Suppliers and pricing
Btw I am new to this forum so if I am breaking any rules or doing anything wrong, please let me know. Thank you. Sue
Hello
I have been using Orchid - via Albert Uster Imports. Dark or Milk, White or Bittersweet all come in 11lb boxes - the cost is between $43-60 per box. Des Alpes between $74-90 in 11lb boxes. Albert Uster Imports require 2-day shipping and my cost has been $25.00 for shipping. The chocolate works wonderfully in my Rev 2 tempering machine as well. Melts easily when the chocolate is in a double boiler. Have you tried chocolateman.com? If you wished to buy in smaller quantities, he has Des Alpes bittersweet in a 5 lb bag for $40.90. When I first started, he often talked with on the phone regarding the various chocolates that he had -He has several product lines of chocolate if you wish to check his website. --good luck in your search.
I am not in business but am a hobbyist, so my quantities are not huge. I also use Chocosphere. No one else (that I have found) has their broad selection. I am always looking for a chocolate I like better than the current one, but at the moment, I use:
For dark: Felchlin Maracaibo (previous choice was Valrhona Caraibe, before that, various Callebaut varieties)
For milk: E. Guittard Orinoco (previous choice was Valrhona Jivara). I am always looking for a milk that is darker than most are.
For white: I have been alternating between Valrhona's Opalys and their Ivoire. I did a little blind taste test recently with the two, and in two tests, Opalys won the first, and Ivoire the second. I have had problems with ganache made with Opalys separating more than with other chocolates, so I am now going back to Ivoire (it has slightly less fat than Opalys). I tried El Rey Icoa, but really disliked it. I also tried Cacao Barry's Zephyr, but it was very thin and did not coat molds well.
updated by @krista2: 04/07/25 13:00:14
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F/S 2 - Rev Delta 10lb Chocolate tempering unit - Virginia
F/S lot of Polycarbonate Chocolate Molds- Virginia

I too tried the icoa and while I actually liked the taste, it wasn't the flavor I was looking for for my truffles.
