65% dark chocolate bars from roasted cacao beans

Spread the cacao beans in a single layer on two rimmed baking sheets and roast at 250F for 25 to 45 minutes, shaking and rotating halfway; about 30 minutes used. Shorter gives a fruitier chocolate, longer a nuttier one.

Cool completely, then winnow: crack the beans with a hammer, smashing them so no shell clings to the nibs.

Sprinkle the cracked beans slowly in front of a running fan into a bowl so the lighter husks blow out; repeat at least a dozen passes, then pick out the remaining husks by hand.

Process the nibs in batches about 1 minute each until they release their fat and look like wet sand.

Gently warm the concher drum with a torch on a very low setting, checking with a laser thermometer; add the pre-ground nibs and run it.

Add the cocoa butter in small batches with the chocolate to get the concher turning, then grind for about four hours.

Add the sugar slowly through the sugar feed and grind for another 20 hours.

Temper once the chocolate is at about 110F: pour into a large stainless steel bowl and agitate vigorously; add 10 to 20 percent seed chocolate and stir constantly, especially below 94F where crystals begin to grow.

If the seed chocolate is not fully melted, set the bowl over a pot of simmering water without letting it exceed 94F.

Test the temper every five minutes: coat the end of a butter knife or offset spatula thinly and leave it five minutes at room temperature.

Pour the chocolate evenly over a polycarbonate bar mold, scrape the excess back into the bowl, and rap the mold on the table many times to release bubbles.

Leave to set at least two hours; unmold after four hours onto a sheet pan.

Remove surface bloom by very carefully passing a torch over the chocolate, never heating it above 94F.

Wrap in gold foil, then blue foil, then a red foil stripe, glued.