Daniel - those look completely fine to me. I'm going with #1 above - just polysaccharide reside - i don't see any visual indicators of other defects from that photo.
David, my reply WAS nice.
You asked for advice. I took some time out of my busy day and gave you very valuable advice - advice that is backed up by real-world experience. I even gave you an example.
I didn't have to say anything. In fact I could have remained silent like the thousands of other people on this forum who currently are silent on this topic.
Yet I decided to help YOU. And whether you like it or not it is good advice.
I didn't call you names or attack you personally or insult your mother. I simply stated fact.
As a good and proper Canadian I should at this point in time I apologize to you because you are offended. After all up here we apologize to people for everything.
...but I am not going to.
Go buy that conch. It's a great buy, and it's shiny!
Sebastian: I had to shell 47 beans to get 20 with "rust", so about 40%. Attached is a photo of 21 beans, one that looked diseased (but had no rust colour), and the 20 that all otherwise seem fine.
Clay: I bought them raw. Exterior rust appearance isn't a perfect indicator - some that looked fine had rust, others that didn't had some inside.
Greg - you want 8 guage stainless wire - aka 0.05mm (some people are using 13 guage as well) - attaching a discussion here.
https://forums.egullet.org/topic/61605-guitar-cutter-sourcing-using-maintaining/?page=1
Are the bolts the same on both ends of the wires?
Clay is right - if you can find a half size speed rack or a stainless table with speed rack shelving under it - it will make a fine holder for your guitar.
I use guitar sheets which are flexible plastic instead of acetate or silicone.
Brad, I don´t know if i got lost in the translation, but i'm feeling really insulted by your response.
I try to be polite in my limited english but if i ever insulted anyone, please let me know, i´m not aiming for that.
If you can´t say things nicely, please don´t.
Thank you!
David;
From your post above and your "theory" with respect to particle reduction based on something you might have read in a book somewhere, it sounds to me like you haven't got a clue on how to make chocolate. At the very least, you shouldn't be helping ANYBODY set up a state of the art chocolate lab.
What you SHOULD be doing is trying to source an accomplished professional who DOES know what he/she's doing, and has a pedigree to prove it, then contracting his/her services to compose a report on the equipment needed given the vision of the corporation and budget the organization is restricted to. That professional will know the in's and outs of pretty much all of the equipment needed for each task in the chocolate making process, and will make recommendations in their final report. They will probably even provide names and phone numbers so accounting can place the orders.
Clay can do this.
I can do this.
This is the recommendation you should take back to the institution you are working for. While your final report might cost you several thousand dollars and it may seem like a set back at first, one simple change in the decision to buy one piece of equipment over the other can potentially save your organization 10's of thousands of dollars.
As hard as this is to read, a professional's advice is usually worth the money spent.
I'll give you an example that just happened to me last week:
Last week I spent $7,000 on an engineering report for the mezzanine above the work area of my factory lab. Ouch. That stung. It's a good thing I did though. The engineer found significant deficiencies which could have shut the whole project down at inspection time, or even worse - killed someone when the loaded storage area collapsed on my lab.
I hope this advice helps you go down the right path. Asking random strangers for opinions on a specific piece of equipment because it "looks good" while helping build a "state of the art" chocolate lab is not the right path.
Case in point: Fly to Calgary, and pay me $6,000 euro's to SHOW you why you don't need a small useless conche worth $12,000 euro's. Your flight and my fee combined will save you $4,000 euros! We all win!
Cheers
Brad
Hi Clay
I don´t think a universal conche could give as much process control as a separate refining / conching process for a lab, please correct me if i´m wrong. This one is expensive but it would be my choice.
http://www.caotech.com/products/cwc-5/
Brad,
Thanks for your offering, is it possible to chat via skype? i´m suffering trying to make equipments fit what they gave me, i have a lot of questions.
I have a general question, i think i´ve read in The Science of Chocolate (Beckett) that it is generally better to reduce particle size gradualy in order to avoid a particle distribution with many "coarse" and "over refined" pieces, and so, i was convinced that ball mills should be fed with "liquid" cocoa liquor, but i´ve seen lately a lot of ball mills being fed by cocoa nibs directly with no replacement of the grinding media which makes me think that particle distribution can´t be the best in that process. Could that be truth? has anyone fed nibs directly to a ball mill?
It's one of two things. It's either remants of the polysaccharide material that holds the shell to the nib, or it's mold. It's probabaly the first one, but do me a favor.
Attempt to quantify how many of the rusty beans you see (edit: i mean, give me a rough % - is it 5% of the total bean? 30% etc), and then take 20 of them, break them in half, and take a photo of what you see inside and repost that?
Daniel -
Did you buy them roasted or did you roast them yourself. If you roasted them yourself, did they look this way before you roasted them?
Shelling a few roasted cocoa beans from a new origin and I'm finding a lot of what looks like rust.
The beans don't taste bad and I'm having trouble describing the taste. It's pretty muted, the texture might be a bit chalky.
Does anyone know what this is?
David;
I'm right in the process of building a new lab and factory. As someone who has over the past 10 years made and sold several million dollars worth of chocolate, I can answer ALL of your questions.
Brad@Choklat.com or 403-472-8701
I guarantee that your savings will be in the 10's of thousands of dollars.
Cheers
Brad
I know several makers who have Cacao Cucina equipment. It's value is that it is NSF certified and made with UL listed parts and adhere to all sorts of safety regulations. Therefore, they tend to be expensive for what they offer. People like the cracker/winnowers, even though they are expensive. The one piece of equipment I've seen in use that I just cannot recommend at all is the liquor grinder.
Caotech and Buhler are both highly-respected companies so I would have no problems recommending equipment from either of them. It's a matter of capacity and pricing.
By lab conche, you refer to a "universal?"
Thanks Clay, i was writing in Word and then pasting it here. That was causing the error.
I found a "small" laboratory ball mill from Cacao cucina. I don´t know how much it cost yet, but I have a bad impression from Cacao Cucina from some forums and opinions.
Does anyone have any experience with them?
On the other hand, Caotech offers me 5kg laboratory conche and ball mill for about 12.000 euros each and i think they look great.
Any comments on Caotech? Caotech Vs Bühler ?
Chocolate World Mold CW1453
15 gram cavity
3x8 total 24 cavities
have 6 molds available
$12 each plus shipping
Used Walnut Molds
by Chocolate World CW1015
I have 10 toal. Willing to sell individually.
13 gram cavitiies
3 x 8 - 24 total cavities
$12 each plus shipping.
David:
With regard to the error, you are trying to enter some HTML directly into your post that is not allowed - or something the software thinks is HTML. One reason is to keep people from posting arbitrary Javascript. Were you using any pointy brackets "<" or ">"?
To the best of my knowledge there are no ball mills at the price point you mention, lab or otherwise — even very small ones.
I know of a source for a two-roll refiner (granite or steel, 300mm wide, low-speed) for under €10,000. Three-roll refiners (granite or steel, 400mm wide) are €12,000 or so. Both are plus shipping.
Hi everyone i could really use some help with some work stuff. i am recently working with some colombian institution and they want to set a state of the art cocoa and chocolate lab, wich i think it is great.
The problem is that someone who does not have a clue about that, already had some budget assigned to each equipment. My job is to find the specific piece of equipment and supplier that fits the name and price already assigned, and of course it is a huge pain ....
So, i would really appreciate if someone could help me with some specifics
Laboratory ball mill around 1 k
laboratory or commercial roll refiner mill around 10k
someone knows if there is a specific equipment and use for cocoa and chocolate for a potentiometer ? no more info
i know i am taking a long shot. i am aware that laboratory equipment is more expensive that commercial, but i am running out of places to look and ask about this.
i will take any suggestions and comments
PD. i know the spelling is not right, but i am having some error trying to post.
You have entered an invalid value for "text" - value must be printable characters with the following allowed HTML tags: span,strong,em,a,b,u,i,p,div,br,img,h1,h2,h3,h4,pre,hr,ul,ol,li
i do not know exactly wich caracter is invalid in my text
I am also interested in price, photos, and location. My email is Sarah@chocolita.com
Hi, I'm looking for a case or two so could you email me photos pricing and your location. cherri@cherrischocolart.com
Hi Mary Lou,
I saw your ad for the Hilliard. It is just the tempering machine, does not include the pump/conveyor? If that is correct, serious offer of $4,000.00 plus shipping.
Well maintained. Gently used. Alternative Air/ColdCore Model AACCA-60R Dimensions: 5 ft length x 24 inch depth X 48 inches height humidity/temperature controlled; brass; curved. 4 shelving displays (3 glass, lower level, metal) and lower storage compartment. 2 glass doors open in back.
Please email for photo, pricing or more information.
julie@sibusura.com
Excellent condition. Custom-built. Gently used. Roast cacao beans and/or coffee beans. Was used for cacao beans. 3 KiLO per batch capacity. Electric. Beautiful piece. We were very happy with this gem. Photo attached. Email for pricing, specs, and/or additional information. Manual notebook and training CD included. On-site training for extra cost available. Serious inquiries only.
Reduced Price $6800, regular asking price $7500 (AND includes $700 shipping crate). Shipping costs is buyer's responsibility. Original cost with parts approximately 13k.
Wire payment only accepted.
Roasting machine already in custom-built crate...included in price
julie@sibusura.com
Quantity 16 Molds, asking $15 each or $200 for all of them -
All in great shape.
Greg -
You should try to replace the strings with ones of the same diameter. If you are uncertain what that is, contact the manufacturer or a reseller here in the US, who would also have the tools.
Some people I know put their guitars on a half-size (short) bun rack (speed-rack). They can found for $60-$120 through online stores. They can also cost $300+ but a search should reveal a good price.
You can try a silicone mat to see if you like it. Most people I know use acetate as you'll get a smoother surface.
TheChocolateLife is what you make of it.
It's a fabulous repository of information and discussion going back over eight years now.
Posting into one of the main forum areas almost always gets responses - and often many of them; not many people say hello
Great to meet you. It's fairly quiet here, isn't it?
Hola Dan,
I am a chocolate maker in Costa Rica and have beans I could sell to you. Where are you located? We should talk if you are interested in 100k or more.
Hi Elizabeth,
Interested in the melter. Could you contact me when you get a chance. 541-556-4141
Thanks,
Van
Attached are more pictures.
Is this still available? If so, please email me at bmarcoe@marcoecandy.com
Hi Matt,
You are correct, that's no tempering machine, just a melter and you have to temper the chocolate manually.
Recently I had to purchase a chocolate melter and I was advised to buy this one https://www.kreaswiss.com/chocolate-melter-20kg from kreaswiss. So far I had no problems.
Best of luck to find the right tool for you!
Grant -
I've known Nino for many years as a ChocolateLife member and FBM customer. I had the opportunity to meet him for the first time at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris last October.
Glad the two of you can connect!
Small world Grant!
i will contact you directly via email, so we can catch up!
Oh and one thing I forgot to add is I am from South Africa. I actually have "Discover Chocolate" next time me and have dealt with Nino above in RSA.
Hello, I'm interested in this grinder. We're located in San Diego, CA. Please respond to moore.deanna@gmail.com. Thanks!
There is a huge amount of science on these topics that inform the engineering of tempering machines, especially "continuous" machines.
The basic idea is to:
In a screw-type continuous tempering machine (for example) any crystals in the chocolate is are melted out by the time the chocolate reaches the bottom of the bowl. The chocolate is then pumped through a cooled pipe. The crystals are formed on the inner surface of the pipe and scraped off and mixed by the auger/screw. By the time the chocolate exits the top of the pipe it's in temper. Any chocolate that is not used goes back into the bowl where the crystals get melted out. It is necessary to match the length and temperature of the pipe with the flow of the chocolate to make sure that enough of the right crystals are formed and mixed properly. I know that on some FBM machines there is a "hard" and a "soft" temper setting that can be selected based on the type of chocolate. Some chocolates can be cooled faster than others (it depends on rheology/fat content). With those chocolates the "hard" temper setting is chosen and this runs the cooling system more aggressively.
With many batch tempering systems seed chocolate that is already properly tempered is required to force the proper crystal structure as the chocolate cools down. In these systems you can run them as hard as you like, but you need to pay close attention to make sure you're not over-crystallizing. Semi-automatic machines (such as Chocovision) have sensors and microprocessors that have time/temp curves built in. Manual systems (e.g., JKV, Hilliard) require that you control the temperatures manually, so you have to know how to temper to use them effectively.
Manual tempering (e.g., using a melter) or assisted-manual tempering (Chocolate Wave) require that you know how to temper and what temper looks like. The process is to create seed chocolate and add it to melted chocolate and then find an equilibrium temperature where crystals are not melted out or do not form too quickly. How long the process takes is up to the skill of the person doing the tempering.
Ideally, what you're looking to do is get into temper as quickly as possible and spend as little time as possible to maintain temper. You can't apply so much heat that you scorch the chocolate (or cause it to separate) and you don't want to cool it so quickly that you can't control the speed of crystallization and the chocolate over-crystallizes.
No matter what the approach, from my experience it is having precise control over temperature that is important, followed by reaction time. For example, if you're using a system that requires cold water for cooling you need to make sure that the temperature of the water is consistent. If you need more cooling, it might be hard to lower the water temperature quickly - or warm it back up. If you are recirculating refrigerant gas, the reaction time is much faster, and you can use resistance wiring to warm things up quickly.
If you're working by hand, controlling the envionmental ambient temperature and humidity are one key to consistent tempering. You also want warming vessels that are preceisely calibrated and can maintain a consistent temperature. With manual (or assisted-manual) tempering it's also about tempering the right amount of chocolate for your production needs.
Marc:
Welcome to TheChocolateLife!
Update... many years later!
We have found a way to build our own cocoa butter press to make about 10kg/h. We are looking into building the machine although is not cheap... it costs about $20K... but we could process about 70kg cocoa butter per day....
Will keep posted
Since your willing to spend, 20K, did you check the price of the 200 T (5KG per batch) Cacao Cucina (It is around 25K but I am not 100% sure) and it should get to what you're looking for per day:
http://cacaocucina.com/cocoa-butter-press/
Update... many years later!
We have found a way to build our own cocoa butter press to make about 10kg/h. We are looking into building the machine although is not cheap... it costs about $20K... but we could process about 70kg cocoa butter per day....
Will keep posted
