preserved cocoa pods how do i get one
Posted in: Chocolate Education
hi ning i just recieved some pods a few days ok but if i need more i will keep you in mind
do you have a way that the pods keep their colours ?
kind regards laura
Forum Activity for @Laura Marion
Posted in: Chocolate Education
preserved cocoa pods how do i get one
Posted in: Chocolate Education
hi Pierre,
you can find jeff on this site Jeff Stern is his name
he works from this email
cocoapodman@gmail.com
here is the info he gave me
Experience chocolate in its original state-The Cocoa Pod. We are the world's only supplier of dried cocoa pods. The pods come in three forms:
* Whole Dried Pods ($5.99)
* Open pods with Seeds Inside ($6.99)
* Open without seeds ($5.99)
These are a great novelty item for a chocolate shop or specialty coffee shop: customers also like them for purchase, especially children. Fun and educational, they make a great conversation piece as well. We ship worldwide and offer quantity discounts. We also sell traditional jute sacks for transporting cocoa beans at $6.50 each.
Shipping starts at about $16 for one pod, but goes down in price substantially the more you order. Shipping is based on weight, as pods can vary in size. Shipping times are approximately 10-15 business days, give or take 5.
he is very good he gave me a tracking number so i was able to track the pods in the mail. jeff was very helpfull and was happy to help if i had and qus. australian customes where a bit tricky and took a long time (3 weeks ) to fumigate the pods but it all worked out in the end 
the pods are truly amazing all the best to you and i hope you hcan get some soon too !!!
p.s you may be able to help me i would like to know if you know what is the best room temp to make chocolate in and to store it in ??? also i would like to hear about your shop
preserved cocoa pods how do i get one
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Hi Laura,
I'm in Malaysia and have pods that I may be able to ship to you.
Im saying this in no certain terms because the Australian government has very strict control over all organic matter that is crossing into Australia.
If you can sort that out I will be able to ship some pods to you in a condition that you prefer.
My trees produce bright yellow to orange pods when ripen, some trees produce pods with a smooth surface and other trees with a rough surface.
true_1@hotmail.com
Ning
preserved cocoa pods how do i get one
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Laura,
Just saw thisdiscussion and had to contact you.
My wife and I have just opened our chocolate shop in Arizona and were looking to bring in some cocoa pods for display. If possible could you relay the info on the company you used. I don't see any contact information on Jeff's response.
Any suggestions from you will also be great as you just went through the process.
Thank you,
Pierre
preserved cocoa pods how do i get one
Posted in: Chocolate Education
hi all well i would just like to say a big thank you to jeff for making this all possible !!!! i have now got my very own cocoa pods and they look amazing thank you all who replied
kind regards Laura
preserved cocoa pods how do i get one
Posted in: Chocolate Education
ok this sound good i think it would be best is i talk to someone who has had them sent over here befor as i am not sure if i need to apply to quarantine befor or after purchese from you but i am very happy that you replyed to me sorry about my email it is block up i need to clean it out thanks kind regard laura
preserved cocoa pods how do i get one
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Hi LauraGot your email but my response was bounced back, here it is:I have sent to Australia and can give you the names of the people if you wish to contact them about their experience. I know they had to pay some extra money for the quarantine and wait several weeks before the pods were released, and also that they drilled a hold in one of the pods. Below is the general information. Look it over and let me know if and when you'd like to proceed. Thanks!JeffExperience chocolate in its original state-The Cocoa Pod. We are the world's only supplier of dried cocoa pods. The pods come in three forms:* Whole Dried Pods ($5.99)* Open pods with Seeds Inside ($6.99)* Open without seeds ($5.99)These are a great novelty item for a chocolate shop or specialty coffee shop: customers also like them for purchase, especially children. Fun and educational, they make a great conversation piece as well. We ship worldwide and offer quantity discounts. We also sell traditional jute sacks for transporting cocoa beans at $6.50 each.Shipping starts at about $16 for one pod, but goes down in price substantially the more you order. Shipping is based on weight, as pods can vary in size. Shipping times are approximately 10-15 business days, give or take 5.
preserved cocoa pods how do i get one
Posted in: Chocolate Education
thank you all who made replies i will let you know how i got one thanks laura
preserved cocoa pods how do i get one
Posted in: Chocolate Education
HI all
i am in australia and i would like to know if someone knows how i can get a preserved cocoa pod.
i would like to know who to call to get one and how much they cost and how long it will take to get one into australia i hear is take 6 months or more and dose anyone know if you can preserve them and keep the vibrant red or yellow or purple colours
thanks all the best laura
updated by @Laura Marion: 04/12/15 11:35:32
cracked shells?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
You can always just coat them a second time and they should be fine
cracked shells?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Also uneven thickness of the shell contributes to this cracking...and the difference between the outer and inner filling too..
cracked shells?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
they felt a bit cold, oh well if was only a small test batch at least. thanks for the reply Kerry.
cracked shells?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Cold soft centers are the most common culprit.
cracked shells?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Just made two test batches of new truffles recipes, just dipped them and the shells are already cracking????? This has never happened before, any idea's? Maybe the centres are cold? It's snowing here? so it's a little cooler then normal. but it only happened on some of them and not all.
I'm baffled. So any suggestions or idea's would be great.
Thanks in advance
updated by @Dirke Botsford: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Objective evaluation of chocolate quality?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
I wonder if someone could enlighten me on the latest developments in the field of objective evaluation of chocolate quality. Is there a commission of recognized experts somewhere? What happened to the Academy of chocolate - do they still give awards? What is the situation in Europe or USA?
Your feedback would be most appreciated.
updated by @Anna Bonavita: 05/04/15 00:46:52
Problems with chocolate molds
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Tien, you might also want to have a fan blow room temp air across the molds to help them cool off. I have found this to be a great help in getting the molds to set and release properly.
Problems with chocolate molds
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Thanks Ruth and Nat! I got the humidity in my working area down to 52% and tried again. Between Ruth's hint to increase the working temperature and Nat's to lower the humidity, the molds came out perfect and the chocolate stayed fluid while dipping.Muchas gracias!!
Problems with chocolate molds
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
You may be getting over-crystallization of the chocolate. After about 10 minutes of you working, raised the temperature on the machine 2 degrees. This will keep the chocolate from thickening too much. Good luck.
Problems with chocolate molds
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Thanks! I'll look into getting a hygrometer and maybe pick up a cheap dehumidifier today. I make my annual batch of chocolates (about 60 lb) over Thanksgiving weekend, so waiting for a better time doesn't really work for me. I live in the San Francisco area (actually on the SF Peninsula about 40 miles south of SF), so our climate/humidity is pretty dry most of the time - except for a few rainstorms in the winter. This weekend's weather has been most unusual - heavy rain and thunderstorms, which are practically unheard of here - so it sounds like I've just been hit with bad timing!Thanks so much for your help!
Problems with chocolate molds
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi Tien,Yes, raining outside with no AC is definitely a problem with both molding and thickening in the temperer. I'd suggest getting a cheap $20 hygrometer online and don't temper if it's ever above 50% humidity if you don't want to chance it. Where are you?Space heater won't really help, but a dehumidifier or AC set on a higher temp (at which it still dehumidifies) are good for lowering the humidity. A temp of 70-79 is OK, but since most temperers use passive cooling, it goes a little faster if the room temp is closer to 70.
Problems with chocolate molds
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi Nat,Thanks for the references! They were really helpful.I'm using Tomric polycarbonate molds (which I gather might be part of my problem) to cast shells for some bonbons. The molds are at room temperature and being cooled at room temperature. (I'm not a professional chocolatier, so I don't have climate control, though I could perhaps try to contrive something with a space heater and fan). What is the optimal temperature for casting bonbon shells?But I think part of the culprit might be the humidity! It is pouring rain outside and is expected to pour all weekend, so we have very high humidity. I will try again later this week when it's a bit sunnier and drier out.Could the humidity be causing my other problem, which is the chocolate thickening too fast? I am tempering by heating the chocolate to 120F or so, then dumping it into the tempering machine, putting tempered chocolate on the other side of the tempering machine, and allowing the machine to cool to the proper temperature. Then I leave the machine on and the bowl rotating while I dip the chocolates.In the past this has worked OK, but this year I'm lucky if I get 20-30 minutes of working time before the stuff thickens and I have to temper again. Any suggestions?
Problems with chocolate molds
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Tien, what kind of molds and cooling are you using and what is your humidity? With larger masses of chocolate in molds vs. thin layers in dipped chocolate, large flat areas on the bar can easily have release marks or problems cooling evenly. This post and this post describe release mark problems with some of the thinner, cheaper, or badly made molds. If you're tempering at a time of year where it's more humid, the tempering that worked fine before may become much more sensitive to any minor problems. I can temper fine all winter with no dehumidification or AC, but come summer and higher humidity, everything goes to pot without climate control.
Problems with chocolate molds
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi all,
In years past I have been able to use chocolate molds successfully. This year I am having problems, possibly because I switched tempering methods? (I was tabling the chocolate on a granite slab, now I'm using a tempering machine.) The chocolate does not set up correctly. I have tried it using freshly tempered chocolate, and while the knife-dip test sets correctly, and the chocolates I dipped immediately before AND after casting the molds set up correctly, the mold cavities are full of streaky chocolate that doesn't look tempered at all.
My room temperature is 70F, and the chocolate is at ~89F (as far as I can tell; my thermometer appears to be "off" despite calibration and despite being approved for industry, so I have been using the lip test more than the thermometer to determine tempering). I'm working with Valrhona, a mix of Alpaco and Extra Bitter. And, as I said, dipped chocolates seem to be coming out fine with the same bowl of chocolate, it's only the molds that are going wrong.
Any thoughts on what I could be doing wrong?
Tien
updated by @tienchiu: 04/11/25 09:27:36
To freight or not to freight...
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Thanks Brian, I suppose the purpose of my post was for people like myself who are still going through the learning curve of importing cacao. Thank you for you reply. I cannot answer it cause for the most part, what you ask would be location specific. But your questions do serve as a guide as to the TYPE of questions, people like myself should be asking when considering the import option. Thanks again. T
To freight or not to freight...
Posted in: Chocolate Education
My reply is humbled by your response. Wow, Jim. Your post deserves a couple of 'exalts'. Thanks. T
To freight or not to freight...
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Anthony,The single largest problem I have is "Transportation". In addition to the items you listed, you need to exploreCost of staging to the point of FOBIf you are considering bean shipment, the point of FOB is normally remotely located from the origin of beans and can be substantial. Shipment in excess of 20kg are not normally handled by postal services and requires alternate types of commercial movement. This entails additional steps which include added paperwork and possibly government regulations. Free movement of goods are normally controlled by lots of forms, inspections and controls $$$$$Fees and TaxesThe simple act of commercial transfer between parties brings out another host of 3rd party blood suckers that add to the misery of buyers/shippers. In Brazil, you must have an official "Export Specialist" (Despechante) in order to process a shipment through the Government Export Process. On reality, you must prepare all documentation and possess an export license prior to submitting goods for export. This "rubber stamp" process cost 1 minimum salary (Today is +- US$ 300. You are also legally bound to contribute 1/2 minimum salary to the union to which the 3rd party "Export Specialist" belongs.Sanitation ControlAll goods shipped normally require "Inspection and Certification" that the goods are free of diseases and are worthy of shipment. This requires plastic pallets or fumigated wooden pallets. another +- US$150. Inspection and subsequent documentation adds another +- US$ 50.00. Specific types of packaging normally apply which in the case of beans, include requirements for unused sacks with very specific information printed ( Origin, product enclosed, Tax ID number, weight and Shipper name). Depending on the importing destination, possible fumigation and other tasks)Costs of commercial transport....Expensive!!!!Depending on Origin and Destination and method of transport. Typically out of Brazil this amounts to +_ US$ 1.00 per kg and Full container 20' (15000kg} +_US# 4500.Since most bean sources originate in 3rd world countries the options for undeclared costs to remove "bumps in the road" from corrupt officials depend on the location and whether the inspector needs additional cash for vacation expenses.Without any doubt, this subject is well worth extensive research before seller or buyer enters into an agreement. Most of the hassles encountered by individuals are avoided by multinational giants as they maintain large staffs and bank accounts to subvert the problem.In all cases...BUYER AND SELLER BEWARE....Jim Lucas
To freight or not to freight...
Posted in: Chocolate Education
That my dear friends is the question.
I'm sure a lot of people on this group have come across this problem and I suppose It would have helped me I had read something like this (and I'm speaking under correction here)
Courier service - Fast and very expensive and limited to +_ 25kg, depending
Freight Air - Slightly cheaper - but takes over from courier 25kg to 1000kg, depending
Shipping
LCL - Less than Container load - Group Stuffing (beware of other goods)
FCL - Full Container Load - Its all your stuff
FOB - Free OnBoard
EXW - Ex Works
CNF - Cost Insurance and Freight
See attached chart.
Which do you use? If anyone has anything to add to this it would be appreciated
Tony
updated by @Anthony Lange: 04/10/15 13:41:58
Amma chocolate
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Hi Christopher,
Have you been able to find an importer of Amma yet? I would like to carry it and am looking for a wholesaler...
Best,
Tessa
Amma chocolate
Posted in: News & New Products Press
any news on how to obtain Amma chocolate in the states ?
christopher carlson
updated by @christopher carlson: 03/11/26 06:20:34
Is anyone attending ZDS in Cologne this year?
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Koln's great this time of year - if so, first round of Dom Kolsch's on me...
updated by @Sebastian: 03/11/26 06:20:34
Chocolate, Dessert & Wine Lover's 'Tasting' Evening
Posted in: News & New Products Press
We are still looking for delicious chocolate Exhibitors for the Chocolate, Dessert & Wine Lover's 'Tasting' Evening scheduled for Thursday, February 10th at the Hilton in Stamford, CT. There is no cost to participate, only the cost of staffing and samples. You can also sell your delectable chocolates, all we suggest is that 20% of whatever you sell be donated to the Shelter for the Homeless. Please know that 100% of every attendee tickets sold will go directly to the Shelter for the Homeless.
I have attached the 2010 Event Flyer for informational purposes.
Thank you for any/all suggestions and recommendations!
Scot
sweicker@sbweventsgroup.com
updated by @Scot B. Weicker: 03/11/26 06:20:34
Bringing cacao beans into the U.S.
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
I just returned from a vacation in costa rica and found that you can buy beans from the indigenous people on the caribbean coast. Their trade organization is appta ( http://www.appta.org/j15/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=68&lang=en ), and you can buy some of their beans from the cacao house on the road to bri bri from puerto viejo for about $4/kilo.Also, John at Carribeans coffee shop in Puerto Viejo makes his own chocolate (actually conched as opposed to a lot of the other rustic chocolate you find on the coast) and is very nice to talk with if you end up over that way.
Bringing cacao beans into the U.S.
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Thanks! Now, all I have to do is locate some...
Bringing cacao beans into the U.S.
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Shouldn't be a problem. I brought 4 kg of cacao beans from Mexico into SFO, showed it to the USDA inspectors, told them what it was & where it came from, and they didn't seem to care much about it. Explain that it's been fermented and is no longer viable seed to germinate plants, which is what they're mainly concerned about.
Bringing cacao beans into the U.S.
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
I live in California and will be flying directly back here.
Bringing cacao beans into the U.S.
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Where are you going to in the states, Deborah? That can make a big difference. Most places in the states are OK, except for Hawaii where they grow cacao so you don't want to introduce fungal spores that may be on the unroasted beans.
Bringing cacao beans into the U.S.
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
I am planning a trip to Costa Rica in a few months and if I'm able to locate some good, fermented and dried (but not roasted) cacao beans, I'd like to bring them back. I've tried the USDA site and the CBP site and I'm having a heck of a time trying to figure out what limitations there are on bringing them into the U.S., other than the fact that one should declare them. Does anyone here have some insight? Are they treated any differently than coffee beans (which, I imagine, would generally be roasted already)? Is there a limit to what I can bringback? Are they subject to quarantine?
updated by @deborah2: 04/29/15 04:05:51
wholesale and retail pricing
Posted in: News & New Products Press
I am interested to learn how to price chocolates for both wholesale and retail sale. I have priced other types of products in the past but have no idea to account for the variables between different chocolates (i.e. different sizes, different fillings, decorated, packaging, type of couverture, etc.). Any insights are appreciated. Andrea
updated by @Andrea B: 03/11/26 06:20:34
toffee (i know this is not chocolate, i figure somone has some experience)
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
A few things are going to be important to you. It's awfully hard to troubleshoot w/o details, although i appreciate the need for confidentiality. Rate of heating is important (ie you could be heating too quickly). Rate of mechanical energy input is important (ie, you may need more/less stirring). A little bit of acid may help you (citric or acetic - some lemon juice or vinegar). Altitude is important for your final cooking temperature... depending on where you're at, 305 sounds high, but you indicate you're seeing the problem well before that, so i'm inclined to think that's not it. Something many people never think about - or really have much control over - is what else comes with their raw materials. Sugar, for example, can very widely in it's incidental contaminants - depending on where you get it from, some of your incidentals may not be so incidental. how it's harvested can hugely impact this - cane sugar that's mechanically harvested w/o burning the field will be quite different than beet sugar from minnesota. these incidentals can wreak havoc in your system.
toffee (i know this is not chocolate, i figure somone has some experience)
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Welcome to toffee Hell
Toffee starts to separate at around 250 degrees. I have tried different butters, room temp or frozen, different sugar (beet or cane). The only conclusion I have come to is no conclusion at all! We have better luck in the big round-bottomed copper kettle doing 12# butter batches, than smaller batches on the regular burner. I think the copper inverts some of the sugar, or the size of the batch evens out any inconsistencies in the temps or ingredients. I like to start the batch slow, bring to a boil and gradually turn up the heat. If it starts to separate, pour in some hot water and stir like crazy. i haven't lost a batch in years, but you have to keep a close eye on it. A friend of mine who is in the toffee business always uses non-stick pots. He said that really helps on the separating. I always take it up to 290 (5000 feet). My husband stirs the big batches and he likes to get the butter and water almost to a boil before adding the sugar. I don't like to reduce the amount of water before adding the sugar. It just really doesn't seem to matter. Sorry I don't have more answers.
toffee (i know this is not chocolate, i figure somone has some experience)
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
so.. i think because ive been melting butter before i add all the ingredients this is causing this reaction.?? does it make sense to add cold butter and the water and the dry ingredients all togather at the begining?