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Cocoa beans that have been crushed into a paste are known as chocolate liquor. This term can be a bit misleading, as it does not refer to an alcoholic beverage. Instead, chocolate liquor is the purest form of chocolate, made from ground cocoa beans. It contains both cocoa solids and cocoa butter in roughly equal proportions. During this process, the cocoa beans are heated and ground down, which releases the fat (cocoa butter), resulting in a thick paste.

This chocolate liquor serves as the foundational ingredient in various chocolate products, as it can be further processed to produce cocoa powder and different forms of chocolate. The distinction lies in the fact that cocoa powder is created by pressing the chocolate liquor to remove a substantial portion of its cocoa butter, while tempered chocolate refers to a process of stabilizing the cocoa butter crystals in chocolate to achieve a glossy finish and a smooth texture.

In summary, chocolate liquor is the correct term for the paste created from crushed cocoa beans, as it retains both cocoa solids and cocoa butter, making it essential in the chocolate-making process.