Forum Activity for @Nat

Madre Chocolate's cacao boot camp on O'ahu Hawai'i Feb 25-Mar 1, 2014

Posted in: Chocolate Education

Madre Chocolate's cacao boot campis now happening on O'ahu Hawai'i Feb 25-Mar 1, 2014 during the same week as theHawaii Chocolate Festival,Hawaii Chocolate & Cacao Association, and Kailua Cacao Festival soyou can easily come for all three and have a wonderful time with a full week ofchocolate! Evenexperiencedchocolate makers will get a lot out of this by participating hands on and learning to tune the cacaofermentation process so you and the cacao growersyou work with can tune the entire process to get the tastesyou're looking for from fruity, nutty, chocolatey, floral to spicy.

http://www.thechocolatelife.com/events/cacao-chocolate-boot-camp-seed-to-tree-bean-to-bar

http://madrechocolate.com/Classes.html#widget13

Experience Hawaiian Cacao & Chocolate Bootcamp on Oahu
seed to tree/bean to bar

February 25th-March 1st, 2014

Oahu cacao farms, research stations, & chocolate shops

Do you love chocolate and thirst to learn more about how cacao is grown and made into chocolate? Never tasted the delicious lychee or mangosteen-flavored pulp of the cacao fruit? Want to see how the days-long process of fermenting cacao affects the micro-terroir of the chocolate flavor? This is the perfect tour for you! Were having a cacao boot camp with everyone from Hawaii, mainland, European, and beyond chocolate makers and chocophiles coming out here to experience and learn cacao planting, cultivation, harvest, and fermentation and chocolate making for 5-7 days.

Well introduce you to the cacao growers and fermenters throughout Oahu, an area we call the Napa Valley of cacao due to the amazing diversity of cacao flavors and microclimates in each valley up and down Windward Oahu and the North Shore. Each day well visit, learn, and participate in a different aspect of cacao growing and processing with expert farmers, fermenters, agroforesters, university researchers, and chocolate makers in Hawaiis burgeoning chocolate industry. In the only place in the US where cacao grows, youll have beautiful accommodations near the beaches of Lani Kai and Kailua or famous Waikiki, and youll be driven between each of the spots each day, with time off in the evenings to enjoy all the amazing local food that Kailua and Honolulu has to offer.

Walk into the cacao orchards of Oahu the moment you step off the plane and begin your journey into chocolate making, Hawaiian style.

Itinerary (details may change):

1. Day 1: Cultivation : Visit a small hillside organic cacao farm on Oahus windward east coast to help plant cacao trees grown along with vanilla, taro, guava, and many other tropical fruits. Well test for ripeness, harvest & crack cacao pods.

2. Day 2: Fermentation : Oahucacao researchers from academia & industry will show you howfermentation can be tuned to bring out the natural fruity, acidic, aromatic, floral, and spicy flavors of cacao fromdifferent regions of Hawai'i and the world. Optional evening beach trip and group dinner.

3. Day 3: Value added cacao, roasting, & conching

4. AM: Morning Farm Trip: We'll visit a long-standing cacao & fruit farm on O'ahu's northeast tip, where cacao grows among bananas, papaya, taro,Passion Fruit, and vanilla in full sun within feet of the beach, and we'll see how this farm is using cacao and all their farm produce to make amazing jams, spreads, drinks, and lunches for their visitors.

5. PM: Cacao Roasting & Starting a Grind: Chocolate Making Workshop 1. We will begin the process of chocolate making by Roasting cacao together and analyzing the steps and stages of a proper cacao bean roast. Then we will crack and winnow the beans to prepare them for the grinder.

6. Day 4: Cacao agroforestry, conche completion, & inclusions

7. AM: Morning Field Trip: We'll visit the experts at the Hawaii Agricultural Research Centerto see how they raise hundreds of cacao seedlings in a shaded nursery, work cacao in with an agroforestry program interspersed with native Koa trees, and how cacao is selected and bred for Hawaii's unique climate.

8. PM: Chocolate with Inclusions: Chocolate Making Workshop 2. We will check on the progress of our grind begun the afternoon prior and taste farm-specific Hawaiian cacao as fine chocolate. Well practice adding inclusions to tempered chocolate, preparing chocolate molds and pouring bars.

9. Day 5: tree-to-bar, tempering, wrapping

10. AM: Morning Farm Trip: Visit and learn about makingchocolatetree-to-bar at the pioneeringLonohana farm on the North Shore within site of the famous Banzai Pipeline surf spot. We'll talk to Lonohana's founder Seneca about how he started a cacao farm on Pupukea's gentle slopes and how he's turning this unique cacao into Hawai'i's newest esteemedchocolate in his Honolulu shop.

11. PM: Finished Fine Chocolate: Chocolate Making Workshop 3. We will remove our chocolate batch from the grinder, check the micron levels for smoothness, practice with the tempering machine and pour our freshly made chocolate into bars. Once they are set we can wrap them to take home, or eat them!

12. Catch your plane via our private shuttle van or stay and enjoy the whiskey and chocolate pairing evening.
    

Your expert guides Dave & Nat have traveled and tasted and researched cacao all across the Hawaiian Islands, Bali, Vietnam, Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Brazil over the past 16 years, working with cacao growers,chocolate makers, and chefs. Through thisexperience they will giveyou direct insights andconnections with thepeople who makechocolate part of their lives everyday. Comeexperience the history and creation ofchocolate as you never thought possible.

Price: $1498 for tours, material, food, & transportation, excluding airfare & hotel

Includes :

1. All Ground Transportation Field Trip, Farm Trips, Sunset Beach Trip, Airport Pick-Up and Departure Drop-Off, Scheduled Program Activities. For best transportation we request that participants stay with our lodging partners.

2. Breakfast Daily at lodging partner and Lunch Daily with group. Options for vegetarian, vegan and special dietary needs are available upon request.

3. Raw Materials for Chocolate Making in Program, Field Note Book for Farm Trips, Chocolate for Tasting Sessions and Cacao Pods for fermentation practice.

4. Workshops, Farm Tours, Facilitators and Instructors, Private Group Transportation and a real fun time.

Does Not Include : Dinner meal, extracurricular tours or side trips, lodging.

Accommodations: We have arranged group rates of $100-200/night for Waikiki (Honolulu) and Windward Oahu hotels that we will send you on receipt of deposit.

Deposit: A deposit of $716 is required to reserve your space. To pay by credit card via paypal, click here:

or call 808-377-6440.

Payment may be made by check mailed to Madre Chocolate at

PO Box 12172

Honolulu HI 96828

with program registration form.

We cant wait to have you join us on this journey from seed to tree to bean to bar!

updated by @Nat: 04/10/15 09:43:52

Pouch Style Packaging

Posted in: Uncategorized

Hi - just hoping that someone on here might know where I can purchase this style of packaging (photos attached). Basically it's like a plastic pouch with a paper lining in between two layers of plastic. The chocolate bar goes in the pouch side and the top folds over it. It reminds me of a tobacco pouch. Has anyone come across a manufacturer or a retailer who sell this type of packaging?

Thanks

Lisa

updated by @Lisa Morley: 04/09/15 13:53:23

Morello cherry ganache

Posted in: Recipes

One option is to create a Morello Cherry Pate De Fruit on top of a white chocolate ganache. This would work well for a square bon bon.

Morello cherry ganache

Posted in: Recipes

Hi thank you for replying. I was using about 11oz + pure (reduced to a thick paste) per lb of white chocolate. No cream. I think I'm just kind of over it, it has so much cherry in it it's really dark but still not enough flavor. Oh well maybe a different cherry variety?

Morello cherry ganache

Posted in: Recipes

If you can post the recipe you are using that might help. Are you using just the pure or cream and pure in the ganache?

Morello cherry ganache

Posted in: Recipes

That's what I'm doing now, and adding quite a lot, not enough comes through for my tastes.

Morello cherry ganache

Posted in: Recipes

Following! I am having the same trouble with just a chocolate/morello cherry ganache, while you can taste that 'something' is there, the flavor just isn't intense enough to recognise it. I thought I might try reducing the puree on stovetop to intensify the flavour?

Morello cherry ganache

Posted in: Recipes

Ugh, so I'm having trouble getting the cherry flavor to come through in a morello cherry cheesecake truffle. I'm using quite a high percentage of reduced cherry puree but once it's in the very mild cheesecake ganache I get nothing ( okay VERY little)cherry flavor that comes through. It's driving me nuts! Any suggestions?
updated by @Krista2: 04/14/15 11:23:13

Best sellers

Posted in: Opinion

Hi Krista,

No, I don't make bars, yet.

Anjali

Best sellers

Posted in: Opinion

Truffles , chocolate bars second, but now will try to go to distribute just bars, as I have detected a niche market. What are your expected sales?

Best sellers

Posted in: Opinion

Hi, so you're mainly selling pre packaged gift boxes? Do you do bars as well? Thanks

Best sellers

Posted in: Opinion

Hi Krista,

It depends on where you sell your product. I have just been participating in holiday fairs. Most of my chocolates are bought as gifts - I have done a few large corporate orders. So, my sales come mainly from truffles and chocolate bonbons.

Anjali

Best sellers

Posted in: Opinion

Hi Hopefully I'm not being too forward asking this but I guess if it is, you guys just won't answer. Anyway, I'm curious how many pieces (truffles, Bon bons, etc) you sell per day and what items people are buying the most of, is it bars, truffles, covered fruits, etc you get the picture. Thanks for any info
updated by @Krista2: 04/10/15 23:14:52

enrobing dried fruit on automatic tempering machine

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Does anyone have experience with enrobing dried fruit on a selmi enrober or similar enrober, I am in the process of buying a selmi machine with enrober, and would like to enrobe dried fruit, I have no experience of doing this. I see that a lot of dried fruit has an outside hard achieved by panning I suppose, what is the advantage or disadvantage of panning or enrobing on a belt system? All help will be greatly appreciated.

Louise

updated by @Louise O' Brien: 04/10/15 07:38:34

hilliards Little Dipper and the end of 100 watt lightbulbs...

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Pet stores sell heater/ceramic bulbs in a wide range of power (used to keep dinosaurs warm).

Perfect for chocolate applications.

hilliards Little Dipper and the end of 100 watt lightbulbs...

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Grainger carries the replacement bulbs for the Little Dipper, part ID is 5UCW0. I contacted Hilliards and they recommended this bulb. I bought 4 for under $15 total. They say they provide 20,000 hours each. Hope this helps!

hilliards Little Dipper and the end of 100 watt lightbulbs...

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

The Edison bulbs are $11 at restoration hardware

hilliards Little Dipper and the end of 100 watt lightbulbs...

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I wonder if "edison screw base heaters" would work. These are porcelain resistance heaters that have the same sort of screw base as a lightbulb.
http://www.tempco.com/Catalog/Section%207-pdf/Edison%20Bulb.pdf

Rather more expensive that a lightbulb (perhaps $20 to $30), but then you don't have to worry about them burning out.

-Jon

hilliards Little Dipper and the end of 100 watt lightbulbs...

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

The big box stores should continue to carry rough service bulbs.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Feit-Electric-100-Watt-A19-Rough-Service-Incandescent-Light-Bulb-4-Pack-100A-RS-4-RP/202245660

hilliards Little Dipper and the end of 100 watt lightbulbs...

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

I have a Little Dipper from when I first began my business 10 years ago. We still use it for specialized batches of things and for milk or white chocolate. My question. What is the work around for 100 watt lightbulbs once they are completely unavailable? We stockpile them whenever we find them but....
updated by @Sarah Hart: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Chocolate Bar wrappers - Copyright issues from commercial use?

Posted in: Opinion

Hi Calum,

You might want to verify that your packaging complies with EU and UK legislation concerning food safety. Any (packaging) material in contact with food is subject to these regulations.

Regards, Bart

Chocolate Bar wrappers - Copyright issues from commercial use?

Posted in: Opinion

Calum which manufacturer is doing your packaging? Im finding it really difficult to find anything on the net.

Chocolate Bar wrappers - Copyright issues from commercial use?

Posted in: Opinion

Okay this is different. I didn't realize that you were talking about decorative and stationary paper. In that case I would simply call the manufacturer and ask them. They'll probably be fine with it. In fact they may really like the idea that you're using their paper for this purpose.

In addition there's a good chance you'll be able to buy wholesale quantities direct from them at a substantial discount. They may even be willing, as long as you buy sufficient quantities, to produce paper for you in a custom format. With the right manufacturer, you could develop a very beneficial relationship that you could even use with your new designs!

Chocolate Bar wrappers - Copyright issues from commercial use?

Posted in: Opinion

HiThanks for your feedback.I know the Mast brothers when they first started used Rossi1931 papers. Would they have had to have permission to use these designs commercially?I've seem so other companies I like how design and sell papers and as an interim measure I would like to use them but I'm not sure if I can?Thanks!

Chocolate Bar wrappers - Copyright issues from commercial use?

Posted in: Opinion

If by "off the shelf" you mean stock photography and/or illustrations, then the answer to whether or not this is permitted depends on the company from which you license the art. When you pay for art on a stock art web site you are not buying the art in question. Rather, you are paying for a limited use license for that art. For example at iStock, which is now owned by Getty, a regular license will NOT allow you to use the art for items for resale (this would include chocolate bars). You would need to purchase an extended license for that.

Many stock sites have similar arrangements, and you'll want to be very careful to be aware of those before you move forward. BUT, once you insure that you're meeting their terms, then you should be fine. Most of these sites (at least the good ones) guarantee that their art will not put you in a position to infringe.

On the other hand, if by "off the shelf" you are referring to those cheapie web sites that create logos and such for $50, then I cannot advise strongly enough against using them for this type of situation. Really, just don't.

Also, no matter what advice you receive here, I cannot recommend strongly enough that you run this past your attorney. I don't know what infringement penalties are like in the UK, but here in the US they can be so draconian that even a small transgression can put you out of business. You'll probably be fine. But proceed with caution.

Chocolate Bar wrappers - Copyright issues from commercial use?

Posted in: Opinion

HiWe are in the redesigning our chocolate bar wrappers with original artist designs but as we have 44 different infusions this will be a lengthy process. While we do that I would be keen to buy some 'of the shelf' designs. My only concern is this infringement of someone's copyright if we then use these papers to wrap our chocolate and then sell them i.e Can I use them commercially?I've heard of other companies that use off the shelfs design but just wondered if this was allowed or they were just doing it.I'm in the UK and any advise would be much appreciated!ThanksCalum
updated by @Calum: 04/11/15 01:03:35

'Compound' chocolate, or 'Reconstituted' Cocoa

Posted in: Recipes

Hi- new here. I'm not totally lost and I appreciate 'bean to bar' but I'm going to be trying to mess around with compounds for a little bit. There are many factors to iron out just with regards to molding and packaging before I go buy big equipment. My goal is to make a pretty darn good bar out of dutched cocoa powder, cocoa butter, and fondant sugar. Perhaps some liquid lecithin.

I've learned that so long as I use ingredients that are finer than the 45 micron level I don't need a wet grinder or a melanger, so if indeed these ingredients satisfy that requirement I can heat and mix. I've come to understand that cocoa powder is already tempered, or doesn't require tempering. If it's already in its solid state then it seems to be successfully tempered (?)

I have many a concerns because I've found only hair-brained ideas with regards to reconstitution because frankly it makes little sense to the connoisseur. Why not buy a big arse bar and melt it down? It's just the first level of process control and it cuts costs nearly in half, depending on the formula. The formula is hard to figure out because I had to do some fuzzy math.

Formula:

For bean-to-bar guys like y'all it's suggested to add either little or no cocoa butter. So basically when the commercial cocoa powder is made and the butter is pressed out of it I need to estimate how much to put back in. I cheated and looked on the back of a few commercially available bars and took an average. I found that the bars range from 32%(hersheys) to 38% fat by weight. This was in the 30-50% cocoa range. I'm starting in this range for my first bar. Most of these bars were closer to 38% fat by weight, and some had other fats but I'm just going to assume cocoa butter can be substituted into the cocoa butter substitutes. Cocoa powder has already 22/24% fat in there. I don't know what that means, so I averaged 23% fat (assumption). A little fuzzy math and one can add sugar and butter in the proper proportions to make a 38% by weight butter bar. My second assumption is that a, for instance, 40% cocoa commercial bar uses 40% cocoa which has 22/24% fat by weight. Is this a fair assumption? Also, because I'm not going for "single origin" cocoa at this point should I be indifferent to deoderized/non-deoderized butter?

I have a ton more brain-droppings for everyone but I fear that many haven't made it this far down my post. I will say that after averaging bars (dagoba, lindt, hersheys, scharffen burger, valhrona, etc) I came up with a 45% cocoa bar that requires 50% cocoa powder, 25% butter, and 25% sugar by weight. Anti-climactic, no? I was going to try callebaut, valhrona, and pernigotti mainly because they're well rated and pretty standard.

Any thoughts on my train of thought and assumptions are much appreciated.

updated by @Drew E: 04/12/15 14:33:21

Should I be 1099'd for a customer's purchases?

Posted in: Opinion

Problem solved... no 1099 ... thanks!

Should I be 1099'd for a customer's purchases?

Posted in: Opinion

exactly what I was thinking Larry ... thanks !

Should I be 1099'd for a customer's purchases?

Posted in: Opinion

"my Accountant" ... that would be me I've only been operating 8 months. All the points you mentioned , Michael , I am aware of.

I am not contracted to make chocolates for her .

I since have found this on the IRS site

"The IRS instructions for the 1099-MISC form state specifically that you do not have to provide a 1099 to suppliers of " merchandise, telegrams, telephone, freight, storage, and similar items." Corporations are also exempt from 1099 requirements, with the exception of corporations you pay for medical or health care, or law firms that you've hired for legal services. You also don't have to submit 1099s for payments to tax-exempt organizations or to American or foreign governments."

Should I be 1099'd for a customer's purchases?

Posted in: Opinion

A couple of thoughts:

1) This is a question for your accountant.
2) 1099's are usually (but not always) issued to people, not corporations. If your company is incorporated, and she paid your company, she probably doesn't need to give you a 1099. If your company is not incorporated, and she paid YOU, then she probably does.
3) If you're supposed to issue someone a 1099 and you don't, you can be fined by the IRS. I don't know how often this actually happens (not often I think), but your customer may be concerned about that.
4) If someone issues you a 1099 you don't need, it doesn't hurt you in any way. Just give it to your accountant.
5) See #1

Should I be 1099'd for a customer's purchases?

Posted in: Opinion

I don't think you should be 1099'd. I don't 1099 the company we buy packaging from. I don't 1099 the grocery store, nor the company we buy chocolate from. Nor does my day job (Finance) 1099 my chocolate company for the chocolates we send out to clients. We just have the invoice as documentation and move on.

I don't think it would matter if she 1099's you because the sales would show up in your profit and loss statement anyway. It is rather odd though. Perhaps she should seek professional help.

Should I be 1099'd for a customer's purchases?

Posted in: Opinion

I have a customer that buys chocolates from me to give away in her welcome packages ( it's a vaca-rental co.) and she says she needs to 1099 me. is that correct? Although we have done business for 8 months or so we don't have a contract , I bill her with state tax added and that's it. She buys for the business and also for personal gifts etc... one friend with a business says she had never been 1099'd in 8 years so I'm kind of searching for a little more feedback. Online I have seen that certain merchandise is exempt .... but I've also seen that over $600 isn't... any comments?

updated by @Paul John Kearins: 04/09/15 12:17:10

History of the Criollo Bean

Posted in: History of Chocolate

http://www.c-spot.com/atlas/chocolate-strains/cultivar-strains/catongo/

u need beans i got

History of the Criollo Bean

Posted in: History of Chocolate

I'm looking for a general list of different criollo subspecies and their stories. I'm a bit familiar with Ocumare 61, Chuao, and Porcelana, but I know there are a few other subspecies, but I haven't been able to track down the stories on each one. Does anyone know a resource that might be able to help me out?
updated by @Mack Cameron: 04/16/15 05:38:53

freezing cacao seeds after fermentation

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hi Brian,

near to 100% humidity here, the rain season is up to july with a little sunchine in march. There is no supplier here of that sort of plastic so will try with the "plexiglass".

freezing cacao seeds after fermentation

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hi angenieux, I don't know your weather conditions, but I slow air/sun dry my beans naturally on elevated mesh beds under a transparent plastic roof (here is a link to the plastic sheets I use - I don't use their design I have my own dryer design, I just use their plastic http://www.tecnatrop.com/secafen/secafen-ww.htm )and even when we have a solid week of no sun they dry fine. the key for us is to make sure air is moving both above and below the beans 24 hours a day. Even when its very wet and humid they will dry through transpiration, although when there isn't any sun at all for 7 days they don't look as good. But the flavor is fine.

Saludos, brian

freezing cacao seeds after fermentation

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

volker lehman has the slickest air dryer I've seen at his flor de cacao installation in Palos Blancos (alto Beni) bolivia. uses wood for heat (which costs basically nothing where he is) but no smoke flavor, the heat is transfered through a coupler using fire heated water. But it didn't look cheap, he had some donor $$ I believe . But design-wise, it was impeccable.

freezing cacao seeds after fermentation

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

We had a very thorough talk about focal distances to ensure my house didn't burn down 8-) she made sure to design it such that the focal point of the lens was 2" 'below' the bottom - that way it was still a pretty significant concentration of heat, but not enough to get anywhere near me needing to use my fire insurance!

freezing cacao seeds after fermentation

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Sebastian -

I've thought of several ways to transfer heat to a thermal mass inexpensively and then use that heat to reduce drying time but using Fresnels never occurred to me. It's a very good idea.

One reason I did not think seriously consider Fresnel lenses is that they can concentrate solar energy and can get hot enough to set wood on fire at the point of focus on a bright day. Can I assume your daughter is not focusing on the beans or the surface of the drying pad? Out of focus? Using the energy to heat some thermal mass and then that heat is transferred over the beans (using air)?

:: Clay

freezing cacao seeds after fermentation

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

my daughter actually just did her science project on improved solar dryers, incorporating inexpensive fresnel lens' as a way to inexpensively increase throughput. she saw a 42.8% increase in throughput as a result. she's writing it up now, but might be something to consider.

freezing cacao seeds after fermentation

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Gordon,

Thank you for your propositions

I have a project to construct a dryer with plexiglas (don't know the term exact in english, a kind of transparent solid plastic), walls and roof in the same material with a passage of air one end to the other.Sure that i prefer to use less energy but before i can construct the dryer i was researching a solution meanwhile to keep the quality of the beans.