Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Press release: http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2011/10/25/187725_local-news.html
Forum Activity for @Tom
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Oh, you got that right! Dark milk chocolate is a seriously under-represented catagory in Australia and the funny thing is it would probably be the most popular (my experience over many years of giving samples to people). I love it, you can still taste the origin but it has the lovely milk to mellow just slightly the bitterness. There are a few bars out there but they don't really say DARK MILK CHOCOLATE like the Lindt 50% which is what my wife and daughter go for when they have eaten everything I have made......which happens a lot, have a safe box with a very stern note in it, which some how doesn't seem to make one ounce of difference!!?#$%#@. Well, if I was serious I would get a small safe!
Oh, I finally got my Daintree Vanilla and wow! You weren't kidding just the smell alone is sodelicious and potent, not as harsh and 'green' (if that can be used as an aroma descriptor) as the Tahitian stuff you can buy in supermarkets now. I need to get some of the Queen planifolia for comparison, but wow, if that is how it smells I can't wait to put it in some chocolate this weekend. Mmmm mmmm!
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Loved it Tom that's the way milk chocolate should be.
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Yep!
Just waiting on a few more things to be packaged and we'll soon have sales via the website. Only weeks away now. Sneek previews attached. Shhh...
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Looks like the Daintree bars are packaged, this pic is off the website
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Ooooo I can't wait, hopefully it gets here for a weekend run!
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
I think I was talking to the right person in the right place at the right time.
The dark milk that I make with the Aussie beans is a 55% but that is 40% beans, I like my cacao content quite high in a dark milk, this formulation I found best to my liking, just the right amount of milk to balance with the fruit. The Daintree Estates formulation I am not sure of but suspect it is more like a 45% like you have guessed (when I see the nutritional info on the bigger bars I will be able to work it out). This bean works well at a number of different formulations below the 55% I settled on, the flavour of the bean still comes through even down to a 25% cacao bean content. I found it more challenging to formulate it at this level because I wanted to maintain the origin flavour but at that level of milk you face a lot more challengeswith the physical properties of the chocolate rather than getting the flavour you want. I got it pretty damn right in the end for the milk chocolate though, I was really quite proud of that one (with nibs in it it was killer!!!).
updated by @Tom: 09/07/15 20:42:50
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Damn I'm jealous. Is the dark milk the 45%?
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
It's very different 
, you will not be dissapointed.
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Hey, thanks for the tip off Ice Blocks, I didn't know they existed, I seem to remember searching for Aussie vanilla at one stage, don't know how I missed them. I have just ordered some beans and will try them in a batch of Aussie chocolate and compare with other vanilla, see if I can detect a difference. I also quite like making a version of the el rusticoAskinosie bar which has chuncks of vanilla bean in the chocolate - should taste a difference there!
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
I didn't work with Daintree Estates per se, Iworked with Don Murday and just before thatRick Raya bit on how theirpost harvest processes related to the finished chocolate, this started back in 2009. I worked for beans; Don kindlysent beans and I sent back chocolate. As well as trying different roasts over that time I optimised formulations (dark, dark milk and milk choc)to display the unusual flavour notes and did some 'product developement' too so to speak but never official. Don did show (let taste) some of the many shipments I sent over the years to some of the execs of the operation, so perhaps that had some influence. I had a great deal of fun and gained a lot of experience and importantly got to eat a lot of very nice chocolate. The finest beans I have worked with. Post harvest processing was so good I did a copy of Pralus' chocolate coated cocoa beans and they were sensational with dark milk chocolate. I had never felt game enough to try this on any other originI have worked with because the shell is left on in this delicacyand quite honestly who knows where cacao has been and the shell needs to be nice and thin, free ofplacenta, sticks, bugs, rocks, dirt andfermentation extremely consistent.
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
I was hoping you were producing powder. I've seen pretty simple setups for that i.e. basically a massive hydralic ram and somewhere for the butter to go.
Don't know if you have tried, it but Daintree Vanilla & Spice is maybe worth trying to up the local Ozzie appeal.
Best milk chocolate I've tasted in 10+years maybe 20.I love milk chocolate.
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Cocoa butter is not presently made anywhere in Australia, and not using Australian grown cocoa. Consequently our chocolate uses imported cocoa butter. In the future we plan to produce our own butter and powders, but this is unlikely within the next 12 months. We are obligated by law to disclose that the product is made from local and imported ingredients, but can assure you it is predominantly from Australian ingredients. All nibs are from 100% Australian grown cocoa. The sugar is from cane grown in the same region of Far North Queensland.
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
One thing is intriguing me from the ingredients list on both the 70% and 45% mini bar labels is the inclusion separately of both Cocao Nibs & Cocao Butter. Is the butter from Daintree too? Is there then consequently left over Cacao powder? Are the nibs produced by a separate company? If your in control of the entire processing (bean-to-bar) "Cacao Beans" would be the obvious ingredient?
I also hate the "Made in Australia from local and imported ingredients." statement knowing the way juice manufactures abuse such labelling. i.e. the only "local ingredient" being water in some juices ...
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
We had the fortune to try both the 70% and 45% milk chocolate today. Must say I'm *very* impressed with both. The balance of sugar and mouth feel are excellent. Did you do the roasting profiles and formulation Tom?
I have a cold today so taste is impaired but from what I could taste I liked. From what understand the price point will be $8-$10 / 80g bar?
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Keep us posted Tim - I'm keen to try them
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Thanks Tom - yes, our 80g blocks are being packaged now and we should have them available for online ordering within 2-3 weeks. We're all nervously excited!!!
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Just received a sample the other day. Excellent work guys, the flavour notes unique to the Australian bean are very well showcased. I just heard that the 80g bars were coming off the line on Monday. I look forward to seeing the packaging.
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Thanks Tom for your continuing interest in the Australian cocoa growing project over the past few years. At long last (much to our grower's delight) we're just about there!!!
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Well ill have to order some bars then, look forward to reading more as the blog continues!
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Ok got in, took a million years to load the site and i still got the message that it couldnt open the page? Dont know what is going on there, Ill have a look around.
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Hi Tim good to see you on here.
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
I have, still no love, have used Safari and Explorer on several machines. I will try at work when i get there.
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Actually Daintree Estates is not just a bean to bar chocolate maker, but the only pod to plate chocolate maker in Australia. ;^)
Our full size blocks are not far away now. Product launch is expected in September or early October.
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Well i would like not to forget but i think i did, i am pretty sure i have come across the name before but couldnt access your website, and forgot with no other means of contact, it was a difficult followup. I am trying to access right now and cant. Just found your facebook and therefore your email but there aint much else there. So what do you do, where do you sell?
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Hey Tom don't forget the other Australianbean to bar producer"Cicada Chocolate".
Daintree Estates - Australia gets another bean-to-bar chocolate maker
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Very exciting news! Australia now has four bean to bar chocolate makers (I think I am counting correctly). Haigh's, Nui, Zokoko and now Daintree Estates ( www.daintreeestates.com ). Check out their comprehensive website for more info, the shop is not up and running yet but soon I am told.
I have had the good fortune to have worked with some of the cocoa from Mango Park run by Don and the chocolate I have made from itis amazing! The flavour notes are very unusual, I get liquorice and pineapple very strongly in this chocolate.
Well done guys!!
updated by @Tom: 03/11/26 06:20:34
huckleberries!
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Kathryn,
I've been working long hours lately and have not done much chocolate making lately, or anything else for that matter! Thank you for the recipe, I look foward to making it and will let you know how it turns out...
DM
huckleberries!
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Cool, so the raspberry reduction, as of yesterday at least, consists of an entire bag of frozen raspberries, which is a little over 3 cups according to the package, dumped directly into a saucepan from frozen. I let it cook down until it loses that "wet" look, about an hour to an hour and a half. After that, let it cool enough to throw in the food processor or blender, and finally strain to get most of the seeds out.
The ganache recipe is:
1/2c heavy cream
1T unsalted soft butter
20 oz white chocolate
1/4c of the raspberry reduction
1 oz (by weight) freeze dried raspberries
I tend to go heavy on the chocolate with white chocolate ganaches, cause I like the firmness.
huckleberries!
Posted in: Tasting Notes
yes I would most definately be interested! I have since learned how to make a raspberry cream center which I cant wait to try with the huckleberries but I'd love to try your recipes as well. Thank you!
huckleberries!
Posted in: Tasting Notes
I know it's been a long time since you posted this, and It's about 2:30 am here, so if I see a response later today when I'm fully awakethat you're still interested, I'll give you more details. For now, let me say I've been making a really good raspberry ganache in white chocolate and I do it primarily by making a pureed raspberry reduction, reducing down to 1/4 the original volume of the puree. I typically start this with frozen raspberries. The consistency I end up with is something of a sticky paste. I also, because I'm able to get it, add some freeze dried powdered raspberries to the puree before I reduce and also to the ganache itself. Let me know if you want recipes.
huckleberries!
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Huckelberries are a small sweet berry in the same family as theblueberry. I thought it would be easy to find a huckleberry truffle recipe online but had no luck. If I am able to find a good blueberry truffle recipe, could I possibly interchange the berries? And is frozen or fresh better?I am worried about the water content in thehuckleberries and at this time do not have the knowledge to adjust a trufflerecipe accordingly. Can I interchange them or does anyone have any hot leads on a huckleberry truffle recipe? The locals here don'teven disclose the whereabouts of their huckleberry patches muchless share recipes containing huckleberries. Maybe I will have better luck on this discussion...
updated by @Dawn-Marie Lambert: 04/21/15 11:25:15
melting/tempering white chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
The reason it's doing that is because it's absorbed moisture. You're likely not buying in bulk, but from either a distributor or other 3rd party where the mfr has lost control of it's storage and age. White chocolate is more sensitive to moisture absorption than other types. And given that it often doesn't 'turn' stock as quickly as other chocolates, as it sits it absorbs more moisture. And forms the lumps you see.
How to fix? Tough one. You can melt it and add 0.1-0.2% fluid lecithin and mix - that might help but no guarantees. Better answer is to call the mfr and get the decipher code for their lot system so you can determine when it was manufactured. use that to help assist which material you purchase - try to only get that which is 3 months old or fresher, and only that in a factory sealed, poly lined container (bag or otherwise). I would also not microwave it 8-)
melting/tempering white chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
hell dawn , if you are following the rules 27 then up to 29-30
then you have to check the chocolates you are using ,is it too thick
or is it too old , my recommendation is to use another brand
of white chocolates with 3 or 4 melting drops ,good luck
melting/tempering white chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Thank you. I will keep that info in mind when I re order...I am using another brand this weekend and hopefully wont run into the same problem..
melting/tempering white chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Ghiradelli likely the problem. Are you using their chips, as those likely made for cookies and designed to NOT melt when heated. Also often white chocolate picks up local humidity long before dark or milk and thus is too thick and won't melt.I suggest also when you order your next batch you ask for a true min of 35% fat, that is the min I suggest with white especially if in summer and around humidity.You can order from Qzina Valrhona, Callebaut, Cacao Barry, Chocoa, and others, just make sure you specify high cocoa butter white.
melting/tempering white chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Thank you Robyn. I was thinking the same thing, in regards to the brand of chocoalte I was using. This particular time, I was using ghiradelli. I don't usually use them as a general rule but have not had any trouble using their dark or milk chocolate. I was also thinking of using almond bark ( I know I know...yuck!) only a small amount though to melt at firstand then add the better quality chocolate to it a little at a time, in the hopes that the better quality chocolate would preside as far as flavoring goes.
Perhaps I will try the EGuittard with the temperature suggestions from Thomas and Dieter Speer and see how that goes first...
Thanks for answering my SOS!!
melting/tempering white chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
It may be the chocolate you are using. Some of the cheaper ones never get passed being a big clump. I've tried a few and just ended up throwing them out because it never melted completely.
I have found that Valrhona, El Rey and EGuittard seem to be pretty fluid. Some complain they are too fluid, but I prefer that. I've had no trouble enrobing or molding with these.
melting/tempering white chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi there
Never go above 50 C or you burn it heat it up slowly. When you temper white chocolate you have to do it at a lower temp. then milk or dark start by 45 C take then cool it down to 40 C take 1/3 out and cool it down to 24 - 25 C dempends on the cacaobutter in the chocolate mix it with 2/3 the final temp should not be above 28 C. Take a bread knife and take a sample when it hardes proplery and has a nice gloss after 5 min you know you tempered properly.
melting/tempering white chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
dear Dawn-Marie, use a double boiler and reduce the temperature of the water to say 60 centigrades, i.e. white chocolate needs very gentle warming; as otherwise a 'heat shock' will render the chocolate to clumps.
then, at first add a small amount of chopped-into-small-pieces white chocolate into meltingpott, as the chocolate melts add some more small amounts, continue this steps until all chocolate have melted.
Do not warm the chocolate higher than 29 centigrades.
That should work.
melting/tempering white chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hello. I am a new chocolatier. Ireally enjoymaking truffles and pralines. I am having difficulty with meltingwhite chocolate..Iam able to melt and then tempermilk and dark chocolate, even though I need more practice, it comes out ok. The white chocolate clumps no matter the technique I use.Its like it does not even melt at all, but just starts to clump together. the techniques I've used include:microwave, direct stove top and even double boiler...Am I missing the melting point? Am I burning it? My equipment used is clean and dry and I am not adding any additives (cream/butter) to the chocolate. I really want to learn how to work with white chocolate so I can color it when I master melting and tempering it. I wanted to send an SOS to my chocolate friends in the hopes I would gain some helpful hints and techniques......Thanks!
updated by @Dawn-Marie Lambert: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Hi everyone!! Does anybody know where can I buy organic couverture chocolate?
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Try www.chocosphere.com . They are in Portland, OR.
Andrea