Forum Activity for @James Cary

Oaxaca

Posted in: Travels & Adventures

I'll be travelling to Oaxaca. Does anyone have any recommendations for places to see, food (chocolate!) to try, or things to do? Thanks!
updated by @James Cary: 04/13/15 12:04:19

Any Chocolatier lifetime subscribers reading?

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

I, too, must echo Debbie's comments as she just reminded me I haven't seen any new Chocolatier's in a while. Perhaps as a group we can encourage the new publication to extend a subscription to their magazine.Bob

Any Chocolatier lifetime subscribers reading?

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

I was a lifetime subscriber and I did notice that I didn't receive any issues but then I got busy and forgot until I saw this post. In it's lifetime Chocolatier was a wonderful resource and enjoyable to receive and read but I felt that the quality of the articles and even topics were declining in recent issues. Still it is sad to see it end. I suppose I got my "money's worth" but as with my favorite dark chocolate, the end is bittersweet.Debbie

Any Chocolatier lifetime subscribers reading?

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

I had so many problems with them. Ipaid through paypal and yet never recieved the magazine. After numerous long distant calls and messages left, I finally found out that they never got the payment, even though I sent them the proof of payment from paypal. To make a long storyshort, I was eventually promised a free subscription (!!) even though I paid. Then all of a sudden I started receiveing two magazines 8 months later. I notified them that I am now getting a double. So now I get single of the new merged magazine.

Any Chocolatier lifetime subscribers reading?

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

Sounds like the concept of a "lifetime" subscription is the main problem then. Talk about letter of the law, not spirit of the law.

Any Chocolatier lifetime subscribers reading?

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

I am not a subscriber personally, but that sounds like a pretty shabby way to treat customers to me. And a great way to poison your reputation for the future.

Any Chocolatier lifetime subscribers reading?

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

And of course, I neglected to mention the name of the new magazine: Dessert Professional and you can find them at DessertProfessional.com

Any Chocolatier lifetime subscribers reading?

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

Pastry Art & Design and Chocolatier Magazine and frozen desserts have all merged, it seems. It's a nice magazine; I like it.However, if you have a lifetime subscription I'd think that the classy thing to do would be to honor that purchase and allow you to continue to receive the new publication.I tried to order a subscription to Chocolatier magazine a couple of times but their customer service was so poor, I never ended up getting it. And I've heard folks complain about not receiving their copies of PA&D.

Any Chocolatier lifetime subscribers reading?

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

I have a lifetime subscription, but I didn't receive any notice that they have ceased. I think I received a recent magazine, I will check the date when I am at home sometime (give me a few days, Christmas is bearing down on me) but if I remember, it was pretty recent. I will look at it to see if the name had also changed, don't think it had, but I will pay more attention now. I save them all, it is just a matter of finding it, whether it has made it to where I store them or still in the living room to look at. Thanks for posting and bringing it to my attention.

Any Chocolatier lifetime subscribers reading?

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

I noticed a while back that I stopped receiving my Chocolatier magazines, but have only just gotten round to enquiring why. I was told that "the lifetime subscriptions have ceased" and it appears that has something to do with the name change. Seems to me that it should not be possible to sell something on a lifetime basis and then get out of delivering it by changing the name.Is anybody else here in this situation? Would welcome any insights.Thanks,Sima
updated by @Sima Fishman: 12/13/24 12:16:07

Chocolate prices

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

Things have been going pretty good for the last little while--save for one problem: Bulk couveture prices.I'm a big fan of Lindt, and buy it in 100 kg shipments from a pastry supplier here in Vancouver. These shipments usually last me 2-3 mths. Every time I need to order in a new shipment I get the ol' "Uh, prices just went up" routine from the rep.. I take full advantage of the Lindt food service rep, who has an office here, and am assured that prices have stayed the same since Feb of this year and no prices are scheduled for another year. So I call the supplier's bluff--have been doing it now 3 times--they never learn, and it's starting to really irritate me.I do a fair amount of workshops and charity events, and for this I use a cheaper couveture, a Calle. 70-30. I get this from two different suppliers, both large pastry suppliers with several branches in Canada, we'll call them "X" and "Y"."X " came banging on my door in early November trying to flog a very cheap brand of couveture--sounded too good to be true, and I managed to weasel out of the rep that it was past expiry date, tell him no-go. So then he gives me a decent price on the Callebaut line. Decent enough for the first order, when I order again, I get the ol " Uh, prices have increased" schtick. Something to do with the falling CDN $ and head office in Toronto. When the shipment comes in I check the batch codes and the expiry dates--same stock as last shipment. So I send it back, tell them either send me stuff with a pristine expiry date or stuff the "prices have increased" schtick down the septic tank where it belongs. I try to order again, but now I get "Uh, we have no stock left, and don't know if we'll be bringing in that item anymore. Right....."Y" has been increasing his prices on the Callebaut line very steadily since late Sept. Now it's gotten to the point where the 70-30 is only $1/kg cheaper than the Lindt. I do know of places in Vancouver bringing in their own Callebaut at 1/3 the price of what "Y" is charging. These are med. to large chocolate guys, and bring it in by the pallete.Yeah, I know, suppliers have to mark up, but what's fair? 35% ? 40%? Certainly not anything over 100%. O.K., Christmas, you want to mark up and gouge a bit, then do it, but don't B.S. me, it's downright insulting.Maybe I should negotiate a price with Lindt, but don't know if I'll make their minimum requirements. Worth a shot though....
updated by @Edward: 12/13/24 12:16:07

Favorite Chocolate Products

Posted in: Opinion

A lot of people here are very focused on the chocolate itself but our shop comes at it from the pastry angle per-say where we enjoy the products just as much as the quality chocolate that is used.We started our adventure (to the public) making truffles and have evolved into covered brownies, tortes, mousse, pate, and cakes.What do you like to see covered in chocolate or made with chocolate as a forefront ingredient?Right now I've been melting bars/nibs/bits down so I can do shavings for some hot drinking chocolates with homemade marshmallows. I can't wait for valentines where we can do heart shaped ones.-andy
updated by @Andy Ciordia: 05/09/15 08:14:13

The Fine Art of Chocolate ... Criticism

Posted in: Opinion

On a side note, in Savannah, there's a candy store that sells fudge in the shape of a cow pie. I had to get one for my brother. >:D The fudge there was pretty tasty ( but a bit nutty .. sorry

The Fine Art of Chocolate ... Criticism

Posted in: Opinion

"Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."For purely altruistic reasons, I am giving this post a review of "crap." (Yes, I'm critiquing the critique of the critique of ...) Hopefully, someone will be able to save their 15+ minutes of time and find something else to do with it. Unfortunately, mine has been given and can't be refunded.

The Fine Art of Chocolate ... Criticism

Posted in: Opinion

[QuoteAnd, if I may respectfully direct this to FTonly: far from hiding behind metaphors, the flavor progression was amply laid out before any metaphoric references were noted, in addition to an explanation of how it might have arrived there. I ask earnestly and humbly, what more would you like in a review, mindful that were a species hard-wired to narrate in metaphors and, cacao, endowed with personality, feeds this penchant?Quote]Mark (or Samantha or whomever),My question is who were you writing the review for? Who is your audience? While you did describe the flavour progression, I am curious to know how many of us know what tuberose & sisal, camacho plant and groaning vines taste like? These are not even close to common taste notions (are they?? maybe I'm the one lacking culture here...). Without a common point of reference, the information is useless. This and the fact that you had to be so verbose in the defence of your own review style cements my point that you are trying to be clever. Don't get me wrong, you are succeeding quite well at this. However, if you want your message/opinion to be useful to a greater number of people, it needs to be clearer. Just because we like chocolate, does not mean we are all as smart as you might hope we are.Your point about not liking the chocolate did come through, but the specifics are a little confusing.

The Fine Art of Chocolate ... Criticism

Posted in: Opinion

From Gwen-"I suggest in typical maternal fashion, that the industry should play nicely......By using kindness and temperance in reviews, it gives the producer time to develop and grow into a better producer."Wise words. Meanness and vendettas should never be used. Anyone who makes the expenditure of time, money, and sweat to make chocolate can't be all bad. I think that all negative reviews should be gentle, subtle, and even use inference to give the message.But, if done in the right spirit, it's still helpful to all concerned to know about really bad chocolate.

The Fine Art of Chocolate ... Criticism

Posted in: Opinion

I think that Gwen and Langdon both make excellent points. The difference lies in the character of the reviewer and their intention with the review. But if I find a reviewer that I trust I'm glad to listen to his/her negative reviews. I'd rather save my money and taste something else.That's why I've really appreciated lists such as " The World's Worst Chocolate Bars "by TCL member and seventypercent.com reviewer Hans-Peter Rot. I'd like to know what to avoid. (Although I thought that the Theo Venezuela 91% bar was the best bar I've tasted [of the 5 I've tried] in the 90-99% class.)

The Fine Art of Chocolate ... Criticism

Posted in: Opinion

I'm sure that this is generally true, but I wonder if Amedei charges more for its Chuao bar because of all of the awards and great reviews that its received? (I also wonder why all Amedei products are so expensive? I've assumed that it's just their marketing I bet you'd be surprised. IMO chocolate makers would be foolish not to read reviews. An informed review is a great source to know how well they've succeeded in their goals. I also surmise that a review from a person with your stature in the industry carries a lot of weight. I can imagine that if you reviewed a bar as really bad that a wise chocolate maker would take steps to change what was bad in it. (OK, they might only listen when quite a few trusted reviewers said the same things, but you'd still be an influential part of that.) I can even imagine that if Clay said sth like, "I wish this bar tasted more like X" they might even make some changes.As a well informed average consumer I find chocolate reviews, blogs, and awards to be great sources of deciding what I'll buy next amid the hundreds of choices out there. So reviews do have an eventual economic effect. That must be why chocolate makers send credible people free chocolate to review.

The Fine Art of Chocolate ... Criticism

Posted in: Opinion

Very reasonable additions Clay.

The Fine Art of Chocolate ... Criticism

Posted in: Opinion

Langdon - to your point I certainly agree that, overall, the body of reviews has done a lot for the business of wine as well as for wine lovers everywhere.To open and frank I would add that approachable and understandable are values that I look for in reviews. - Clay

The Fine Art of Chocolate ... Criticism

Posted in: Opinion

Clay, I think that you have missed the point that I was making about wine reviewing.My point was: the body of work created by _all_ reviewers of wine (not Robert Parker or any other reviewer alone) has acted to help the wine making industry to lift its quality, even the cheapest bottle of wine on the shelf has benefited from the industry of wine reviewing.Open and frank discussion of the quality of wine, or chocolate, or any other product gives everyone (including the manufacturer regardless of how large or small they are) the opportunity to discuss the product's strengths and weaknesses. The maturity and very high standards of wine making the world over is testament to that.

The Fine Art of Chocolate ... Criticism

Posted in: Opinion

Gwen:If I may edit a quote from your post ..."I abhor the use of art as a status symbol. I refuse to watch others take something that is a simple pleasure and turn it into something that can only be understood by "special" people. ..."This is the essence of Dewey's point and why I saw the connection between "Art" and chocolate. What I think we have to be mindful of is not letting words - or the people writing them - become more important than what is being written about. When that happens, the world becomes a poorer place.The recent back and forth between you and Langdon also brings up another very good point when it comes to reviews: it is important to know the background, biases, and related views of the person doing the reviewing as well as having a body of reviews to look at. That way, you can determine if the person doing the reviewing a) shares your views about things generally, and b) has any axes to grind.Reviews can be helpful, but they can also be detrimental, hurtful, or both, and it is often difficult to discern what factors motivate the person doing the reviewing. The challenge we face is to pick a source of reviews to trust. It is the lack of a basis for establishing trust in a reviewer that is problematic. For me, the tone of a review is often enough for me to dismiss a review as well as a reviewer (that's my basic problem with what Mark wrote - the tone just irritates the heck out of me; others will certainly react differently - YMMV). From what you wrote I sense you have similar experiences.I have to agree with Mark that it is possible to make objective comparisons - this bar of chocolate is not as good as that bar of chocolate and this is why. If someone paying close attention does this often enough, it's possible for them to develop an objective sense for what constitutes a "good" or "great" bar of chocolate as opposed to an "ordinary" or "bad" bar of chocolate and to explain why.However, that does not give the reviewer the right to make anyone feel bad for liking something they don't like. That's where I find reviews cross the line - when personal opinion somehow becomes objective "truth." I may not like white zinfandel, but it's not my place to ridicule someone who does. I may not like white chocolate all that much, but it's not my place to ridicule someone who does. It is possible to objectively "know" that a chocolate is not all that good, but still like it anyway.As I wrote my book, my feelings about my role as a chocolate critic changed. I no longer saw myself as needing to "own" the best rating system and most comprehensive collection of reviews. In part because, unlike with Robert Parker, there is no economic value in the rating: giving a bar a high rating does nothing to affect the market price of the bar. Also unlike Parker (and this is where I disagree somewhat with Langdon's opinion on wine reviews specifically), it is unlikely that I am going to be able to influence chocolate makers to make chocolate that appeals to my taste preferences just to get a good review from me. Because there is no economic value to them in doing so. You are right, Gwen, in perceiving that this is because there is no collector market for chocolate; chocolate does not increase in value with age, only perceived scarcity.Today, I perceive my goal not as being "the" arbiter of good and bad chocolate (which is where I started out in February, 1994 when I first got the idea to do this in the first place). Instead, I strive to help people understand what it is they like about the chocolate they like to eat. This is a very different goal and a very different process.Nonetheless, people ask me to rate and review specific chocolates. I now do this in two parts - one part is personal, whether I do or do not like it and why; the other is to compare the chocolate, using scales I have devised, with the characteristics of the uncounted hundreds of other chocolates I have eaten, that "objective sense" I wrote about a few paragraphs back.

The Fine Art of Chocolate ... Criticism

Posted in: Opinion

Gwen, you wrote:"Miserable people publish scathing reviews"It sounds like you have someone specific in mind here, would you care to fill us in?In response to your comment about food and fashion, I would point out that the wine industry has a very strong culture of review. Rather than undermining the industry, this has enhanced it by helping to develop standards, improve quality and transparency. It also encourages competition.Having frank and open discussion is beneficial to any industry.The chocolate industry could have a worse role model than the wine industry.

The Fine Art of Chocolate ... Criticism

Posted in: Opinion

Gwen, an entire industry exists around the world providing product review and comment. Think of motor magazines for instance, or consumer guides like Choice Magazine in Australia. They review products and rate them based on their performance. If the product is lousy and doesn't represent value for money, or doesn't do what it claims, or is poorly constructed then the reviewer will say so.There is nothing unfair about this process; it is the responsibility that you take when you sell or give something to someone. If you take a person's money in exchange for a product or service - or give it to them for free in the hope that they will promote it for you - then it is only reasonable that the recipient is free to comment on the product.In my opinion, the only time a product should be vociferously slammed is if it deserves it. Manufacturers have a very powerful voice in the marketing and advertising that they use to promote their products. Critical review is the consumers' right of reply. A right that defamation laws around the world protect, so clearly our societies value that right.

The Fine Art of Chocolate ... Criticism

Posted in: Opinion

It's now about a week since Sam posted this and I have to admit that my feelings about this post and its content have been all over the map. I have to thank Casey, again, for her advice to me just after I started TheChocolateLife that TheChocolateLife will only thrive if I let go of controlling everything that goes on here. So I did not immediately respond telling myself to wait a week before doing anything.In reading all of the comments, corresponding with Sam, and thinking about the way the thread has evolved I have come to the conclusion that it was inappropriate for me to include Mark's post anonymously, out-of-context, and without letting him know about it. Without trying to get into a he-said/he-said argument, I don't think that Mark's representation of our correspondence is complete. It's not inaccurate, but it's not complete.To everyone who's read this and felt any unease at all, I apologize.One thing I did not contemplate was that there would be ChocolateLife members who would recognize Mark based on the small snippet I quoted.I went looking on the Internet for information about Mark and could not find anything that provided anything useful about him with respect to chocolate. All I could find was references to his other business, an online travel booking service.I did ask Mark to provide some background about himself so I could know what his experience and credentials were and where he was coming from. He replied that he would but eventually I got no response from him. I was interested in knowing what ChocolateLife members thought about Mark's approach, so I made the original post unaware that anyone here would be able to figure out whose writing I was quoting. (If anyone can point me to a collection of Mark's writings on the Internet, I am still very interested in reading them.)One of my main complaints with what Mark has to say is not what he said but how he chose to get them posted - through a third party. By posting his remarks that way, Mark effectively removed himself from having to take responsibility for what he posted. He had his say and said, in effect, that he did not care enough for the community here to care to hear how we might respond. Citing Groucho Marx ("I don't care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members") is startlingly unoriginal.You may not know that it is not my decision to require people to become members in order to post. That is the way the software is set up; I don't do it to be exclusionary or to force anyone to do anything, the site is set up that way because that's how the software is set up. Same principal as Facebook. However, I believe that joining is a good requirement because a) it reduces spam posts exponentially, and b) it requires members to take some measure responsibility for what they write.One of my primary goals with TheChocolateLife was to create a place that wasn't all about me and what I thought. That's what I'd been doing for seven years on chocophile.com. Many of you may not know that even though you are required to join TheChocolateLife to contribute, I do not moderate anything that is posted before it goes live on the site. I do respond to complaints about content that members think is inappropriate and try as hard as I can to resolve those complaints privately. Several times this year, members have taken me aside (figuratively) and told me that I had made a mistake responding publicly in a particular way. I have taken steps both public and private to reach out and make amends.I wonder, when Mark get's the C-Spot up and running, whether he will have the same respect for others who take issue what he has to say and how he says it.:: ClayBTW, I am copying Mark on his private e-mail so he'll know my response.

The Fine Art of Chocolate ... Criticism

Posted in: Opinion

James:Cogent and to the point.I do agree with you, that simple, understandable, descriptors and some sort of rating, whether it is numerical (as most are) or descriptive (as mine is) can be a great help.My only quibble with what you write is that if I had a bar that I described with -flavors: mold, dirt; crumbly texture;- on a scale of 1-5 I might be tempted to give it a 0 as I like the idea of a ratings system that offers assessments that are literally "off the charts" for truly good (and bad) experiences.With respect to your comment on Dewey I happen to think that the only thing lacking in my characterization of a chocolate as "tastes like crap only crap tastes better" is the assignment of the lowest possible rating (Bad, I could find nothing remotely redeemable about this chocolate) on the 7 position ratings scale I use. At that point, "crap with hazelnut and roasty notes" doesn't seem to match my opinion; however "crap with an oppressive, lingering finish that attacks the tonsils with the tenacity of a pit bull" seems completely on-target because humor is always appropriate in these situations, showing that I am serious about the review, and I don't take myself too seriously which is an issue I have with the review I cite here.:: Clay

The Fine Art of Chocolate ... Criticism

Posted in: Opinion

Agreed.I think that writing something critical is worth doing if not to help others to decide whether their tastes match yours but at least to help remember what it was that you did not like about it. There have been many times I've noted that a movie, or a restaurant, or a book was bad, but when I came to think of what it was that was bad about it, I couldn't remember, which often led me to try it again! And only then do I remember what it was that was awful about it. So, at least to help jog the memory, it's worth jotting down a few notes.Now, for the point regarding Dewey. I'd say there a couple of distinct ways in reviewing something. There is the simple analytical approach which is appreciative to the reader when she would like to make a decision as to whether it's worth her time/money to invest in the reviewed object. Something simple, like flavors: cherry, hazelnut aftertaste; melts in mouth; 4 out of 5 stars (on the reviewer's 5 star scale which can be correlated to your own 5 star scale). Or flavors: mold, dirt; crumbly texture; 1 out of 5.Then, there's the review for review's sake which in itself becomes an art form. The object of the review is no longer center stage, but the review and by extension the author themselves are now in the spotlight. I find if I'm at all receptive to this type of review, it's only because I happen to be reading a biography/memoir of the author (say, Jane Goodall's take on marmite in Harvest for Hope or Anthony Bourdain's review of fermented shark in No Reservations). I think this kind of review is for the most part not worth doing, unless explicitly requested.

The Fine Art of Chocolate ... Criticism

Posted in: Opinion

I think that your absolutely correct about this review. I think it is tough enough to make good chocolate. There are almost an infinite amount of variables that affect flavor. How many flavors the human mind can describe are less. On one hand descriptions of "dirt, sand, mud" while they convey a mental flavor- how many chocophiles do you know that have closed their eyes, and TASTED, while chewing only 3 times and swirling it all around their palate with a pen and paper describe that experience, and then rinse their mouth out and repeat with sand.In attempting to be accurate, the descriptions are so specific, it leaves very little wiggle room for the brain to translate. I often wonder if I should give tasting notes. I want the flavors to stand up on their own that anyone paying attention (key component) would be able to write them themselves. After all, isn't that the appreciative element of eating chocolate?I recently dropped around $300 in fine chocolate in the US and tasted it with my parents. We had a great time describing to one and other the different flavors.One of the bars was a taste pack from Amedei. To me, the Jamaica bar tasted very similar to a raisinette. Great dark chocolate flavor, with a creamy "dairy/buttery" texture (I find this common in Amedei that the texture makes me think of milk chocolate even when it is dark) paired with purple raisins. Now I didn't want to say raisinette. I kept it to myself. When both my parents, and later friends said that it was dead on raisinette-that shared experience was greater by all of us being able to come to it on our own senses.Isn't that what we strive for in making great chocolate? That our customers taste and perceive what we do- even when we don't tell them.However some people need some kind of map-so I understand giving flavor notes. But lay off the metaphors and diatribes (I apologize for this one, I have a batch of chocolate in the melanguer and have probably ingested too much and will be up for the rest of the night!)

The Fine Art of Chocolate ... Criticism

Posted in: Opinion

You're right, this person is just trying to be clever. I think there are enough examples of chocolate/food/wine critique out there to know that there is a clear standard (not-so-clever and maybe a bit boring) way to describe these things: What flavours do you taste (and in what order), what are your impressions of the physical texture and what is your overall impression of the balance of ingredients (mass/fat/sugar/other)? It should be pretty straight forward. As was mentionned in an entry by Samantha Madell, speaking in metaphors will likely confuse the reader. (what DOES an orchid lost in a dirty noisy city taste like anyway?). That is not a clear form of communication. The art is in making the chocolate and eating the chocolate, not in the critique. I don't read tasters notes to be emotionally moved.We should be aware however that with enough clearly communicated critique, the art of both making and tasting chocolate can/will be elevated.

The Fine Art of Chocolate ... Criticism

Posted in: Opinion

While I knew before I entered high school that I wanted to pursue photography as a career, it wasn't until I was in my freshman year in college that I was exposed to a formal philosophy of Art in the form of John Dewey's Art as Experience. To paraphrase Dewey:1) Art "works" because all humans share the same emotions. Granted, we experience those emotions differently, but we all experience the same range of emotions.2) Art consists of two things:a) The process a person goes through to make an art objectb) The experience a viewer has with an art objectDewey is emphatic that the art object (painting, drawing, sculpture, bar of chocolate, etc.) has no intrinsic value. Art objects "become valuable" because of their ability to evoke responses in viewers. Because we all experience emotions differently, the same art object might be more valuable (i.e., it evokes strong emotions) to some people and less valuable to others (i.e., evokes weak or no emotions). Art objects are neither good nor bad in any abstract universal sense; they are more or less successful depending on a viewer's experience of them, or, as Dewey says, "with and in" a person's experience.Above all, Dewey cautions, art is not words or ideas and it is important not to let words and ideas become more important than our experiences and emotions. To do so, he suggests, puts "Art" at arm's length, removed from our every day experience of life and places it in a realm that is accessible only to those who know how to manipulate the vocabulary of "Art." Dewey believes that art is in everything and everyone all the time - that any act that anyone derives any sort of aesthetic satisfaction from is art - for them. And that the audience of one is enough.I bring all this up as a prologue to a question I want to ask anyone on TheChocolateLife who wants to answer it. It concerns writing about chocolate and what sorts of descriptions are useful and usable. I've been having a correspondence with someone who was copied on an e-mail that I was also copied on last week. The e-mail asked if any of us had tried a particular bar of (raw) chocolate. In a few hours, the following response was sent to everyone:Had the 78% with Nibs. Clearly CCN material (no matter what the new chocophiles try to proclaim ["if well-processed... ba ba ba"], it ain't the Ecuador of yore).Decent temper held out hope that maybe this received a proper conch ala Divine Organics. Alas, no such luck. Raw as it ever was: evasive chocolate flavor typical for raw bars with agave hard on its heels controlling the progression to... nowhere really, except reflecting back to that sweetener's prickly self. Then comes a cold bitter in rear recesses. Eventually tuberose & sisal, camacho plant, groaning vines & brambles in the dirt of the after-math toward a microbial fest (worms digesting molds, spores, bacteria, etc.)At 22% agave annhilates cacao until that after-life when the dregs react to the beating by discombobulating the bowels, wrenching then pulling out the intestines Bruce Lee style to show you your guts. It takes massive balls to sell this stuff at all... let alone for $11.Even though I've been eating chocolate with the intent of figuring out how to describe what I was experiencing, this description lost me in the first sentence because I was put off by my perception of the author's disdain for people who disagreed with one of his beliefs. I certainly do know that the author does not like the chocolate, but I was left with the impression that the author was trying to be too clever by half. With reference to Dewey, the words had somehow become more important than the chocolate.For as long as I can remember, my father has been telling me, "If it's not worth doing, it's not worth doing well," and I realize that I would apply that approach to a review of a bar that I disliked as much as this author did. Rather than waste time performing feats of linguistic gymnastics, my tendency would be to write something like, "This bar of chocolate tasted like crap only crap tastes better." I think this conveys the essential critique of the chocolate (i.e., don't waste the money or the calories). It does not provide, however, any descriptions of what I thought the chocolate actually tasted like. But - if it's not worth doing, why do it well?My question to all of you is - what do you want to see?
updated by @Clay Gordon: 04/24/15 11:12:59

Aging chocolate

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

What would the difference with ageing and not storing chocolate correctly in airtight bags? wouldnt it age if stored improperly, but within the proper temp and humidity of course.

Aging chocolate

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I'm jealous, not only have I not received my copy, which was ordered from amazon a month and a half ago, it will take me another few weeks to get it to Israel.So I think a summary on beta VI crystals should follow in some forum. If I read you correctly, what you are saying is by using beta VI crystals to temper, applying high shear and sufficient cooling will produce stable V crystals.It seems that the issue of melt may or may not be related. I've experimented with several different mold dimensions and also the size of pieces eaten to try and pin down texture. Besides, conching, proper tempering,a certain amount of aging, the amount of chewing will also determine the quality of melting. Since VI has a higher melting point I'd imagine the texture to be different (my association with waxy chocolate is compound chocolate from my youth).I 've noticed that my chocolate in the winter is different that it was several months ago. I also was recently told that Hershey's had different formulas for their chocolate based on the seasons as well.All the bestJo

Aging chocolate

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Jo,Well, I just got the new edition.Pages 306-307 are of interest to this conversation. It seems that chocolate seeded with Beta VI, but cooled quickly enough that Beta V crystals don't have time to migrate to Beta VI crystals--which around 90-91 F apparently takes from 30 minutes to an hour--will lead to a Beta V crystalline structure. So, since we are cooling quickly at much lower temperatures, the idea is that there is very little/no risk of many Beta VI crystals forming, which would result in, as I suspected, "a waxy mouth-feel that is commonly associated with the BVI state.This is certainly the most information I've ever seen on the issue of seeding with Beta VI. Very interesting.Best,Alan

Aging chocolate

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Jo,Sorry for the wait. I just took a look in the Science of Chocolate, and I found the line that you were referring to. It doesn't give any real explanation of exactly how the Beta VI as a product impacts the temper when added to molten chocolate, except to say that it has a positive impact. We know that it is "seeding," but not the mechanism by which the seeding works, and how it is different than seeding with chocolate containing a large percentage of Beta V crystals.I still have a hard time believing that chocolatiers would want chocolate with a large proportion of Beta VI crystals, which would result in a waxy and slow-to-melt texture. That said, before I comment anymore on the issue, I'd like to receive my copy of the new Industrial Chocolate Manufacture edition where there is sure to be more explanation and science that will clarify the issue, and at the least, should allow us to track down the papers on which such statements are based for further research.Best,Alan

Aging chocolate

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I actually ordered the new one while in the states, and have been waiting very patiently to get it!

Aging chocolate

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Hi Jo,You keep catching me at the end of the day away from my books and papers. The Beckett book that I was referencing was Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use, but I know that the updated Science of Chocolate does contain some sections that include more recent studies. I'll have to take a look tomorrow.By the way, it looks like a new edition of Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use has been released as of today: http://www.amazon.com/Industrial-Chocolate-Manufacture-Steve-Beckett/dp/1405139498/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229390092&sr=8-1 I bet that the cocoa butter crystallization section and the tempering section will be taking into consideration more recent studies from the past 9 years since the last edition. I'm going to have to buy it. Is anyone interested in a copy of the last edition from 1999 that is in very good condition?Alan

Aging chocolate

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In Beckett's "Science of Chocolate", page 111 he states,"Recently a method has been developed to produce small cocoa butter crystals by spray chilling. Once they have transformed to form VI, they are used to seed chocolate."I think the importance of seeding is the size of the fat crystal used as seed-as beckett mentions later and the distribution. I agree that is hard to REALLY know what works better, it just seems that since melting form VI into form V in chocolate held at say 104F, would provide the necessary seed. Form V would probably melt before it could act as seed.Although this is just my understanding- definitely open to being told I'm wrong.

Aging chocolate

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The idea of tempering with beta 6 seems odd to me for two reasons:Firstly is the fact that the standard chocolate literature, such as Beckett, always claims that it is very difficult to form beta 6 crystals quickly and directly.Secondly, and most importantly from my perspective, is the fact that beta 6 crystals have a melting point of 97 F as opposed to the 93-95 F of Beta 5, which impacts melting properties.Because of the first reason, I have my doubts about beta 6 crystals being useful for tempering, and regarding the second, I don't see why increasing the melting temperature to the detriment of mouthfeel, even if the end result is a slightly more shelf-stable product, would be something most chocolate makers/chocolatiers would want to do.That said, I know that there is a product on the market called Beta 6 that, similarly to Mycryo, is supposed to seed completely untempered chocolate. I still have my doubts about it regarding whether any beta 6 crystals are actually catalyzing additional beta 6 crystal growth, but admittedly, cocoa butter crystallization is a very complex topic, and even the experts don't know everything there is to know, so you won't find me defending my position dogmatically if relevant information comes to light to the contrary.Either way, it is interesting to think about.

Aging chocolate

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Alan,I just wanted to clarify regarding beta 6-maybe you can help me understand this better. My point about the beta 6 formation was not that aging would produce a better eating chocolate. But it seems usingbeta 6 as seed produces a better temper, and this only occurs over time. It seems to me that you would not want to melt all of your aged chocolate but maybe only 2/3 and use the rest to temper.

Aging chocolate

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holycacao,Thanks for the link. I hadn't considered what might occur as a result of mixing in the fermented acids into the bar.I have some Ocumare chocolate that I haven't touched for about 8 months in a glass container + plastic lid and so far it seems to have just gotten "flatter." It just doesn't have the same punch in once had. Maybe I'll give it a go on more of a schedule, set aside some chocolate and taste it on a monthly basis.Alan,Great quote. I had been going a similar line of thinking regarding aging and conching (I'm guessing the part of conching which is intended to drive off volatiles and not really so much of fat dispersion/coating and particle shape molding). That aging seemed to be a way to compensate for unwanted flavors caused by an earlier step in the process (acidity / astringency from fermentation). But, it seems that there is more going on.As for oxidation, it seems then a vacuum packed chocolate may not age as well? What do you store your chocolate in?Also, thanks for the info regarding re-tempering. The changing of the fat crystals had me wondering whether it was a good thing or bad. So do you recommend to eat chocolate as soon as possible after it has been properly re-tempered?One other thing that keeps coming to my mind is that the beans are roasted, similar to coffee and other seeds and nuts. With these other roasted products, aging only causes the loss of the desired roast flavor. Does aged chocolate undergo a change in its roast flavor?

Aging chocolate

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Hi James,Let me post a section of an interview that I did for Cocoa Content: http://www.cocoacontent.com/interview_patric.html My response also includes an interesting quote from life-long chocolate industry insider, the late L. Russell Cook, that may interest you." CC: Do you age your chocolate, and if so, how much importance do you place in aging?Yes, I do age my chocolate. It is aged in large blocks prior to tempering and molding, and I think that aging definitely does make a positive difference in overall flavor, at least that is what my taste-buds and nose tell me based on aging my own chocolate. Let me quote an interesting passage written by L. Russell Cook from his excellent book Chocolate Production and Use:The deliberate aging of chocolate has for many years been recognized as an important part of the manufacturing process of high quality dark chocolate, in that it develops flavors that can be acquired in no other way. It is true that conching accomplishes some of the purposes of aging, but it cannot substitute for it. Just what scientific explanation could clarify the causes or effects of aging, no one knows. Oxidation and chemical interaction among complex organic compounds of the material we know as chocolate undoubtedly take place, but that is a most unsatisfactory answer to the question of just what occurs. All that we know is that some of the most prized dark chocolates ever made are quite ordinary and, in some cases, almost objectionable when freshly made. Yet, when aged three to six months, these products are truly food of the gods.It is interesting to see that 25-30 years after this passage was written, there really still arent many scientific studies that would explain flavor changes during aging. We understand better that cacao and chocolate absorb oxygen fairly readily, which may allow for the oxidation changes that Cook describes, and it is clearer, according to some authors, what some of the chemical changes possible during storage may be, such as an increase of furans, chemicals responsible for toasty and caramel flavors, and development of sulfur compounds that likely impact the chocolate flavor in a positive way, but these explanations are still rather rudimentary, and since large companies, who have the funds to hire food scientists/technologists, do not age their chocolate, I would be surprised if much more scientific data would be added in the coming years. So, we are left with having to use old-fashioned scientific instruments to tell if aging makes a differenceour noses and mouths. "Let me also add that though Holy Cacao is right about crystal type migration over time, aged chocolate is, in every case that I have heard of, melted down and tempered after aging, so that the crystals are all destroyed and temper must be restored prior to molding. In other words, aging shouldn't have any impact on texture as it relates to crystal types in these cases. Also, since Beta 6 crystals actually have a higher melting point than Beta 5, if chocolate were to be mostly composed of Beta 6 crystals, it would not melt as readily in the mouth, and would, therefore, lead to a worse mouthfeel.Also, I am one of those chocolate makers who ages my chocolate, and I make no secret of it, and though I guess that anything that is mentioned is marketing in some since, my decision to age the chocolate is not based upon wanting to market it more effectively, but rather upon flavor, and actually, I can tell you that most people absolutely do not pay attention, at least at this point, to the details of chocolate making such as aging, or even conching. 99.99% of the people who eat my chocolate have no clue that I age the chocolate, and even when they do find out, they rarely seem to care particularly. They just care about flavor. That being the case, it it were just marketing, it would be a pretty dumb business decision on my part as it requires me to spend a significant amount of money on cacao and labor prior to busy chocolate sales seasons just to get enough chocolate on the shelves every week to supply my estimated weekly need down the line.Finally, to answer your question from another perspective, I don't think that it is the aging of chocolate that puts it into a league with other products such as cheese, wine, beer, and balsamic. I think that it is the overall complexity of the product in terms of preparation and flavor, including that fact that the cacao from which chocolate is made is both fermented and roasted, a claim that only a handful of other foods can boast. And anyway, fermentation, at the least, is something shared by the other foods mentioned above.Very best,Alan

Aging chocolate

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James,I have tasted my own chocolate over the course of months and find that the flavor does undergo some change-how much I can not say, but there is a change. Flavors don't necessarily mellow, but I think they "unify" with one and other. (Apologize for the ambiguity in the word choice, but that's how I'd describe it)DeVries says he is able to leave more acids in the chocolate, (conching in a very traditional roller style conche) and by aging 6 months those acids also age and mature like wine. http://m.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/14/a-conversation-with-steve-devries-chocolate/ Another possible reason for aging chocolate would be for stable beta crystal formation. I don't have the references in front of me, but I believe that Minifie and Beckett both talk about the most stable form of beta crystals only being able to form off of solid chocolate-hence the commno practice to "seed" melted chocolate with tempered solid chocolate. I my observations, the quality of temper is just as critical to the taste of the final product as the rest of the processing.I recently tasted 2 Cluizel Los Ancones bars, one in perfect temper, and one fat bloomed- I cursed Dean and Deluca for overcharging me for a terrible tasting bar, but when I received a new bar in the mail, I was blown away by the taste.I'll give you an anecdote that I recently heard from Steve De Vries-you can take it how you like(he might be one of the pioneers of this practice). He told me that a colleague of his had tried chocolate in germany that was aged for 20 years and it was described to have many similar aged flavor traits as a fine single malt scotch. Regardless its worth the experiment to set aside some chocolate to se what happens to it over the course of time.I think, like Steve does, that there are so many possible flavors that can come from chocolate- everything from the tree all the way to the processing and possibly storage and aging affect flavor. Although it will take a long time to experiment with the technique of long aging, it may prove to be a new (or old if you ask De Vries) vehicle for more flavors in the finished product.