Is anyone attending ZDS in Cologne this year?
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Koln's great this time of year - if so, first round of Dom Kolsch's on me...
updated by @Sebastian: 12/13/24 12:16:07
Forum Activity for @Sebastian
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Koln's great this time of year - if so, first round of Dom Kolsch's on me...
updated by @Sebastian: 12/13/24 12:16:07
Chocolate, Dessert & Wine Lover's 'Tasting' Evening
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
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: 12/13/24 12:16:07
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 Product Press (Read-Only)
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: 12/13/24 12:16:07
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?
toffee (i know this is not chocolate, i figure somone has some experience)
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
thank you for your reply. its easy to tell its separated because the butter is on top of everything else and im not able to get it combined again. i am on contract not to give out recipes but i will do my best. first i melt butter, then add sugar and salt and water. cook at med, med-low stirring frequently until 305 degrees. take off heat and stir in vanilla. pour onto parchment paper, let cool. now,.. i have been trying to make big batches and i dont think that would make a difference but i dunno. thx.
toffee (i know this is not chocolate, i figure somone has some experience)
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
How in the world can you tell if it's separating while cooking? Halfway through cooking, it should be a molten, bubbly mess that's impossible to determine if it's an emulsion or not 8-) describe your recipe, and your production in as much detail as possible, and describe when and how you determine it's separated pls...
toffee (i know this is not chocolate, i figure somone has some experience)
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
hello, its joe from blissful brownies again with another question. this time im making english toffee, andhaving problems with my butter separating from the toffeeabout halfwaythrough the cooking process. i have no idea why this is happening.toffee is somthing i have never done. i know this is not a chocolate question, but i figure someone has had toffee experience.
P.S. thankyou all for your tips on my chocolate enrobing issues last week.
updated by @Joseph Patrick Williams: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Specific heat capacity of chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Oh, 10lbs that I can digest (excuse the pun). Not 10kgs.... Yes, that sounds right. 4.5kg in an hour sounds right. Thanks
Specific heat capacity of chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
8.2kj/kgC = seems to read?
Specific heat capacity of chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I'm not sure about your calcs. However the white ACMC tempering machines hold about 10 lbs of chocolate, and use two clear 110 watt light bulbs for heat, and no fan to circulate the air while heating. They melt the chocolate and heat it to 123 degrees F from our ambient room temperature of 64 degrees F, in almost exactly one hour. It then takes almost exactly one hour to run the machine through the rest of it's tempering cycle.Like I said, my staff do this every morning, and do it with several of these machines at a time.Interestingly enough, it takes almost the same time to cycle through the dark chocolate as it does the milk chocolate with those machines. The milk does however take a few minutes longer for each cycle.
Specific heat capacity of chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
0.52 cal/g is that calories/g? Is that the unit of measue I want I would of thought it would be expressed in J/g? T
Specific heat capacity of chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Thanks for that.... 10kg or 22lbs in 1hr with 440W. Wow. My calcs must be out. 22lbs of chocolate in an hour is a lot. I get the drift re losses but for now I must assume negligible losses. Thanks Brad.
Specific heat capacity of chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Call me a luddite here, but wouldn't other variables come into play? I'm thinking variables such as:1. Heat loss created by the space and air flow between the heating element and the medium containing the chocolate, OR in the case of water being the medium carrying the heat (which is the case in almost all commercial chocolate equipment), how much energy is required to bring the water up to the correct temperature, and keep it there, and what is the rate of loss/transfer from the water, through the holding vessel, and to the Chocolate?2. What is the medium the chocolate is being held in?3. Does the medium reflect heat, or absorb heat. (In this case, think of simple table top tempering units that utilize a steel bowl and lightbulbs as a heat source. There's a reason the back of the bowls are all painted flat black.4. What form is the chocolate in? Is it in a big block, or is it in small chips?5. How much of that surface is actually in direct contact with the heat. The larger the surface contact with the heat source, the quicker the melt.I've melted enough chocolate in the last two years to say definitively that I can melt 10kg of chocolate in one hour with four 110 watt lightbulbs. My staff do that almost every morning.In my experience, sometimes "let's try a number of variations and see what happens" works a lot better than a calculator....just my two bits, and maybe some food for thought.Brad.
Specific heat capacity of chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I ran a quick test today on some milk chocolate i had handy. I won't give any specifics on it's formulation, but at 19C - 1589 J/KgC (or 0.378 Btu/lbF). If I were you, I'd increase that a bit for your chocolate.
Specific heat capacity of chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Well lets see
I want to heat a 10kg slab of chocolate from 20C to 40C, using a 500W element
Specific Heat Capacity of Chocolate = 0.5cal/g
10kg = 10,000g
Formula to find J (ouls) or Energy require as j
j = m x Cg x (T final - T initial)
Mass 10000g
Cg 0.5
Temp Final 45
Temp Initial 20
Temp Diff 25
= 125000j or 125kj
Factor: 1 Wh = 3.6 kJ
125/3.6 = 34.7222wh
34.722/500 = 4.16664h
4.16hr to melt 10kg of Chocolate with a 500W element.... does this sound right? Anyone
Specific heat capacity of chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Sabastian, Thank you very much. (especially for the average) I was half expecting an answer like you began without an answer ar the end) I see youre a practical man. Thanks Tony
Specific heat capacity of chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
it gets complicated rather quickly - it's formulation dependent (ie how much cocoa butter you have will directly impact it). drilling down to cocoa butter, since cocoa butter's triglyceride profile is different all around the world, each butter's specific heat will be different. and then you overlay the impact of tempering and crystal form (each of the 6 different forms have their own specific heat...). So there's no quick and easy answer if you're looking for an accurate number 8-)The easiest thing to do, in my opinion, is average cocoa butter - a good ballpark figure for liquid cocoa butter at 40C would be, oh, about 0.5 cal/g. If you need to estimate SH in solid form, i'd start with 0.52 cal/g (20C, assuming predominance of form V).
Specific heat capacity of chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Do you know what the specific heat capacity of chocolate is?
This figure is so important for anyone wanting to make chocolate machinery and yet I havent been able to find it anywhere. So, If you can help, Much Appreciated T
updated by @Anthony Lange: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Shelf Life
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
It will absolutely oxidize. General principles for storage are the same as for chocolate - minimize exposure to heat, oxygen, and light. When it goes bad, you'll be able to taste it. It won't be dangerous, just won't have flavors you'll like. I recently had a container of Chef Rubber white butter turn on me.
Shelf Life
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Is there a shelf life to colored cocoa butter and can colored cocoa butter go bad? Or does it just bloom? Is there any special way I should store it? thanks
updated by @Sue: 04/11/25 09:27:36
"Chocolate will become as expensive as caviar" - says this news report
Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)
Sounds a little sensationalist to me
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/07/06/eco.chocolate/index.html
updated by @Tom: 12/13/24 12:16:07
Mint crystals in chocolate
Posted in: Uncategorized
Hi
I am trying to source/make mint crystals that i can use in chocolate slab/thins. Im guessing this is created by flavouring sugar with mint but would appreciate advice from more experianced members.
As Im based in UK would be looking for UK supplier.
All help much appreciated.
Peter
updated by @peter guppy: 04/10/15 17:13:43
Is there such a thing as GREAT Fair Trade chocolate?
Posted in: Opinion
The only great Fairtrade chocolate is Theo. If we are including Rainforest Alliance, then Cacaoyere as well. I think that bothof these occupy a new place, their own category, perhaps, of mass marketproduct that holds enough of the fine chocolate ingredients, and doesn't flubit up too much, can be great chocolate in its own right, and is still accessibleto a wide range. Not quite as good as those in some ways, but a perfectly respectableRainforest chocolate, is Kallari.
I think it can almost be comparing apples in oranges to say if any of these are worth the Bonnat/Domori/ Amano type or not... I prefer totaste either Cacaoyere or Theo, even the Kallari, in addition to a couple from Republica delCacao, and some by Slitti, El Rey, or even Santander, to most chocolates byValrhona, for example. None of these last are Fairtrade or Rainforest certified,though, but they do belong to a category I see as the best industrial chocolates,they are more sophisticated and interesting than the Callebaut level, to besure. I've been talking about a bunch of this stuff on my blog as of late,where I've also occasionally bitched and moaned about Fairtrade, etc...
Is there such a thing as GREAT Fair Trade chocolate?
Posted in: Opinion
Frank,
Your lack of sympathy for, and understanding of poor cash crop farmers (and what motivates them) seems as limited as your lack of understanding of what Fair Trade is and why it exists, (and what can be achieved with "bulk" forastero cocoa).
Some of the best cocoa I have ever tasted (properly fermented and dried, with strong chocolate aroma and other flavour notes) is forastero cocoa produced by isolated, uneducated South Pacific farmers. Those people are literally forced to accept low prices for their cocoa (because the buyers work together to keep the price to growers down) despite its high quality.
So to say that poor grows who seek Fair Trade certification:
"try the argument of "look I am poor, I should make some more money""
... is arrogant and wrong and neatly deflects responsibility for the problem (their poverty) from the people who actually cause it (that is us in the developed nations of the world).
What Fair Trade is actually saying is: "These people deserve to get a living wage for the work that they do and it is our responsibility to pay ".
It's also wrong to say that Fair Trade (with all of its acknowledged flaws) just trades off the story of poverty. Fair Trade is meant to be a safety net for poor people that prevents exploitation. It's not intended to be a driver of quality, or quantity of product. How first world manufacturers choose to use the Fair Trade story of their product has nothing do to with the farmers who rely on it in an attempt to get a fair income from their labour.
I will agree with Duffy's post above. Power imbalances (like in the English milk industry which is also happening in Australia) are not the fault of the farmer. And dismissing Fair Trade for its efforts to try to restore some balance in poor nations is wrong.
Langdon
Is there such a thing as GREAT Fair Trade chocolate?
Posted in: Opinion
Hi Clay,Perhaps my comment is quite naive but what about Theo? I remember they got a couple of Academy of Chocolate awards...
Is there such a thing as GREAT Fair Trade chocolate?
Posted in: Opinion
It's always going to be tough for farmers - and it isn't always because they are poor, uneducated or whatever we blithely assume on their behalfs. Here in the UK milk farmers sell milk at below production cost to the supermarkets - and find themselves powerless to do much about it. Some sell direct at Farmers Markets, at the gate or add value by producing artisan cheese, ice cream and so on. Not everyone can do this. Net result is dairy farmers going out of business at a steadily increasing rate and big (cheap) imports of milk from around the world.This is in prosperous, educated, organised England. It seems all we can do is vote with our wallets - don't buy supermarket milk, don't buy bulk chocolate, pay more for quality cocoa beans. It feels like we have no power but it depends how many there are. Fairtrade is a way for the consumer to feel like they are making that (slightly tougher) choice and heling in some small way. As a movement it is to be applauded but it isn't the whole answer.DuffyRed Star Chocolate
Is there such a thing as GREAT Fair Trade chocolate?
Posted in: Opinion
Clay,Agreed. Being a business man, I think the whole issue is around supplier power vs. buyer power. I think the big chocolate manufacturers can get away with paying too low prices for cocoa because suppliers are disperse and relatively un-sophisticated. Also, of course, because suppliers have not been able to differentiate their cocoa products -- here is a great opportunity with "fine cocoa". Once consumers learn to distinguish different flavours and look for a more sophisticated product, then there is a opportunity for suppliers to gain power. Today, even in gourmet chocolates with 70% cacao, the cost of the cocoa represents less than 20% of retail price, often less than 10%. Probably quite out of balance if compared to other gourmet food products, where the raw materials represent a higher percentage.My five cents.
Frank
Is there such a thing as GREAT Fair Trade chocolate?
Posted in: Opinion
Frank -Some very good arguments. I especially like the analogy to encouraging farmers to make a business out of being poor.A focus on improving quality is what's needed - but then mass market chocolate makers really don't want to support programs that would drive up their costs significantly. They are in a real Catch-22 here.:: Clay
Is there such a thing as GREAT Fair Trade chocolate?
Posted in: Opinion
There probably arent good chocolates with fair trade beans. The logic is this: If you have fine cocoa beans, which you need to make great chocolate, you get a substantial premium from that. You dont need fair trade premiums that are often quite moderate. Fair trade is sought by cocoa producers who dont have a good product (forastero "bulk" beans) but would like to make some more money. So as quality cant be used as an argument for getting more money, they try the argument of "look I am poor, I should make some more money". In my opinion, this is actually detrimental to development. You teach poor farmers that they should make a business out of being poor, rather than focus on making a better quality product (or increase productivity). That way they stay poor. Which of course is good for the people in the developed world who make a living of being in NGOs, promoting "fair trade". Harsh? Well, perhaps, but actually true if you think about it.
Is there such a thing as GREAT Fair Trade chocolate?
Posted in: Opinion
How about Vintage Plantations?
Is there such a thing as GREAT Fair Trade chocolate?
Posted in: Opinion
Kristina:Thanks for pointing this out to me. I recently purchased some Zotter bars and did not notice the Fair Trade logo on them I will have to search and see.:: Clay
Is there such a thing as GREAT Fair Trade chocolate?
Posted in: Opinion
Clay,even if it probably won't be a big help for you - Zotter works with FLO cerfified beans. They make lots of filled bars selling them in organic supermarkets, but their Loboko bars (Panama, Nicaragua for instance) are not mass-market.Just an idea...
Is there such a thing as GREAT Fair Trade chocolate?
Posted in: Opinion
Along with ChocolateLife member Sunita de Tourreil, I am giving a presentation to a group at the World Bank next week.
Having just come back from the Salon du Chocolat two days ago and taking a look there, I was wondering if anyone knows of a truly world-class chocolate made with FLO Fair Trade certified beans.
Equal Exchange, Alter Eco, Divine, etc., all make certified chocolates but I don't know anyone who puts them in the same class as Bonnat, Amedei, Domori, Askiniosie, Amano, et al.
There are very large companies making certified chocolate but that's all mass-market chocolate-like substance, IMO.
Any thoughts?
updated by @Clay Gordon: 04/10/15 16:47:11