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Javier -
I was not far from you last week -- in and around Piura and Lima.
Any "batch" tempering machine, like the Chocovision (including X3210 or Delta) need seed chocolate. This means that in order to temper properly you need already-tempered chocolate. If you are making chocolate bean-to-bar this means that you probably have to table temper the chocolate by hand for at least the first batch.
As you are already tempering by hand, this should not be an issue for you.
As for the difference between the two, it's really a question of how much you need to produce in a day, you match the working bowl capacity to your production. Chocovision offers a baffle that takes the Delta from about 4.25kg to about 8kg, and they also make a larger machine - at about 15kg and I hear there are even larger machines being worked on. With a Rev Delta and the holey baffle you should be able to temper 25kg per day or so.
Hilliards say The Little Dipper can do a max of about 12kg per day.
The difference in capacity could make it easy to choose one over the other.
Hello The Chocolate life members
Let me introduce myself, my name is javier and i am from Peru
I have been making chocolate from bean to bar the last six months.. we have always been tempering the chocolate manually ... eventough we now have enough knowledge to not mess up the chocolate it is still a hard task so we are thinking on investing into a Chocolate temperer..
We have been using quite sucesfully the Cocoatown melangers machines.. since we have the Cocoa in liquid I would like to know if any of you can reccommend me a good machine to temper the chocolate\
Im thinking about buying from Chocovision Revolation Delta or Hilliards Little Deeper.. which one do u guys think will temper the chocolate better (knowing the fact that I have the chocolate in liquid straight out of the Cocoatown melanger)
I will really appreciate your comments
FYI I hope you can come to visit Pucallpa in Peru one day! beatiful Criollo beans
I hope you can help me and sorry for my grammatical mistakes but my first language is Spanish
Gracias
Javier - Chaqchao PERU
Hi
I'm looking for templates for my choc. molds, specifically the heart (DCRPDR9013) & the oval (11271). Other than making my own (last resort) I was hoping that someone might already have some templates that they would like to share, possibly?
I have looked into the Chocolate Artist Software, and apparently that has been discontinued according to Chocolate World/Deco UK (plus it was ridiculously priced). I was able to download the software but I need a USB stick to print, perhaps someone has one that they might like to sell?
Any help would be appreciated,
Thanks
Deb
Hello everyone, I need too plastic chocolate molds. Could you tell me where I can buy it?
Thanks lot!
You could also try JB PRince at http://www.jbprince.com/chocolate-and-sugar-work/chocolate-molds.asp
or Chef Rubber ( www.chefrubber.com )
They both havea big selection.
There are a handful of good websites where you can find them. I like:
http://www.chocolat-chocolat.com/home/chocolate-molds/index.html
http://www.bakedeco.com/dept.asp?id=347#.UQa67qXhDZs
Hope you can find what your looking for.
-Duncan
Looking for advice on buying good bulk cacao powder and cacao butter. I appreciate any help!
Thanks,
Julie
Maya, I know you probably do want only user's opinion, but please let me explain why Chocolab is as it is.
First of all it was designed to face a huge variety of jobs. It is ergonomical in a sense that is not bulky and is made to give upgradable possibilities (mold loader, heated/cooled cabinet). Then operator has a bigger working room for molds, decorations and so on. You can even melt solid chocolate on the left room placed aside of the 12 kg melting bowl.
The difference in enrober's sizes is: - 13 cm for the loading and enrobing section and - 40 cm for take off section.
The question is: how long is the tray you will use to take the paper (and products) off the enrober? And where are you placing it to finish/cooling the product?
About your question "is a longer take off table a big advantage or not" consider that you will need more time to fill it completely.
Then you have also to consider if you are going to work on it with two people or only one!
Is it longer to temper chocolate (do you need more time for the whole cycle) or to enrobe?
The continuous tempering process allows you to keep on working without breaks (you can add liquid chocolate to the bowl while it is tempering and enrobing), the longer takeoff table allows you to put more products on the paper but it requires more time to do that.
That's why we made Chocolab as it is.
So it depends on how you are going to arrange your job and what is more important for you.
I posted this video for you: http://www.thechocolatelife.com/video/choco-lab-enrober
I have been sourcing liquor from a few places and playing around with sugar and butter content, along with time in the melanger. Right now there is probably 40 pounds of barred chocolate, some of it more for drinking being it was made with liquor made in the campo in the Dominican Republic with some rural women groups using Sanchez beans or roasting over wood. I still have more than 20 pounds more liquor to grind/conch.
I have always given my chocolate away and being I make it at home, am unable to sell it to the general public. Everyone has very good things to say about the chocolate but I am not completely happy yet with what I am producing. It would be nice to at least recuperate my costs to I can keep experimenting.
Also, I can roll and dip a pretty good truffle and my chocolate cupcakes are the best.
Any suggestions?
That's an interesting point with regards to different definitions and I suppose there is no reason why their interpretation of raw should be unconventional, they probably think the same of the raw food community's definition of raw 
I wholesale the product so I'm responding to customer requirements who are most likely responding to their customer requirements, who are most likely simply equating raw with healthy. I think as the raw market is going more mainstream, a lot of the new consumers of raw products are buying into a lifestyle and in a time-poor world they are not educating themselves to become discerning consumers... raw is not the be all and end all, and it may not be the best option when all things (e.g. price, taste, nutrient content) are considered. So there's consumer pull for the raw cacao products, and there is also manufacturer pull. I'm guessing a lot of the raw chocolate bar manufacturers see having raw chocolate as good from a marketing persepective. It may not be the best tasting chocolate in the world and it may not be the most healthy treat in the world but it taps into its own niche.
I'd also like to see some more research on the health benefits of raw and unraw and the temperature at which enzyme loss increases for different products, particularly cacao.
Ultimately, it's about helping consumers make more informed choices about what their buying and eating. Organic designation does help in this regard but in some ways "raw" can be a distraction as raw doesn't always equal best.
Have you contacted Pacari directly? Are you sure you understand correctly?
It may be as you suspect, that they are using un-roasted beans to make the butter so that's why the consider it to be raw. If they're processing it to 100C then it's not raw by the definition of the raw chocolate community. That doesn't make their definition unconventional, you're just speaking different languages. You are speaking the language of the raw foodist community, they are speaking the language of cocoa processors.
I have a much more interesting question for you - and this is something I pose to everyone in the raw chocolate world when they start asking about cocoa butter: what is the evidence for any negative chemical changes in the cocoa butter that occur during processing at a higher (than 47 or thereabouts) temperature?
You can say it kills "living" enzymes (virtually all raw foodists do say that in my experience) ... but no one has ever been able to show me any credible, independent laboratory analysis of the differences between cocoa butters pressed from the same lot of beans that differ only in the temperature at which they were pressed. And no, neither David Wolff nor Gabriel Cousens meet the standard of credible and independent.
I would love to know if there are differences so I can talk about them knowledgeably, which is why I ask. I personally am not a fan of the taste of most of the raw chocolates I have tasted so, to me, I wonder if my sacrificing my pleasure in eating "cooked" chocolate is worth any supposed meaningful differences in health benefits.
Hi Clay,
Thanks for the reply and the two references. I've come across Pacari and I understand they sell the CCN51 variety, are there any providers you know of who supply the Arriba Nacional variety in a raw format?
With regards to the Peruvian supply, we've been offered raw Peruvian cacao butter which when we looked at the processing flow chart shows temperatures of over 110 degrees centigrade in the pressing stage and also 100 degrees centigrade elsewhere but it is still being classed as raw cacao butter. I'm not sure whether this is due to the fact that raw cacao beans are used during the process (i.e. no roasting occurs) or whether it is due to the cold pressing process at the end. I appreciate that there is a differences in the definition of raw but it does seem to me that this butter is definitely not raw with that temperature exposure.
Harry:
I believe you can purchase Ecuadorian product in bulk from Pacari - I am not sure if they supply the full range of what you're looking for.
Another source (Indonesia) is Big Tree Farms.
You are in the UK so I don't know how much harder this makes it for you. I can get both Pacari and BigTree products in the US.
Having just spent a couple of days in Piura (I am writing this in a hotel room in Miraflores, Lima), I would be interested in knowing what you mean when you say, "their interpretation of raw is unconventional to say the least."
Dear all,
I am looking for a bulk supplier of Ecuadorian raw organic cacao products. I came across this site during my research and have read some interesting and insightful discussions on what constitues raw and the difficulties buying (and sourcing) products which are fully raw. We currently source from Peru and while raw beans and nibs are available, we have been unable to source true raw butter, paste and powder. While some Peruvian companies claim to supply raw products such as butter and paste, their interpretation of raw is unconventional to say the least.
I would appreciate any pointers to companies/individuals who can help us source raw bulk Ecuadorian cacao products or supply us, including cacao paste, butter, powder, beans and nibs. If anyone on the forum can point me in the right direction that would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Harry.
I'm working on a chocolate 5k in San Francisco and looking for a chocolate-related charity. Does anyone have any advice or know someone I should contact?
A friend & I are building a 5k training program for aspirational runners who love chocolate and like the idea of running or walking a 5k. We are currently building www.WillTrainForChocolate.com , which is not yet 100% complete, but will be ready by early Feb as we partner with a local 5k company called Picnic Dash.
Our goal with the app is to help people train while using chocolates as rewards. We'll allow people to track and share their favorite chocolates as they train for the 5k and training will start in early Feb as they prepare for the March 30th Chocolate Dash 5k in San Francisco.
For the chocolate-themed training and for the event, we're looking for a chocolatier to promote as well as a chocolate-related charity to sponsor (all Picnic Dash 5ks donate at least 50% of the proceeds to a charity).
Please let me know if you have any advice or know anyone I should talk to. And, feel free to let me know if you'd like to beta test the app!
Hi Clay,
Sounds great. Will do. Thanks. 
Brian -
I am the agent for ChocolateLife members worldwide. Please send me a message and I will send you the information you need.
:: Clay
Just wondering if someone has a contact for a US FBM distributor? I'm researching possible chocolate equipment to buy for my new business, and need some information. There is no contact information on the Ad page for FBM on this forum.
Any help would be most appreciated.
Thanks.
That makes perfect sense.
In Utah, as long as the finished product does not require refrigeration, it is allowed.
That is probably the case. So if you are doing creme centers, then yeah, that may be a problem. Still this is a huge opportunity. While not perfect, it will give a lot of people a chance to get a home business off the ground, which would otherwise be impossible.
As I understand it though - if you use cream then you are using a 'high risk' food and that's not allowed.
Thought I'd share this news. Since I'm hoping to start my business out of my house, and save a ton of money on renting a kitchen or trying to find a community one, this news makes my soon to be business much closer to reality.
Just a little background on a "cottage law" for those not familiar. It's a law that allows "low risk" foods (like chocolate or baked goods) to be produced out of a home kitchen and sold to the public. There are several states that have these laws on the books, and California (from what I understand) used to have one years ago. Unfortunately, California tends to overreach and put too many laws/restrictions that tend to be not business friendly.
Well, Gov. Brown signed a law back in Sept. that went into affect Jan 1st. 2013. So now people wanting to start a small chocolate business out of their house can now do so.
http://www.qualityassurancemag.com/california-cottage-food-law.aspx
Here's the direct link to the L.A. Co. health dept. website to register:
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/eh/misc/CAHomemadeFood.htm
Hope this info helps someone.
Cheers,
Brian
That's a great start, although I was looking more for tempering equipment, any and all sources I think would be welcome in one spot.
Here are some links:
Dehulling/Winnower Units from Probat Burns
Mac trader - confectionery, biscuit and chocolate machines
Bauermeister USA Inc. Equipment
Petzholdt-Heidenauer Maschinen- und Anlagenbau International GmbH
http://www.buhlergroup.com/global/en/industry-solutions/processed-food/chocolate.htm
http://www.cacaocucina.com/http://www.brooklyncacao.com/
http://www.schokoma.com/en/index.php
http://www.cocoatown.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=59
http://www.lloveras.com/areas/lloveras-chocolate-equipment.php
Hi all, my name is Brian,
I'm new to the forum, and new to the chocolate business. I'm excited to say that I'm in the process of starting an online chocolate business of my own, focused mostly on chocolate designs, custom as well as a library. Eventually I'm planning on expanding into Bean to Bar production.
Anyway, I'm at the information gathering stage and putting my business/financial proposal together (I will be posting a lot more questions as I go, and as I learn stuff, will try to share as much as possible as well). I was wondering if someone could post contact information for dealers of all the major chocolate equipment manufacturers in one place? Possibly within this post? I thought it would be nice so it would be easier for us to track down. I'm located in the U.S. (Specifically Los Angeles). But, I'm sure it would be great if the info could include dealers from around the world for others to make good use of as well.
Any and all info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for that Sebastian. I was concerned that I may alter the characteristics of the white chocolate by taking it that high. Cost and flavour are not too concerning as this is only a very thin pre-coat. Appreciate your help on this.
Colin
If you have pure cocoa butter you can't add too much unless it becomes cost prohibitive, or flavor prohibitive. Keep adding until cost or flavor no longer works. Additionally, you can try adding 0.1% fluid soy lecithin.
I could REALLY do with some help please.
I need to thin down chocolate in order to apply a thin layer to enable me to pan freeze dried products. It holds the center together so I can then pan - which is otherwise impossible.
It's been quite a journey and I have been very sucessful with dark & milk chocolate. I am using the best chocolate I can find - no compound product. It's Sicao which is owned by Barry Callebaut - hard to do much better for commercial chocolate I think. I have even won a gold medal and a trophyfor the end product.
My method is to combine chocolate and cocoa butter ina baine marie and melt them at 45C (48C for dark).Proportions are 66% cocoa butter, 33% chocolate. Then I have been able to temper this by adding another 25% of the total volume with chocolate callets of seed chocolate and dropping to 30 or 32C (milk or dark). This makes a nice thin mix which tempers very well and holds everything together for subsequent panning.
I can hold that in temper easily by staying at 30C for milk or 32 for dark chocolate. It lasts for ages.
Now I want to do the same for white chocolate and I did the same as for milk (only difference is the temperatures - I used 43/30C as for milk).
Firstly the seed callets didn't melt entirely so I had to keep stirring for a good while. Then I got a call and had to leave the job and returned in about an hour. With earlier jobs this would have been no problem as it's easy to hold at the required 30C.
However when I returned the whole thing had gone quite solid! Not at all what would have happened with my milk or dark. I guess it had pretty much tempered but I did think that holding at 30C would have prevented that.
The specs of the milk and white chocolate are very close excepting (of course) that the milk has 11.5% cocoa mass and the white has none. The milk has 4.5% skimmed milk powder too. The sugar, cocoa butter and whole milk powder composition of both are almost the same.
I can't really see what the melting point of the two chocolates are - it's not on the spec sheets. But it can't be far below 30C. Maybe 25-28 - but my temperature is above that at 30C. But I HAVE to stay at 30C to keep temper - I don't think I can increase it anyway.
Am I using too much cocoa butter for the white chocolate?
Any thoughts please?
Thanks sooo much!
Colin
Sometimes heath inspectors get a bit overzealous and want everything sanitized. Chocolate does not support the growth of pathogenic bacteria and I never clean them unless seasonal molds being put away for next year (chocolate left on these molds picks up off flavours from the air) I scrape them before putting them away and playing around with plumbers-lye jeezus, one accidental episode in the eyes and you will be making brail chocolates. Corn cobb media polishes molds, the italians use this. Just heat befor casting with a hot air gun and do not polish just cast before the thin film cools.
You can try to use hair dryer to clean de molds with high F winds.
I had a health inspection in Chicago last year, and when the inspector asked me how I sanitize my molds (I don't; I never use water or cleaners), I showed her photocopies of instructions on mold care from 3 companies and 3 textbooks that all said absolutely not to wash them. She was fine with it after all that...
Hello Everyone
So I get some free moulds a few weeks ago. I was very happy about this. After getting them home I found a lot of little black specks in the detail parts of the moulds. The moulds were outside in a storage unit.Are these dark specks normal? Meaning left over chocolate ad someone did not clean these out very good?I took Q-tips and paper towels to the moulds after runing through the dishwasher.Some of the dark spots came out but some did not. I am not sure if they did not come out due to not being able to reaching in to the small detailed space or if the areembedded in the mould. Does any one have a better way to get in to these small spaces with out scratching the mould? I have add pictures. Please tell me what you think. I only ask because I would never put chocolate in it for someone if Iwould not eat out of it my self.
I tried this method for nearly a year and every single piece of chocolate came out of the molds looking like there were finger prints all over them. Mind you, I followed this method, polishing them with cotton cosmetic wipes, and could never get a perfect shinny result. Long, frustrating story, short, I rinse them in hot water and then I put them through the dishwasher. Now, every single molded piece comes out with a perfectly bright shine. Spotless. No finger prints. Just gorgeous! So all this talk about not putting molds in the dishwasher certainly doesn't hold-water in my experience.
