Hi all,
We recently got our Spectra 100 set up and had a couple of questions.
(1) How do you pre-heat the bowl and wheels?
(2) Or do you just preheat nibs?
(3) Any suggestions on speed for first and second day?
Thanks,
ab
Hallo Ewald,
I know it is an older thread but if still available or if you have more info for me I would appreciate it.
met vriendelijke groet
Emile (emile (at) zartpralinen . at)
We are using the beans from Kokoa Kamilli, an excellent quality bean.
They are from Tanzania
That's an impressive collection of chocolate wrappers you have! I see Lindt wrappers in there; I've eaten Lindt dark chocolate before. Hopefully I can try some chocolate bars from other countries so that I will have those wrappers in my collection, too. I will email you shortly.
best wishes,
Jason
Jason,
I'm really interested in exchange. Are you collector of every chocolate wrappers? Here you can see my album with wrappers for exchange:
https://picasaweb.google.com/100249768236254534179/WrappersForExchange
My collection contains not so much american wrappers so it's not hard to please me 
If you want you can write email to me (hercules176@gmail.com)
Best wishes
Mateusz
Hi Teresa,
I don't know how much is your budget. My name is tony from YOQ, Chinese best chocolate making machine supplier.If you still have the need, pls contact me by skype or what's up. I will give you more detailed infomation and hope useful toyou
Tony
skype: yoqtony
what'sup: +86 15150501878
email: cleopatra.tong@gmail.com
I'm just starting my chocolatier business from home and I'm looking for a mini guitar. I would also like to hear your thoughts/opinions about which brand to purchase and experience.
Thanks,
Annalynn
If you still need an enrober. I have a great Perfect Air-2 for sale. Lets talk.
To start with I may question if there would be an easily detectable difference between beans that have been roasted at 100-110C with the only difference being 18 or 20 minutes roasting time.
I may be wrong.
If you would like a suggestion:
Start with 10 minutes at 75C, raise temperature to 100C, hold for 15 minutes, raise to 130C hold for 10 minutes, discharge and cool immediatelty by blowing cold air (use a fan?).
You may try extending time at 130C to 15 minutes or raising the temp to 135C or 140C.
As always in life Your Mileage May Vary.
Hi Lesley,
I am also located in California and I am interrested in the Selmi if it become again availlable otherwise do you have more equipement or tools you would like to sell?
You can email me direct at cocoaglobe@gmail.com
Thank you
Hello Dallas,
Someone is wanting to put a deposit down for the machine and purchase it right away. You mentioned to me to go ahead with this if someone does want to buy it in the mean time. I will keep you posted if the deal does not go through. Thank you again for your interest and I hope someone else on here can help you find what you are looking for. All the best with your new shop and new venture!~Lesley
Nicole,
So bummed to miss out on your guitar cutter. I saw your post the other day (my account just became active today) and I missed your update by about 5 minutes. 
Enjoy your travels!
Best regards,
Annalynn
Hi everyone!
I'm Annalynn and I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. My day job is that of a Human Resources Professional, but I've decided to pursue chocolate making on the side again, like I did when I was attending university. I'm, literally, just getting started and I'm doing everything from home.
I would love to connect with a lot of people in the chocolate community and look forward to collaborating with and getting to know you.
I'm certain I'll have a slew of questions in the beginning and hope you don't mind providing some guidance.
Best regards,
Annalynn
I've just started roasting new samples of Oko Caribe, trying a total of 8 combinations described below. Hopefully some of you will have suggestions for things to try.
First, about the equipment: I use perforated cheats in a commercial convection oven with excellent air flow, a single layer of beans on each pan. Prior to this I had used a Gene Roaster, a Behmor and a home oven. The Gene Cafe and oven get similar results at equivalent temperatures, often 20% below the reading needed for a similar roast profile on a conventional oven.
On to the specifics: in previous experiments I found that some cocoas do better with a drying / pre-heat phase. I use 20 minutes at 65C, the lowest available setting for my oven. For each temperature I have two sheets, one that goes through the pre-heating phase and one that does not. This time beans were removed at 18 and 20 minutes.
For the roast tests I was joined by a friend with a great palate. We hand-shelled beans from each sample and mixed nibs (I'm thinking of using a mortal & pestle next time) to get a representative sample without getting too wired.
Results:
pre-heated, 100C:
18m: floral notes with peanut, coffee, fudge and brownie
20m: more chocolate flavour, notes of espresso
100C:
18m: sticky shells, beans still hard. Peanut, strong acid, green banana
20m: brazil nuts (!?). fairly astringent but with a nice bourbon / malt, a slight smoke.
pre-heated, 110C:
18m: nutty. spice notes: nutmeg, clove. some harsh acids. "warm"
20m: minty, pepper aftertaste, less acidic, not very astringent.
110C:
18m: pretzel (!?). Fruity acids, a favourite.
20m: coconut. astringent; spice and espresso.
The next tests will be "no pre-heating, 22 minutes @ 100C" and "10m pre-heat, 12m @ 118C".
Is there anything else you would try for roast profiles or to change my protocol? Thanks in advance.
Long shelf life of chocolate products (products to be stored at 18-20C) is achieved by formulating recipes in a way that would keep "water activity" low. Product with water activity below 0.6 will not spoil as there is not enough available water for microorganism to multiply (it does not kill them, just stops them reproducing) and there is no need to add any preservatives.
We make a very wide range of centres like ganaches, fruit based, nut based, with cream (we boil the fresh cream) with shelf life between 4 and 6 months.
A bit more info on water activity:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_activity
hi, I'm sorry to bring this up again, but it is a very interesting discussion. It appears you are all saying you cannot have quality chocolates with a 6 month shelf life. Whilst I understand what you're saying, I believe it can be achieved. I know an importer of fine chocolates, and one VERY reputable European chocolatier (I won't mention names for privacy sake, but I promise, it's not Godiva or something similar lol) makes chocolates (with ganache and all crazy fillings), with a shelf life of 6 months. These guys have won many presitigious awards in the chocolate industry. The chocolates are manufactured for praline bars in retail shops, so I am lucky to have access to the boxes they come in (where I can see the ingredients). The only "weird" ingredient they use is glucose syrup. Otherwise, it's all natural flavours. And the ganaches are made with cream, too. They are among the best and most natural tasting chocolates I've ever had, and I've sampled a lot of chocolates!
Unfortunately there's no single defined solution for you. There are simply too many variables. Are you going to sell wholesale? Are you going to sell online? Are you simply going to offer your products exclusively out of your store? These all require different labelling, and the requirements difffer from state to state, and province to province.
Welcome to beaurocracy.
I've never made vegan white chocolate, but obviously the key issue would be the need to swap out the milk powder with a vegan ingredient. From what I understand soy powder is the usual choice. The taste would not be equivalent, but this is often the case with vegan foods. You'll have to experiment to get something you like.
As for the sweetner, I'm not sure why you are planning on using coconut sugar. If you are doing it to avoid the bone char issue you can accomplish that by simply going with organic sugar, since certified organic sugar cannot be filtered through bone char. Also, I'm guessing that organic sugar is less expensive than coconut sugar as well as easier to find.
Most likely your state Department of Agriculture handles the licensing for food processing. At least that's the way it works here in Oregon. In any case the relevant agency where you live will send you that info once you tell them you want to get licensed. I know that here in Oregon they actually want to see your packaging before they license you in order to make sure you've done it correctly. Again, in your state things may work differently so check. If they don't offer the info make sure you ask for it. There are specific requirements, but it's really not that complicated. Also, if you are a small business you are exempt from some of the requirements.
In the meantime you might try this link. It has way more info than you actually need for your chocolate, but it's a good place to start: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/UCM265446.pdf
Hi all,
I was wondering if anyone can help me out with information about FDA regulations on packaging a food product like chocolate. It can't be as simple as just nutritional info and a foil wrapper. I want to start selling my chocolate but also don't want to get fined or even sued. I've read through the FDA website but it seems so generalized. Any information of refernces will be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
Matt
Here's a good place to start
http://chocolatealchemy.com/white-chocolate/
I have a new vibrating table that attaches to the Perfect equipment tempering machine. I just don't use it, it's been used once. Selling for $850 bought it for $950. email me at dirke@urgechocolates.com or call 604-839-5977
Hello,
I have wanted to try my hand at making white chocolate. I am going to purchase cocoa butter (not press myself) and I am hoping to attempt a vegan white chocolate with coconut sugar. But I'm not sure where to begin. Any great information out there about how to proceed? Thanks so much.
Just wanted to let everyone know that both the Little Dipper and Guitar Cutter have found a good home .
Thank you sebastian and gap for sharing your method of making slabbed ganache.
I also have one of these frames you are talking about. As you say they are perfect for making multilayered ganache, but as gap mentioned, if you have 1kg of ganache you need 3 frames.
I mostly make 2-3kg of ganache (peak season) and dont want to have 6 or 9 frames to "play" with.
So i guess i need to "build" such a scrapper by my own. I also was thinking about a scrapper where I can adjust the height, so i can eventually make also multilayerd pralines. I will talk to a metalworker, shouldnt be that difficult.
The other problem with the stainless steel bars (bend and unhandy), i have to rethink.
@gap: you are using silpat for your slabbed ganache? Didnt you have any problems with ganache sticking to the silpat? I have some recipes where the ganache is really soft (but still "cut-able") and i once tried silpat and it was a mess.
Is it a normal silpat or something special?
I'm taking a break from my chocolate business for a little while to travel and have some extra equipment to sell. Both are in great condition. Contact me for more details. I'm based in the Bay area in CA, but willing to ship.
Thanks!
Nicole
OK what size and type of powertwist belt do I need to order? They seem to have a good varierty. Thank you
Hello Dallas, I wasn't sure if emailing the other way worked so I am doing both. Yes they are still available and if you try my cell, the 250-462-1576 number, I will have it on me all day. ~Lesley
HI Lesley,
Is this still available? Mind if I give you a ring later today, to discuss?
Dallas
Thanks all. I tested my know-how again using good, solid molds from Tomric (my own family's company had just one tray of three different shapes). Anyway, every single mold fell out beautifully.
@Mark-allan, maybe Fat Daddio was not what we got then. I know that is a name I've seen around. In any case, I do believe now that what i have been provided is crappy tools, and they are just going to have to spend the extra money if they want good molds and fewer losses of product.
Thanks again!
Yep - I use the same as Sebastian mentions. As per here:
http://www.savourschool.com.au/equipment/frames/products.aspx
Very easy to make/have made. Mine are 3mm high and in a variety of dimensions, depending on how much ganache I am making. I can customise my recipe sizes to the frame dimensions I want - eg., 1000g of ganache fills 3 medium frames.
I put the frames on a silpat mat (which is on a tray) and stick multiple stacked frames together with chocolate. When the ganache has set, apply over-tempered chocolate to the top to create a foot, cover with baking paper and a tray, flip it over and peel off the silpat. Run a knife down the edge of the frame and remove the frame and you're ready to cut your slab and enrobe.
I got a series of 1/4" thick 24x24" plastic 'sheets' (squares), and cut out the inside of them until they looked like picture frames. Having multiples of them allows for them to be stacked so i can vary my thickness (each layer i add = 1/4" thicker ganache). Stack 'em up, pour the ganache, let it solidify, run a knife around the edges, and lift it up and cut.
Easy to clean, small footprint, inexpensive to build/replace.
Hi folks!
I am looking for a more efficient way to make slabbed ganache.
This is how i make it now: I have 2 long stainless steel bars, between these bars i put the ganache and spread it even with a plastic board (see attached picture). I use my fingers to prevent the ganache from running over the side of the bars.
Next day i bottom them, turn over and cut em with the guitar.
In detail I am looking for
-) a better scrapper to spread the ganache (like in the video below)
-) something more flexible than the stainless steel bars (they bend over time and i cant use them anymore and they are unhandy to store)
-) a alternative to the baking parchment, something i can use more than once (silpat doesnt work well for ganache)
A while ago I found this video on the internet. (Le Caramel et le Chocolat Henri Le Roux ) At minute 02:00 you can see how they slab the ganache.
Looking forward to some tips and tricks on how you slab ganache and what equipment you use.
Any help appreciated!
regards, dd
addition: i uploaded a photo of my last slabbed ganache.
Fat Daddio polycarbonate molds are what I use. I have bought other non polycarbonate molds and never use them. I'm sure other brands of polycarbonate are just as good. Polycarbonate is rigid, but you can whack them on the counter without breaking them. If the chocolate is tempered right, the bars/candies will fall right out after a chill. The more you use them, without washing them with soap, the easier the chocolates will be to remove. A trace of cocoa butter coats the mold after its first use, so the chocolates fall out even easier after subsequent uses.
molenkamp@home.nl
Hello,
I'd love to exchange with you. Could you give me your email address? I'll write to you when I am ready to exchange.
Best wishes
Mateusz
Hi there - I'm in North Seattle - near Northgate Mall. Would be happy to meet you somewhere between here and Renton.
My email is tmicklin@gmail.com
contact me for my cell phone number. We can arrange to meet.
I may even drop the price a bit since I wouldn't have to pack it for shipping
Thanks
Tom
Where are you in Seattle? I'm in Renton and interested.
Hi Nicole,
we are producing chocolate making mold, and not sure it is useful to you. If you need, i can show you and help you solve the problem.
My skype is yoqtony, and email is cleopatra.tony@gmail.com.
Best regards
