Hey everyone,

Is it best to add essential oils before or after you temper chocolate?

Thanks!

Trudy

These are the questions I have put to Selmi and their response. Would be good if anyone had any practial experiance to back this up:

- what is the maximum sized inclusion?

Should be lesser bigger then 4 mm 

- what is the max % of chocolate to inclusion that is can run.

We advice maximum 18% of inclusions for each kg of chocolate you will have inside the machine 

- Can the machine be fully cleaned. We are interested in the removable screw pump option, but does this clean to a standard where to could still not contaminate other batches with previous allergens used, I am thinking nuts here.

The machine with the removable screw such as COLOR EX and PLUS EX allow you to remove the screw pump and wash the machine complete. 

- Is there any wastage when swapping form Dark to milk etc.

from Dark to Milk we usually advice to not wash the machine but empty it as much as you can then put the new chocolate inside, for the swap from Dark to White the waste of product is very small because you can empty the machine and then wash it.

Hi all,

We are looking at one of the Selmi machines, possibly the Top Ex. What attracts me is the removable screwpump for easy cleaning. Now I know that this isn't unique to Selmi but they are the only comoany I see saying that you can use nuts in the machine and then clean. This makes mean think that they must be very confident of ease of cleaning.

- Anyone have first hand experiance of this?

- Does anyone know max inclusion size.

thnaks

calum

Here is specs of the roaster

http://www.crzmakina.com/urun/150ro-elektrik.pdf

I second Clay's recommendation. Asking Ken about a proof box at Charyn Auctions in SF.

c:

We are interested in the depositing pump.

Can you please let me know whether this is the mini-pump (3.5 oz stroke) or the Savage 1324 with the 8.5 oz stroke?  What kind of depositing heads does it have with it?  Do you have port adapter (Savage #1300-09-151  TANK-PUMP 1"FPT-1.5 ILINE FEMALE  ADAPTER) to mount it onto the tank?

Also, do your tanks (especially the analogue controlled one) have a port for mounting the pump controller? Savage pump controllers mount on the port that is on the side opposite the melter controller box, towards the top.   Your photos show only the controller side; could you please email me the other view(s) to ilya@luvicecream.com along with the pricing info and all other answers?

 Thanks!

Hi, i try uploading pics, but for some reason its not letting me, give me your email, i will email you.

Hi Charley. This looks gorgeous. I'm in northern California and am interested. Can you share with me electrical requirements for the motor, overall dimensions and weight, and pricing info? Warmly, Jonas

jonas@fireflychocolate.com

707-861-8504

Hi i was thinking to make a chocolate drinking powder but would like to know which type of cocoa powder will be suitable

Low fat cocoa powder or High fat cocoa powder

Also kindly let me know should i use alkalised or dutch or any other processed cocoa powder.

I would also like to know what does Cocoa powder ALF and AHF means

Any help will be appreciated.

Any image or description?

Hi Guys

Would you please send us some information.

chaqchao@gmail.com

Thanks

Hi ,

    I am interested, where are you shipping from and how will you be shipping it ? Please contact me a victor@emvichocolate.com

    Thank you

    best

   Victor

Hi there! Where are you located?

We might be able to help you out, depending on quantities, as of January. francis.murchison@gmail.com

We have about 140lb left now at $5 a pound.

francis.murchison@gmail.com or 508 2746590

hello,

We are near PR.

I would like to buy from you once you are ready.

do you have contact information?

thank you

Looks great.  Would love pricing information.  Please email me at ed@festivalofchocolate.com

Thank you!

• Stainless steel slab for chocolate work. 
• Cools chocolate almost instantly allowing to create original decorations.
• Place the cooling slab into the freezer and once it gets really cold you can start applying chocolate on its surface.
• Chocolate will crystallize itself automatically as it gets in contact with the cold slab and will transform into a semi solid state giving it consistency and more flexibility. 
• Throughout this transformation phase the chocolate will become very malleable therefore enabling to create fanciful shapes. In a very short period the chocolate will harden, will snap off nicely and will maintain its given shape.
• The cooling slab’s stainless steel surface has scarcely any porosity therefore keeping it cleaner and more hygienic than marble. Stays cooler 3x longer than marble.
• Size: 24" x 16" x 2 1/2" (60 x 40 x 6.5 cm) - 35 lbs (16 kg)
• $210 plus shipping

 Cooling Table_Detail1.jpg - 49KB

Yes I have a one depositing pump. It has never been used. 

Do you have a depositing pump available as well?

Hi there, thanks for reaching out. Both tanks were purchased new, I'm the only owner. The analog tank is 11 years old. The digital LCD screen tank is 6 years old. 

Nothing special required here.  Make sure your chocolate and coffee are about the same temperature when you add the coffee - if that's not it, then chances are you're not tempering your chocolate as well as you think you are, or you've got humidity issues.

I am also interested in this cacao. Please let me know if it is still available. 

Thank you!

Jeff

Can you tell me how old the melters are and did you buy them new? Thanks rich

You can give me a call at 619-798-6030

No - in general, raw cocoa materials are not sterilized. People have improved production processes, but subjecting the beans to temperatures above 100C (no matter the duration) is not something most raw companies are prepared to do - and still call the product raw.

One of the challenges with the raw diet is that you don't know if (or how much of) the benefits are coming from eating raw food - or not eating processed food. (I've been researching and covering this topic since some time in 2009.)

Yeah - the main point is "cold processed" but the word raw has a lot of baggage attached to it with respect to specific (but not universally agreed upon) maximum temperatures.

I'm interested, and in San Diego. 

Best,

Deanna

Gold Medal 2626 208 Karamel Baby Cooker Mixer w/ 2.5-gal Capacity & 20-min Cycle Time, 208/1V

Barely used want to sell because we purchased a bigger machine.

Selling price=$1,000

Helion -

Generally raw chocolate makers don't sterilize.

Part of the challenge is that they don't understand the physics of heat transfer - the just focus on a temperature and think it's an absolute limit. Subjecting the outside of a cocoa bean to 100C/100%RH for 1 minute does not cook/kill the bean - but it will do at least a 3-4log kill on salmonella and e-coli. In fact, it's barely enough time for the heat to penetrate the shell, and you do have to consider evaporative cooling. 

I am confident they've never thought about the instantaneous shear temperature under the grinding wheel. If the chocolate, on its own durning refining, warms up to 45C then the shear temperature has to be higher.

We are downsizing in preparation to move onto our own cacao farm in Puerto Rico. This cacao was sourced directly from the indigenous farmers of San Juan Bautista Tuxtepec Oaxaca. Bitter and intense beans lend themselves to an amazing flavor profile, especially in dark milk chocolate.

Roughly 150lbs available for $800 plus shipping. The beans are currently in San Diego

Interested in your machines.  Can you e-mail me at preston@hellococoachocolate.com for more details?

Union Machinery just posted one today: http://www.unionmachinery.com/Product.asp?Number=79310

If you're willing to wait until Jan/Feb 2017 I'd be happy to sell you ours.

Good luck Mark.

20 or 55kg unit.

How big of a machine are you looking for Mark?

Very nice Spanish machine with a new motor, new stainless lining, great shape, totally rebuild and in storage in Portland, OR.

Let me know if you are seriously interested in purchasing it.

Thank you

 20140110_122152.jpg - 80KB

The most common sterilization process is high temperature "dry steam." This is often done in a pipe when the beans are being transported from the cleaner/destoner to the roaster.

Another method would be to inject water into the drum of a drum roaster.

When using a convection oven you want one that is plumbed and so you can inject moisture into the cavity of the oven. Some convection ovens are programmable with precise controls over humidity levels (e.g., Unox, Angelo Po) so you can program a specific humidity levels for a specific time during the same point in the roast cycle.

In addition to sterilizing the beans, the humidity will cause the shell to separate slightly from the bean inside, resulting in less cocoa butter transfer in roasting and a bean that is easier to crack and winnow - as long as it is not allowed to cool completely

so i am kind of new to making chocolate. I have been using a chocovision delta for about about 2 years to make one ounce square bars. one of my bars is a mocha crunch bar. 55% dark chocolate with powdered local roasted coffee then I sprinkle the back of the bar with crumbled biscotti. its good. about 25% of the time i get an odd blooming. its not a sugar bloom and its not all the time and sometimes a bar will bloom when the bar right next in the mold will not. 

does anyone care to share some tips for making coffee chocolate bars?

Hi @clay,

Yes it is.

Is there couverture chocolate is good? what do you think / know about it?

Thank you

Raanan

Thank you, Clay! I will check it out.

The bars should be easy to remove from the mold, have no release marks, and have a nice crisp snap.

Hi @melisandegosselin - welcome to TheChocolateLife!