Forum Activity for @Molly Drexelius

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Hi Skip,So HVC doesn't own or grow any of their own chocolate anymore? I read on their site that they claim to have made a new distinct variety of cacao (Hawaiian).From what I gather above, HVC was sold and is now Original Hawaiian? Is that where HVC gets some of their "Hawaiian" beans?

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

I'm glad to hear that your marketing will be improved so that you can reach a wider market with your excellent chocolate! Waialua Estates is one of the best I've tasted and reviewed (of >310). My review notes are attached. I look forward to tasting it again. Is it available anywhere on the mainland other than at Chocosphere?P.S.- I bought my first Waialua Estates from Melanie at Sweet Paradise in Kailua Nov 2008 when I was visiting from NC. My real name is Lowe.

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

I think the Waialua Estate will be a big seller eventually, specially once the packaging (- Dole logo) and the bar size change, the chocolate speaks for itself. Farsheed, The Chocolate Guy Hawaii.

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

We will be featuring Waialua Estate at our new Sweet Paradise Chocolatier Kings Shops location at Waiakoloa Beach Resort on the Big Island and I will be joint venturing with Ocean Sports on the Kohala Coast to present wine and Hawaiian chocolate tastings on a sunset sail.And Derek, that cake was really awesome!

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Clay, You are right that Waialua Estate Chocolate has not been marketed well, but we are working on that.Our website is under construction at waialuaestate.com with a few photos of the farm and processing. There will be information on both the Cacao and Coffee we grow and a listing of places where you can get bars, confections, desserts and good coffee.We also are getting more active in our public outreach with the "Taste of Waialua" events at the Old Sugar Mill in Waialua, and the Kona Chocolate Festival where we recently presented a flourless chocolate cake with Cocoa Outlet and won first place Peoples Choice Award and 2nd place for professional dessert (after Melannie at Sweet Paradise Chocolate) .So we are making our debut and listening to feedback and looking for opportunities to take our products to market.I will do my best to keep up with discussions and can be reached at info@waialuaestate.com.Aloha,Derek

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

send me an email of who you contacted and I'll give you a few names.I have them at my shop.hawaiichocolate@gmail.com

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Does anyone here know of a source for Hawaiian cacao beans? I have contacted several farms directly, and cannot get a return phone call. I dont need a lot - even 1-5lbs would be enough, as this is for a Dept of Agriculture project and not for production. If anyone can guide me in the right direction, it would be appreciated.Thanks!

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Malie Kai is made from Dole's Waialua Chocolate. They sell the 55% and Milk Chocolate, also flavored bars like Kona Coffe, Lemon Mac nut etc..Dole grows and markets Waialua Estate 70%.( processed by Guittard) . They are packaged in a pack of 5 small bars and (unfortunately) have the Dole Logo on the box.To date it the best chocolate in Hawaii that is marketed, I've tasted some better that are not yet marketed.I sell all the Hawaiian Chocolate in my store, except Vintage who is not really a player here anymore. There are also many small farms producing chocolate they sell locally but do not market outside Hawaii as they don't have the means to make or wrap the bars in a manner that would allow them to be widely distributed. www.sweetparadisechocolate.com

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Aloha Olorin,Back in the mid 80s Jim Walsh left Chicago and settled in Hawaii. He wanted tostart a chocolate business and collected advanced cacao selections from Malaysia and Phillipines. These materails were planted in Keeau, east side of Hawaii island. He sort farmers who would grow and sell their beans to him. One of the farmers was a retired professor Dr. Clarence Hodges who had recently moved to Kona, west side of Hawaii island. I was on his farm when the hydralic ram dug the holes in the a'a lava field. Attached is a photo of him a year or so later. His health deteriorated, he returned to the mainland, died and his farm was purchased by Bob and Pam Cooper. They rehabilitated the orchard and built the 'Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory'. So they are not the original commercial farm but they are as the name implies the first chocolate factory in Hawaii.

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

i lived in hawaii for years and always shopped at the dole estate... when i discovered the chocolate there i never bought it anywhere else. i love the local flavour of it..... got my local coffee beans just down the road as well.wonderful chocolate.... if you visit.... dont miss it !

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

When I was attending the Hawaii Cacao 2005 conference organized by Pam Williams of Ecole Chocolat, one of the speakers (and it may even have been Skip) mentioned that they've been trying to grow cacao commercially in Hawaii since the 1850s without much success.However, Skip is right that Hawaiian Vintage preceded Original Hawaiian by more than 2.5 years - as least as measured from the dates they started selling chocolate online (Vintage in Jan '99 and Original in Dec '01). By the same measure, Malie Kai didn't start until Dec 04.You are right that the Waialua Estate is not marketed well. Despite having consumer products, Guittar is not a consumer products company - and it shows in their marketing.

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

I'm extremely skeptical about the claims that Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate make for the benefits of "intentional" chocolate.

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Are you sure about this? I wonder if the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory was one of the first, if not the first in Hawaii?Malie Kai has marketed their bars well so it's easier to find.IMO the Waialua Estate chocolate by Dole is the best Hawaiian I've tasted. But it's not marketed well, so it's hard to find info about it on the web. The Chocolate Bar database has the most info I could find and there are some discussions about it on the seventypercent forums too.

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate started the modern Hawaii Chocolate industry. There are 100% Hawaii-grown chocolates sold by Dole from its Waialua, Oahu estate , Malie Kai which also uses Waialua beans, Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory, Kona, Hawaii island to mention a few.

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Susie Norris sheds gives some information about Hawaiian chocolate in her blog post .

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Any reviews of Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory? I'm currently tasting their Criollo Dark bar.How about Malie Kai? They seem to be a fondeur. Can anyone confirm that?How about Private Reserve? I'm not sure if they make bars or just chocolate sauce. They say their chocolate comes from beans grown on the North Shore of O'ahu.

Hawaiian Chocolate

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Has anyone tried Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate ? If so, what do you think?Are they bean to bar?Their website is vague about the beans they actually use. (Not a good sign.) For example, they say here . "As agricultural conditions vary from year to year and season to season, each year's product will contain a different percentage of Hawaiian grown cocoa beans. " What other beans are they using to supplement when the Hawaiian supplies are low? What island of HI are their Hawaiian beans grown on?I'd appreciate more info from those who might know.
updated by @ChocoFiles: 04/21/15 16:15:32

wwoof-ing on a cacao plantation

Posted in: Travels & Adventures

Hi,I'm interested in becoming a wwoof (willing workers on organic farms) on a cacao plantation. Preferably in Mexico (but willing to look at opportunities in all of Central America and India as well). Has anybody had any experience and have any recommendations? I much appreciate it!James
updated by @James Cary: 04/09/15 12:20:32

Your Top 10 Favorite Chocolate Experiences of 2008

Posted in: Opinion

As we near the end of the year, it's customary to look back and reflect on what exactly the heck happened and to try to make some sense of it. My local radio station has a Top 1043 songs of all time list that they compile each year from listener votes.Now, this is of course an unscientific sampling that may not result in anything that can be considered statistically valid. But it will be meaningful to everyone here on TheChocolateLife, so please share. The cutoff for adding your list is New Year's Eve.There will be at least one prize for the most interesting list(s) (and it has to be true!, well mostly). I am not sure that the prize(s) will be yet but it will probably have something to do with chocolate. I am going to judge the entries (my own will not be eligible for a prize).Questions? Comments? Lists? This is the place to look back on 2008 and let everyone know about your year of chocolate highlights.:: Clay
updated by @Clay Gordon: 04/19/15 17:15:41

History and origin of Chocolate painting and sculpture.

Posted in: History of Chocolate

Hi, I'm really interested on knowing the history and origin of chocolate art, and also why is people still practising it now? Can someone please drop by and answer me? Thank you!
updated by @Carlos: 04/14/15 23:07:42

Multi-Disciplinary Art/Design Curriculum Using Chocolate

Posted in: Opinion

August 8, 2009 Update: I met with President Maeda last May in New York at a RISD alumni gathering. I mentioned this proposal and was told he had no memory of receiving it. I resent it to him. Still no word.

Multi-Disciplinary Art/Design Curriculum Using Chocolate

Posted in: Opinion

Most of you probably do not know that I am a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, one of the nation's most highly respected art and design schools. Over the Columbus Day weekend in mid-October I attended a major reunion and was asked to speak on a panel about "Life After RISD." I guess parents are comforted by the fact that even though their children might not make it in the art field of their major (mine was photography), they can be successful in other areas. Excited by the experience and meeting the new president, I forwarded on the following proposal for a new program at RISD, which I think could be offered in other contexts. So far I have not heard back from them.Would YOU like to take this class? Can all this be done in six weeks or would it be better as a ten-week summer program? Any other thoughts?ABSTRACTThere are surprisingly few departments at RISD where an exploration of chocolate as medium, object, and/or subject is not relevant:Illustration, Graphic Design, Painting, and Printmaking (surface design, advertising design);Illustration, Graphic Design, and Industrial Design (packaging);Industrial Design (moldmaking);Sculpture, Painting, Illustration (as a medium);Photography, Film, Animation, Video (as object and subject);Apparel, Textiles; and Liberal Arts (history, geography, cultural anthropology, foodways, geopolitics, critical writing).Chocolate as Medium, Object, and Subject for Visual Artists is an inter/multi-disciplinary course in which students explore a broad range of 2- and 3-dimensional design challenges where chocolate is used as a medium of creative expression, the object of design challenges, and the subject of observation and serious literary and artistic critique.During the course of this program, students will be engaged in individual and team projects in 2-D surface design, three-dimensional design and construction, apparel design, user interface and user experience design, and written criticism, among other topics.Projects will include the design and production of multi-colored transfers used to decorate chocolate, designing and producing prototypes for chocolate packaging, designing and producing advertising and collateral materials for a fictional chocolate company, the design and production of prototype 3-D molds for chocolate using a number of manufacturing techniques, using chocolate as a painting medium, using chocolate as a sculptural medium, incorporating chocolate in garments, designing machines to process chocolate, designing a web presence for a fictional chocolate company, and examining the modern culture of cacao and chocolate in developed and developing countries.
updated by @Clay Gordon: 04/13/15 19:07:59

Roasting Cocoa Beans

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

This thread really does belong in the HomeBrew Group. I am closing this thread to further comments and cross-posting this thread in that group.

Roasting Cocoa Beans

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Bette:I offer a variety of beans in 10 pound quantities at quite reasonable prices. I chose this weight because it fits in a USPS Priority Mail flat rate box and because it's a good size to start experimenting with. When you get to the point where you want more beans - no problem. We can offer the same beans listed here in bag quantities (about 100 pounds) and I am working with a ChocolateLife member to secure several tonnes of beans, so we can meet your needs as you grow. We are offering mostly specialty beans with some "value" beans from West Africa and the Dominican Republic.I let Pam Williams know that she can refer to me as a source for beans for her students. Maybe you can check with her about that, too.While it is possible to modify a home coffee roaster in general those machines get too hot and spin too fast. So if you're serious about repeatable results a device like the Behmor - at a minimum - is a must. When your demand grows you can get a professional coffee roaster. They cost a lot more but you can roast a lot more at the same time, too and you will get far more consistent results.There is another thing to consider ... which is where your interest truly lies. Do you want to make chocolate or tinker with machinery? If you want to tinker with machinery then by all means, go ahead. But if you don't and/or aren't mechanically inclined, then don't. Focus on what you want to do and look for ways to accomplish what you want using machines that other people make. The HomeBrew group is the real place to have this discussion and there is already at least one forum thread on equipment.Until then, roasting in the oven works well as Holycacao says and his advice is good. For consistency it make sense to put some sort of ceramic object in the oven. There are liners that you can use, bricks, or the pizza stone. The requirement is to stabilize the temperature of the oven and minimize temperature changes when you open and close the door. Having a lot of ceramic reduces temperature "bounce" to a minimum. I would also recommend not depending on the thermometer in the oven. Buy a separate one with a large dial that you can keep in the oven.Finally, something that Alan McClure of Patric Chocolate said in a talk he gave in New York last year really rung true to me: become an obsessive note taker. Keep track of as many variables as you can think of - including humidity - so that from batch to batch you learn to identify aspects of the environment that affect the chocolate you're making.

Roasting Cocoa Beans

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thanks for your reply. I have already visited chocolatealchemy and read his 'take' on roasting beans.I'm considering taking the on-line course for making chocolate through ecole chocolat next spring.I'm trying to find a less expensive source for larger quantities of cocoa beans to roast.It's a fun journey.

Roasting Cocoa Beans

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

You can roast in your oven, you don't need a coffee roaster, if you have one that will work. The temperatures are lower for roasting cocoa so that's the only place modification may be necessary. You can find lots of info at ChocolateAlchemy.com. I have found that the best way to roast in the oven is to use a baking stone in the oven, preheat for at least 30 minutes @200 c. Then spread the beans in a single layer on a sheet pan-perforated is better (I now use those wire pizza racks/trays). Roasting temperatures and time vary according to bean size and type, desired flavor, and ovens.Before I bought any chocolate making machinery, I would roast and winnow my beans, and then grind them in a coffee grinder with sugar and sometimes vanilla. It was crude chocolate texturally, but delicious nonetheless.As for beans, Clay has many quality varieties on this site, and so does John Nanci at chocolatealchemy.Enjoy, it's a fun path to journey.

Roasting Cocoa Beans

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I want to try roasting my own cocoa beans at home. I stumbled across a 1947 'Home Ec' booklet put out by General Foods (now Kraft) that gave a brief history of cocoa making in the US and talks about the fact that Baker's Chocolate for baking is just roasted and shelled cocoa beans ground up.I understand that there is quite an art to making chocolate. I have looked at options for roasting cocoa beans and I wonder of a coffee roaster could be modified to do the job right.I have been researching vanilla for awhile and I am a friend of 'The Vanilla Queen', Patricia Rain. I have also imported some vanilla beans from the only commercial vanilla bean farmer in Australia. They are lovely.I am in serch of the best and freshest products to use in my own cooking and I hope to promote such to others.I, too, am looking into how I can buy fermented, but not yet roasted cocoa beans of good quality in bulk amounts at favorable prices.
updated by @Bette: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Hello!!

Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Hey everyone!! Nice to be a part of the Chocolate Life!!Just want to share/learn something...How many of you are members of PastryScoop? And if you don't know about them, they do events at FCI in NYC and even have some Chocolate events now and then! And membership is FREE!!! Just go to www.pastryscoop.com
updated by @Deliciosa: 04/17/15 18:51:40

Advice on packaging please

Posted in: Opinion

How on earth do you make inserts ? You amaze me Annette ! joey

Advice on packaging please

Posted in: Opinion

hello Clay, thank you for helping. I do want to show you a photo but i will have to make up a chocolate because i ate the other one ! LOL. never leave a piece of chocolate anywhere near me.. it's fatal for the poor little thing ! So, for now, it is a square shape with a raised design of 2 cupids holding hands. The chocolate is black chocolate and the cupids will be painted gold. Being cupids, they will be lovely for Christmas, valentines, boyfriend/girlfriend gift. it is 5" x 5" and 1" thick. I was thinking around $ 4.00 - $ 5.00 depending on the packaging. I will have more designs later.The other products I make are mostly fudge and caramels... you can see them here on my site..wwwfudgetherapy.wetpaint.com my caramels are moulded in pretty shapes and i sell the flower ones in a little bag... 3 in a bag... with a tag and a ribbon bow. The fairies - 1 per bag. The fudge is cut into bars and wrapped and labeled. Hugs, joey

Advice on packaging please

Posted in: Opinion

Another thing to think about, Joey, is what you are saying about the chocolate with the packaging. Do you remember the market studies that I posted? They took the leading brands of a particular category, say coffee, and they researched the packaging, the colors, texture and size of fonts, where they were placed on the shelf and who bought them? There are lots of questions to ask yourself that you can glean from that article. One that I was greatly challenged with was the placement of my product against another. Mine had to be different, unique, speak to the consumer that I was targeting, and do it thru the packaging. If you want, post a picture of what you are doing, and we can do a collaborative consult for you, free here, and everyone can learn. I have found that a lot of "food" people can be awesome cooks and bakers, but, we all need help when it comes to understanding positioning of our products and packaging.

Advice on packaging please

Posted in: Opinion

Georgina:It's very difficult to talk about this in the abstract. Posting a photo of the item in question, as well as pointing us to other visuals you're using would really help some of us who are struggling to visualize and grasp what you're trying to so.I studied at one of the best design schools in the country and the statements from you. "I want simple and classy..." and "I want an old fashioned font... and lots of gold" don't really help me understand what you're trying to achieve. Annette is right in the sense that you have to know who you are selling to, but there's another point there is that sometimes you get so close to the mechanics of the thing that it's difficult to step back an get a fresh perspective. I totally understand that that is what you're asking for here, but you're keeping from us important information:1) What's the retail price of the product?2) Who is the buyer?3) For themselves? A gift? Impulse item?4) If you don't want to share a picture, can you describe the mold motif?5) Where is the product found (what other kinds of products surround it)?6) How are other products you make packaged?When I work with some of my consulting clients these are all questions that have to get answered before we focus on transparent plastic versus box versus tissue versus crinkle, etc.:: ClayMake sense?:: Clay

Advice on packaging please

Posted in: Opinion

Joey,I am going to be making my own chocolate tray inserts. Yes, it takes a bit of time, but, not much. And I am not totally sure of the outlay. I have different shaped chocolates that I am producing. I, too, want what you want. So, since I can't find a tray or cushion that is a stock item, I am going to make my own. You vacu form it yourself. I do it myself, cause my run is so small, I would never burden someone else, a company, to do it for me. It would be too costly for me, and not worth their time. Making a vacu form machine is a snap, really. I am currently looking for a supplier of the plastic to make the inserts out of. There is a company in Michigan that has the plastic, and a friend advised me of them. You make your own shapes to put on a board, and vacu form over that. Take the plastic off and put it in your box. Viola! You got it! My pictures won't be up on my blog in time to help with this, and you might think of this for the future, not now. If your chocolate can fit into a stock tray, get a chocolate one, as it plays up the richness of the item. The person opens that box and it just says "Enjoy!!!!". What do you think?

Advice on packaging please

Posted in: Opinion

hello Valerie, Thank you for helping. I appreciate it. Cushioning the chocolate is certainly a problem. I have thought of tissue paper.. ugh !, shredded cello even... But it didn't look nice. I know the "big boys' use specially moulded plastic to sit the chockie in, but of course, i can't afford anything like that. A bag.?.. hmmmmmm Might work. I know this is a problem but i am enjoying it all LOL. The more i am thinking now about a bag, the more i like it ! Should i still wrap the chockie in foil to protect it ? Hugs, joey

Advice on packaging please

Posted in: Opinion

How about dropping the box idea and going for a clear bag instead. You could put your label on one side and tie it closed with a nice ribbon. Then you don't have to worry about cushioning the chocolate in a box or having it bounce all around.

Advice on packaging please

Posted in: Opinion

Hi Annette. I want an old fashioned font... and lots of gold. I want the packaging to be very rich.The box I am thinking of ordering is a clear box. i really wanted a box with a clear window but that turned out too expensive. The chocolate itself is square . I thought i could wrap the chocolate in gold foil to keep it fresh ? Though if i do that, no one can see the chocolate ! I suppose i could put a picture of it on top of the box ? This is driving me crazy insane! I will have to make another chocolate to show you because i ate the other one ! hahahahaa. It would certainly be for a gift. I will have different themes so that the gift can be for any reason.Joey

Advice on packaging please

Posted in: Opinion

Joey, unless someone sees the item that you want to package, they can't rightly answer. What is the mold of? Could that hold a key to the way to package it? What is the occasion that the chocolate will be given for? Who to? All these have a bearing on an item.What are you "saying" with your chocolate? What kind of font do you want to use? What shape box? What color? How is it to be distributed?You can see on my blog the fun that I had with developing "Nawtees Chocolates" and the ideas that went behind the label design. You can also see what led up to the "Fournier" laber, too. You have to tell us what you are trying to do with this chocolate...who is it you are offering it to...what they want...what they will buy.With "Nawtees Chocolates" I want to create the idea that one is having a very intense chocolate experience...one that is so good, it's got to be bad!!! Bad meaning good...anyway,...the double entendres with the name is so cute" A Nawtee Moment is a Good Moment!"...so, I want sexy packaging...I looked around to what I thought would be sexy and asked friends of their opinions.You might remember me asking on the other list, how can I make someone pick up my chocolate and not want to put it down? How can I set my chocolate apart from others, so that it does not look like I am a hobbyist, or weekend crafter? I want a totally professional look to the chocolate, too. That is when I decided to start sculpting masters and create my own unique molds. They are so beautiful and charming, and they convey the "thought" that I want to...the shapes even present a reason for someone to give them as a gift...I think I am onto a winning thing here...a product that is irrestible and makes them want to pick it up and eat it...a product that gives them a complete chocolate experience...wrapped/boxed in packaging that they would even want to collect.I love packaging. It's so much fun to figure out how to position yourself against all the others on the shelf and stand out...and make sales!Let's just continue this here, the moldmaking and such. I do want to let you know that I am making a mold that is going to be a biscuit/biscotti/snap with chocolate in it. Wait till I post the pics. In a week!!!

Advice on packaging please

Posted in: Opinion

Hi Annette, I knew you would have an answer for me LOL. I want to get it all ready, packaging and everything before I put up a photo. I have been working on this one for months ! The mould is perfect, the chocolate come out from the mould perfect too ! It is only the packaging that is bugging me. Got to get it right ! I want a simple, classy packaging. I want gold in there somewhere...Trying to get it done for Christmas but i don't think that will happen. i found a great box making company. Their prices are so good and they make to order..If there is anyone here in Australia and wants the name... please ask me.yes, a mould making topic. I am sure many would be interested in this. I know myself that there is so much more to learn about mould making.Hugs Annette...Joey

Advice on packaging please

Posted in: Opinion

Hey, Joey! Glad to see you on the board!When it comes to packaging, it is very much a personal taste thing, I think. You have to know who you are wanting to have buy your chocolates and what they would like the item packaged as. You could ask some people for their opinions, people in your target group, what they like. Also, find out what your target group buys, what other brands and see what their packaging is like.When will you post the pics of the new mold that you made? I think I should post more pics of mine. Hey, maybe we could start a different thread for moldmaking and chocolates. That would be of interest to lots of the readers, Joey!!!Talk to you soon!!!Annette

Advice on packaging please

Posted in: Opinion

hello, I am a new member and my name is Joey. I have designed and made a chocolate mould all by myself LOL. It is a simple design really, basically square but pretty. My problem is how to package and present this piece of chocolate in the best way that I can. So far, all I can think of is to put it in a square, transparent box. I don't want the chocolate to just sit in the box... it will need something around the chocolate. I have tried tissue paper and that looks awful ! The chocolate would stick to the tissue wouldn't it ? I would so appreciate any ideas that all of you can give me.Thank you in advance, hugs, Joey
updated by @Georgina Joey Ledlie: 04/13/15 00:21:01

Which pieces of equipment do/can you use for small productions?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

This discussion belongs in the Home Brew Chocolate Group .It has been moved and this discussion is closed to further comments. In order to reply to the post you need to join the Group first.:: Clay

Which pieces of equipment do/can you use for small productions?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

For small batches of chocolate, can an Indian wet grinder, such as the Ultra Pride +, http://www.innoconcepts.com/prideplus.htm , work as a small melangeur? I think that this is a smaller unit than ones I have seen offered on other websites.Oh! I also am interested in anyone's comments on a Corona grain mill for cracking the beans. I understand that it can sufficiently crack the roasted cacao beans. Again, I do not do a large load of beans, so a small item is sufficient for me. I don't want to put the beans in a bag and hit them with a hammer, which is why i am opting for a Corona.Has anyone tried a roasting drum from this vendor on Ebay? http://cgi.ebay.com/COCOA-CACAO-BEAN-ROASTER-DRUM-fits-RONCO-SHOWTIME-6000_W0QQitemZ320264638202QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBI_Hot_Beverage_Brewers?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116 It looks like a fellow chocolatier has found a good niche product. Anyway, he says "Why purchase an expensive Cocoa (cacao) Bean Roaster when you can buy this extremely easy to use and very inexpensive Cocoa Bean Roaster Drum to roast cocoa beans with your RONCO SHOWTIME 6000 Pro Rotisserie appliance!!"Has anyone tried roasting this way? I like the inside of the drum, and think that it would do a better job than roasting in an oven where I have to go burn myself while I turn the beans while they roast. I think this could work. Anyone with experiences in using these items?I think those are the three pieces of equipment that I need input on. The roaster with drum, the Corona grain mill, and the Spectra Ultra Pride +. Thanks for giving me your advice! AnnetteOh! One other question. Compared to the quality of commercially made chocolate, how do you rate your chocolate's taste, look, aroma? What differences do you really see?Thanks!
updated by @Annette Jimison: 04/11/25 09:27:36