Chocolate Tastings

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hi Mike

I've been to quite a few of these tastings. They normally come form the angle of educating consumers about the difference between quality chocolate and the stuff they normally eat.

Typically they taste good chocolate, starting with say 30% through to 70%+, and perhaps throw in a bit of 99%/100% to show them what 'pure' chocolate tastes like. They also taste poor quality chocolate, to contrast the quality.

Inevitably people like white chocolate so have some of that too.

Good luck

Jonathon

Chocolate Tastings

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I'm going to be doing a series of Chocolate Tastings in the fall at stores that will be carrying my chocolates. I've never been to a formal tasting like this and I'm looking for some direction. How many of my chocolates should I have available? One of every kind or just a select few. Should I give some sort of demo? Talk about the different types of chocolate and ganaches involved in my work? Maybe a questions and answer type thing.

If you have any ideas on how I can make this an entertaining experience for potential customers as well as the store owners I'd appreciate it.

Thanks, Mike

updated by @Mike Thornton: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Which is the finest Variety

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Yes I do agree, nurture often beats nature the majority of the times. Also breaking the habits of frames can in most cases proved very difficult. Would you say that the varieties that I have if done right I will achieve fine finish product?

Which is the finest Variety

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

'tis true, poor genetic stock will never result in good chocolate. however, simply having good genetic stock does not guarantee you'll get good chocolate. there are many many ways to completely screw it up 8-) good genetic stock + good post harvest practices = a good thing. good genetic stock + poor post harvest practices = disaster. there are many shades of grey between the two.

Ask your farmers to provide you with a number of samples using their standard post harvest practices and evaluate what you get. the best case scenario is you like what you get, and thus don't have to ask them to do anything different. changing behaviors is one of the most difficult things you can ask anyone, not just a farmer, to do.

Which is the finest Variety

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I have few farmers that are already producing a few of the Varieties. So far they have been selling the bean to a few European buyers as flavoring beans. Seeing that this is my first attempt at growing and processing, I want to focus mostly on developing the highest quality favor beans possible. I was told base on the genetic variety I begin with, this would heavily affect the quality of the final product.

Which is the finest Variety

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

It's a bit like asking which car manufacture is the best - ford or chevy? you're information has a lot of yield information present, which makes me think you're getting your info from breeders - who almost never focus on flavor. breeders serve farmers, and farmers are most interested in yield, often at the expense of flavor. which is the finest? a significant portion of flavor is developed AFTER the beans are harvested - i can make any one of the above beans taste like 15 separate chocolates, even though they'd all be the exact same bean. i'd recommend identifying what characteristics you WANT to have, then source some beans from the geography you're considering, and have them prepared a number of ways postharvest, so you can get a feel for what they're capable of.

It's very difficult for anyone to say that ICS39 planted in, say Ecuador, will give a fruity chocolate. There's just too many variables. If you're going to be planting, remember there may be self incompatibility issues, and you may want to consider planting a variety of clonal materials to ensure a hedge against disease/pest pressures (if you go monoclonal, a single disease event could wipe you out). Remember also, that it will take 2-5 years for you to realize beans from new planting material as well.

Which is the finest Variety

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Where can I get a full description of each of these Varieties and identify the finest ones.

I have these options for planning and want to make sure I plant the finest of them..

The varieties identified are as follows:

GS 29 (Grenada Selected) This variety originated in Grenada.

POD-Seven (7) pods will produce one pound of cocoa beans. The pod has high rough ridges. The pod is purple when young, long with deep ridges. As the pod matures it turns pink then yellow. The pod is normally full with beans but the beans are not very thick.

GROWTH HABIT- The tree grows very tall and branches a lot. This variety should not be planted alone because it is incompatible. It should be planted with DS1,DS 2, ICS 1, ICS 84 and ICS 95.

ICS 1- This variety originated from Trinidad.

PODS-The beans are smaller than the G S29, purplish when young, yellow when ripe. The skin is smooth, ridges are wider and flatter. It is juicier and sweeter than the GS29 .the pod is round when young and becomes longer when older.

ICS 39

POD-the pods are very rough. Fewer pods are required to produce a pound of cocoa. The pods are yellow when ripe. The pod has a small neck, large body and tapering end. The pod appears creamish when young. When the pod is ripe it has a chalkish/whitish look outside. The older the pods the rougher the skin. The size varies according to the condition o the trees.

GROWTH HABIT- The tree is very vigorous and tall.

ICS 95-

PODS- The pods are light purple when young, then they turn light yellow. The ridges are closer and the pod is smoother than ICS 1.

ICS 40

Similar to ICS 39 has similar habits. Ridges are raised and the end is fuller and round.

ICS 60

PODS- same habit with ICS 39.The pod is the biggest in size. The pod is green at the top and bottom and this pod has the most beans.

updated by @Sabastion: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Epuipment

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Your in luck. Below is a small production line that someone need to get rid of.

http://www.actrader.com.au/ProductionLines/ChocolateProduction/ChocolateProductionLine.html

I've seen pretty good butter recovery froma simple but powerful hydralic ram organized like a basket press but at thatkind of volume (600 kg / day avarage)you would need an army of them.

Epuipment

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Nib, Liquor, (as refined as possible), I wanted to do butter but have not been able to find a small press that cost effective. I must archive as much degree of processing of the beans so can to archive my business model.

Epuipment

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Sebastion:

Before it's possible to answer this question it's important to know exactly what you want to produce and in what quantities:

• Nib
• Liquor (how refined?)
• Butter
• Powder
• Finished chocolate

:: Clay

Epuipment

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

So in your opinion about how much could I produce per year for that initial investment?

The infrastructure is not a problem unlike here in the states our power on my island is much more stable. I will be doing most wiring and install my-self. I need to know sickly from an equipment standpoint what my cost will look like. One of the things am considering is cutting my processing down some, and reserve the surplus for export as a raw product.

Epuipment

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Sebastion:

Sebastian is right: your budget is unrealistic.

You will find it difficult to produce this amount of finished chocolate for this money.

You may be able to purchase equipment used but it will most likely need extensive (and expensive) refurbishing.

One thing you may not have budgeted for: If your location does not have the necessary power (at least 400 amp 3-phase 480) the cost of getting the necessary service installed from your local utility company and your facility wired could easily cost $40,000all by itselfif it were being done in the US . I can't speak for what it might cost on the island you want to build on.

Another thing to consider at this scale (it's less of an issue in smaller batches) is materials storage and handling.

:: Clay

Epuipment

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Thanks for the info. I am trying to set up for about $160,000. So the Auctioin house is called "Rabin Auction House".

Epuipment

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

You're looking at handling, assuming you want to start from beans, about 10-12 tons of dry beans a month. You've moved out of the realm of hobbiest or artisinal shop, and into relatively large scale manufacture. I think you'll find that on this scale, all of your options are going to be costly i'm afraid...an 1800 mm 5 roll refiner just sold from Rabin (auction house) from a Nestle facility for $20,000 - which is an absolute STEAL. If you're cost conscious - and you should be prepared to spend multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars at this scale i'd think - you might want to consider watching the auctions.

Epuipment

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

That's winnowing Sebastian.

Do you have some information?

Epuipment

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

liquor and Chocolate...

Epuipment

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

It's only April, but I'll go ahead and cast my vote for this as comment of the year.

Epuipment

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Process what? Liquor? Chocolate? It's very inexpensive to make a widower, but the legal implications are significant...

Epuipment

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Looking for small scale equipment to set up processing plan.

Capacity of about 104 tons per year .

(Roaster, grinder, and Dehulling/winnowing. Was thinking about pressing butter but so far all the machines I have looked at are very costly) Looking for some feedback.

updated by @Sabastion: 12/13/24 12:16:07

Bacon

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

I have had many people asking for bacon & chocolate. What is the life span of bacon dipped in chocolate if kept cool (64 degrees air temp) ( I usually make it just before serving at parties).

Is it possibly that coating the bacon in chocolate helps to preserve it? I use dark chocolate.

Have a job of 100 boxes of truffles and wanted to put "1" truffle with bacon in the box.

updated by @Jackie Jones: 12/13/24 12:16:07

Where to find cocoa pulp?

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

hello benoit my name is Roberto from Ecuador , i am a reliable source of cocoa pulp , i can export my product and have excellent quality, i have heard this is used in chocolate industry as an improver.

if you are likely i can give you more details about my frozen cacao pulp industry.

thanks

email: robertopombar@hotmail.com

Where to find cocoa pulp?

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Where to find cocoa pulp?

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

On Wed, Apr 6, 2011 at 9:46 AM, Jim Lucas <cacaufarmer@yahoo.com> wrote:
Benoit,
The "pulp" you are referencing is an integral part of the cacau fruit (pod). The seeds (cacau beans) are surrounded by this viscous material. When the fruit is ripened, the "pulp" is at it's highest sugar content and very flavorful. In order to capture the "pulp", one needs to be present when the fruit (pods) are opened and the seeds (cacau beans) removed. Typically "pulp" is collected by placing the newly harvested beans in a centrifugal separator which quickly removes liquids from the bean mass. The collected liquids are sieved to remove large solids and stored in 100-250 ml packets which are frozen and stored.

There are many points of distribution in the cacau regions of Brazil and if you would like to follow the trail, I will be happy to send references. Bear in mind the "pulp" must remain frozen until it is consumed and shipping could get complicated and pricey.

In our farms, the pulp or mel (honey) is extracted during normal harvests and consumed within hours of collection. Families living in the farms typically maintain refrigerated stocks for daily use and find it much less costly and more healthy than cola drinks. We do not process with a centrifuge because of the requirement for a sugar rich environment to initiate fermentation. During fermentation cycles, the pulp drains from the fermentation boxes under gravity forces and normally is complete after 48-72 hours. Once drained, it becomes waste and is processed as such,


Best regards
Jim Lucas

Where to find cocoa pulp?

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Benoit,

I assume you are refering to the liquid encapsulated by the cocoa pod. If that is true, you must find someone willing to collest the material during harvest periods and freeze immediately. The liquid contains a substantial amount of sugar and will begin fermentation soon after the pod is opened. here in Brazil, the liquids are collected and frozen later to be incorporated into "cacau juice" which is a popular drink in the cacau regions.

What quantities are you requiring and for what period of time?

best regards

Jim Lucas

Where to find cocoa pulp?

Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE

Hello

I am trying to find a reliable source of cocoa pulp.

Who can help me?

Benot

updated by @Benoit N: 04/07/25 13:00:14

Chocolate Artist Software/Printer

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I think that tomric might have the software. If not then Chocolat-chocolat in Montreal will have it. Purchasing anywhere within North America is fairly easy and straight forward. It's just as easy to order directly from Deco artist in England. Maybe even faster for shipping.

Chocolate Artist Software/Printer

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Please can anyone help me where i can buy only the software in the United States? I already have an edible printer

Chocolate Artist Software/Printer

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

TS02 directly on the printer. Attached are the settings that I use. If the images are sticking to the sheet (partially) then there is too much ink flow. The settings on the attachment are for any canon printer. If the ink is flowing to much then change the brightness to LIGHT.

Chocolate Artist Software/Printer

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hi Debra, I already have my canon 4920 and CIS system, chocosheets from HCF. But my first tries were bad. Do you directly use the TS02 on the printer? or stick it on a regular A4. An also do you select normal paper or any other option like transfer or photopaper. Thank you for any direction. On my case between theory and practice there is a big gap

Chocolate Artist Software/Printer

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There are several companies that can do the customized logos. Chef Rubber, PCB from France, and several other companies.

Chocolate Artist Software/Printer

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I think the logo was printed with the silk screen process with colored cocoa butter.

Chocolate Artist Software/Printer

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Jim,

My guess is that it's produced by an outside vendor such as Sweet Swiss in Spokane, WA. They've made similar transfer sheets for me with white logos...and the staff there are great to work with. If you find out something different, please let me know as I'd be curious to know how, too!

Glenn

Chocolate Artist Software/Printer

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I've read quite a bit on this site, but not seen info that would explain how to print the logos found here: http://www.chocolatceleste.com/

Do you know how she has printed a logo with white that only partially cover the surface on dark chocolate?

Chocolate Artist Software/Printer

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thanks! I will make my first tryimmediately I receive my sheets from UK , on the other hand here I use CIS already in two printers, for regular ink, and there is no brand since those are from China, but for sure price is the best way to choose. You have some that cost like $30 and some of $60, I will go for the costly one. Here is a link with an example: http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.co/MCO-403674573-impresora-multifuncional-canon-mp230-con-sistema-continuo-_JM Actually, I already talked with some people using CIS (no brand) for photoprinting and not problem at all.

Chocolate Artist Software/Printer

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I always use a thin layer of white. I use white chocolate and cocoa butter.

100 grams white chocolate and 30 grams cocoa butter is my blend. Depending on what white chocolate you use, you can make minor adjustments.

What CIS system are you using. What brand of CIS are you looking at?

updated by @Debra Fleck: 09/07/15 11:15:45

Chocolate Artist Software/Printer

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thank you Debra! Here many photocake and photochocolate businesses are using already the CIS system with good savings. I just order my inks from Kopyk I was wondering if you can advice me if for the tranfers on black chocolate you use a thin white cocoa butter layer on the sheet. I saw that some chocolates are a mix of white (photo) and black, but some are 100% black, what method do you suggest? Best regards

Chocolate Artist Software/Printer

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I have used several different brands from the United States. I live in Canada. I've used Icing Images, PhotoFrost, and Kopykake. The best inks for color matching to the original canon inks is Kopykake. The cartridges they use are quite well made. I use the canon mg5320. Canon is always changing their printers so I look for the new models that have the same printhead as whatever model I have. I just bought a new printer last weekend because it (mg5320) was on sale and the price was cheaper than buying a new printhead! I have not purchased the continuous ink system but have done some research in the past for this type of technology. I would be very curious to know how the continuous ink system works for you.

Chocolate Artist Software/Printer

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Dear Debra, greetings from Colombia, I read carefully this post and your valuable hints. I was wondering if you can advice me any particular edible ink brand, I am planning to import in bulk since here inks are quite expensive.

Also which Canon model are you using, we dont have all the models but I will try my best and install it aContinuous ink system.

thanks in advance for any direction.

Chocolate Artist Software/Printer

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thanks for all these dtails Debra. I was already changing the intensity of my prints but still had problems. I willtry the one from Home Chocolate Factory.

Chocolate Artist Software/Printer

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Sounds like they are the one made by Deco chocolate artist in England. The spray is too thin and then when you print on them the ink saturates through that thin covering on the sheet. If you press print, the dialog box pulls up. Go into "properties", go to "colour/intensity", click "maual", then go to "brightness" and choose the "light" (will be automatically on normal). That will help reduce the amount of ink being printed. I use these sheets when I have artwork that is very delicate. These transfer sheets work great when they work!! The best solution is to use the ones by "Cake Art Intl". There is an American distributor but I find them to expensive. I purchase from "Home Chocolate Factory" in England. Ask for the trade discount if you are a business. The best size to use is TS02. I find the TS01 has caused me grief in the past. The American distributor even told me the TS02 size is a better quality product.

Chocolate Artist Software/Printer

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I am using transfer sheets made with starch and sugar for chocolates, same as the one sold by Tomric. I frequently have this problem: The ink stays partially on the transfer sheet so I have to make new printshave to trow awaya lot of material.

Does anyone have experienced this problem and if you did, did you find a solution?

Thanks! ric

Chocolate Artist Software/Printer

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

What a life saver you are....I've spent the last several days working on this, going crazy. The Edible Artist software did the trick. I had download the Chocolate Artist originally but couldn't print and the Deco software works with these saved files...Thank You, Thank You, Thank You..

I can't tell you how much I appreciated your advice, :))