquor as a liquid, and it contains no alcohol. When the liquor cools and sets, it is usually called cocoa mass.
Cocoa mass contains both cocoa solids and cocoa butter. When it is pressed, the fat separates as cocoa butter and the remaining cake is milled into cocoa powder. Cocoa mass is the starting point for both.
Cocoa mass is energy-dense, at about 600 kcal per 100 g, mostly from cocoa butter. It also contains protein, dietary fibre and minerals such as magnesium, iron, copper and potassium, and natural compounds including flavanols and theobromine. It has no added sugar. Exact values depend on the beans.
It is the base of dark chocolate and couverture, and is used in bean-to-bar chocolate, baking, ganache, glazes, fillings, ice cream and spreads. Processors also press it to produce cocoa butter and cocoa powder.
We mainly supply solid cocoa mass, packed in 25 kg corrugated cartons with an inner polyethylene bag. Cocoa mass is liquid only while it is freshly ground and warm, and it sets into solid blocks as it cools. Contact us if you need something different and we will tell you what we can do.
Our natural cocoa liquor is made from medium-roasted natural cocoa nibs. Moisture is 1.5% maximum, total fat on dry matter is 52 to 56%, pH is 5.2 to 6.2, and fineness is a minimum of 99.6% through 75 microns (200 mesh). Shell content is 1.75% maximum on a non-alkalized nib basis, and active lipase is negative.
Total plate count maximum 500 cfu/g, yeast maximum 50 cfu/g and mould maximum 50 cfu/g. Enterobacteriaceae and E. coli are absent, and Salmonella is absent in 375 g. Aflatoxin B1+B2+G1+G2 is below 4 ppb and aflatoxin B1 is below 2 ppb.
Melt it gently, below about 50 °C, stirring until smooth, and keep water away because even a little moisture can make melted mass seize. Store in a clean, cool, dry and odourless place at a maximum of 25 °C and 70% relative humidity. Shelf life is 24 months after the production date.
Use the Request a Quote button or message us on WhatsApp at +971 522 501 039. Tell us the volume and destination port, and we will send the specification sheet, a sample on request and a quotation.
Yes. We export to buyers worldwide and provide export documentation with every shipment.

Related products

More from Radad International

Cocoa mass pairs with our other cocoa products.

Hands holding dried cocoa beans in a village in Côte d'Ivoire

Whole Cocoa Beans

Fermented, sun-dried African beans for grinders and chocolate makers.

View Cocoa Beans
natural cocoa nibs for dark chocolate) Dark chocolate pieces crushed and cocoa beans, top view Radar International

Raw Cocoa Nibs

Cracked, winnowed pieces of the bean for chocolate, baking and snacks.

View Cocoa Nibs
Dark brown alkalized cocoa powder from Africa | Radad International

Alkalized Cocoa Powder

Light to dark brown powder for baking, beverages and confectionery.

View Cocoa Powder