Nicola's Chocolate holding cocoa beans

The Self-Taught Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Maker - Ebook

£25.00

A practical guide to making small-batch chocolate from cacao beans at home

Pre-order now - delivery March 2026

This is a practical, approachable guide to making chocolate from cacao beans at home, written for people who want to understand the process properly.

I’m writing it the same way I learned myself: slowly, experimentally, and without formal training. The book is grounded in real small-batch practice, not factory methods or shortcuts. It’s designed to help you understand why things happen, so you can make confident decisions as you go.

This pre-order helps support the time and care needed to create the book well.

A practical guide to making small-batch chocolate from cacao beans at home

Pre-order now - delivery March 2026

This is a practical, approachable guide to making chocolate from cacao beans at home, written for people who want to understand the process properly.

I’m writing it the same way I learned myself: slowly, experimentally, and without formal training. The book is grounded in real small-batch practice, not factory methods or shortcuts. It’s designed to help you understand why things happen, so you can make confident decisions as you go.

This pre-order helps support the time and care needed to create the book well.

Pre-order details

This is a pre-sale.

That means:

  • The book is currently being written

  • Pre-order customers receive the ebook first

  • Your purchase supports the creation of the work

Pre-order price

£25
(Launch price £32)

A note from me

Chocolate is slow work. Good chocolate even more so.

I’m writing this book with the same care I put into my chocolate - thoughtfully, honestly, and without rushing the process.

Thank you for supporting independent, small-batch work.

Nicola

What this is

This is not a glossy coffee table book or a recipe collection. It is:

  • A clear, step-by-step guide to making chocolate from cacao beans at home

  • Written for self-taught makers and curious beginners

  • Rooted in small-batch, ethical, craft chocolate values

  • Focused on understanding, flavour, and confidence - not perfection

Think of it as the book I wish I’d had when I started

Who this book is for

This book is for you if:

  • You’re curious about making chocolate from scratch

  • You enjoy understanding how food is made

  • You’re interested in bean-to-bar or craft chocolate

  • You prefer thoughtful, small-batch processes over shortcuts

You don’t need specialist training or expensive equipment to begin.

What the book includes

  • An introduction to the origins of chocolate and the rise of bean-to-bar

  • How cacao is grown, fermented, dried, and shipped - and why this matters

  • Ingredients and equipment for home-scale chocolate making

  • A step-by-step guide to the full bean-to-bar process

  • Sensory cues and troubleshooting based on real experience

  • A clear introduction to sustainability and ethical sourcing

  • Reflections on developing your own chocolate style

  • Printable worksheets for tasting notes and batch experiments

The final ebook will be a beautifully designed PDF, intended to be practical, readable, and returned to often.