Forum Activity for @Sebastian

Chocolate is made by grinding beans up to form liquor. You make cocoa powder by squeezing that liquor very hard until most of the fat comes out.

Not only will you find that trying to re-convert powder+butter into liquor will result in a suboptimal product, you'll find that the equipment requirements necessary to do so are likely more expensive than simply making chocolate; plus the product you end up with, legally, isn't going to be able to be called chocolate in most place i'm afraid.

Hello All,

I'm posting again after a long time. I unfortunately had to abandon the idea of Bean to bar due to cost constraints. In order to reduce my cost on machinery i was wondering if its possible to process cocoa powder, cocoa butter and sugar into chocolate using a stone grinder or conch. Also i read somewhere on here that if the cocoa powder is added at the beginning of the refining process the chocolate has a "slick" or "rubbery" mouth feel due to the particle size of the cocoa powder getting even smaller than it already is. Is this true?? If this is the case does it make sense to refine the sugar and butter first and add the cocoa powder at a later stage??

With regards to the formulation i'm guessing i would need to double the amount of cocoa butter to compensate for the fat content lost if i was starting from the bean??

Looking forward to your valuable advice.

Regards

Sebastian and Kristofer, Thank you for your recommendations. I'm still not entirely sure what causes the blemishes. It might be scratches. But it's strange that I don't see any spots or scratches on the molds when they are empty and clean. I will purchase a few new of these molds to see if the problem persists or not.

Sebastian and Kristofer, Thank you for your recommendations. I'm still not entirely sure what causes the blemishes. It might be scratches. But it's strange that I don't see any spots or scratches on the molds when they are empty and clean. I will purchase a few new of these molds to see if the problem persists or not.

"water marks" are #2 in my initial post - dissolved minerals left behind as the water evaporates. Best thing to do is to remove the offending minerals so they're not there to be left behind. If it is mineral deposits that causing it, i'm afraid warming up the mould is only going to result in warm minerals that leave marks - the minerals may be a little more comfortable if it's cold outside, but won't help you with your problem. Wiping and polishing will work for a short time, but what results over time is the minerals scour the moulds when you polish them, and will result in a permanently scratched mould.

I suggest using a warming cabinet

http://www.moldart.be/chocolate_heating

for future cleaning. Once you use your molds once, and turn out your chocolate, just don't return them to the water from there. They should be fine.

Thank you both for your replies. I live in California, and our water here is not hard at all. However, I know that some professionals recommend to not washing the molds, but I thought it would not be a problem with the soft water we got. What to do then if it's the water? Are these molds damaged or is there a way to get all the water marks off? Cacao butter solution? Thanks so much!

These may be water marks left over from washing your molds. We never wash our molds in water; we simply heat, wipe and polish. Do you have especially hard water where you live? Take a look at your molds and see if you can spot the water marks.

It's one of two things:

1) Most likely it's what's called a 'pull mark', and is caused by the dynamics of heat removal between your chocolate, whatever material the mold is made of, the chocolate:mould mass ratio, and the cooling environment you're using. OR..

2) It could also be a mineral deposit, if the water you're using to clean your molds has minerals in it, those minerals will be left behind and can result in what you see. I don't think this is it, but it could be.

To fix #1, my guess is you're going to have to do a fair bit of work i'm afraid. i'd suggest getting a very accurate thermometer and ensuring you're chocolate, initial mold temperature, and you're cooling temperature(s) are very accurate/consistent. Then, slowly change ONE of them slightly, recording the results until you find the combo that is suitable for your formula, your mold composition, your mold:chocolate ratio, and your cooling environment.

It may be more work than it's worth 8-)

I make dark chocolate bars and thin wavers in different sizes. The temper seems to be fine since the bars release nicely from the mold after I take them out of the fridge. But the bars often have slight blemishes (You might call them cooling marks??). It's not cacao butter stains, just spots or lines where there is a little less shine. Often it's only visible when I look at the bar under a bright light, but for me, it's just not perfect. And it's frustrating because I don't know what causes it. I work with Felchlin molds that I wash with warm water, dry with soft towels and clean with cotton before each use. Before I pour chocolate in the mold, I heat the mold with the hot air blower so it reaches the same temperature as the tempered chocolate. The blemishes are worst when I make bars with the Bolivian "wild" 68% -couverture from Felchlin. When working with the 65% Maracaibo Clasificado or the Organic 74% from Felchlin, the bars look much better. I also have less issues with milk chocolate.

I tried different things to solve the issue:

-Left the filled mold in room temperature for about 2 to 5 minutes before putting it in the fridge for about 30 minutes

-Put the mold in the fridge immediately after filling it with chocolate

-Put the mold on a cold sheet pan with a parchment paper

-Put the mold on a warmer sheet pan with and without parchment paper

None of these "remedies" solved the problem. I have attached a photo for illustration.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

Any food testing lab will do it. Silliker, covance, etc. Many universities will have the equipment as well.

I would like to have the water activity , or the AW, of my chocolate products tested. Do you know where I can find a lab that does this? I live in Wisconsin so anywhere in the Midwest would be good.

Thanks!

Daniel

Good point about asking people who don't buy from me. I must be doing something right because the large part of my clientele order again and again.

Piped ganache is my thing , indeed, and I am good at it and I love doing it, 'nuf said I guess! Passion sells.

I ask here because I know you are in the same business and I value opinion from professionals.

If I can offer my two bits...

For fun, and maybe something "exclusive" to offer your customers do what you're passionate about.

For business, don't bother asking people on this forum what you should do. They/we aren't your customers. ...And don't ask your customerseither. Theyalready like your product. Poll people in your area who don't buy from you what you should do. After all, they are the ones who should be paying your rent but aren't.

I would do what you are passionate about. If pipedganache is your thing and you are good at it go for it. People love to support someone who is passionate about their craft. Many chocolatiers in the usa do use color. There are a few who don't use color and are quite successful because their chocolate is excellent. I especially admire Lionel Clement of Nuubia Chocolate.

Love your chocolates!

I recommend keeping them 10 days tops but I've tasted some after two weeks and they are fine... yeah I was looking at natural coloured cocoa butter... Thanks for the response, I'm going to have a look at what you are doing.

You can buy natural colored cocoa butter. I do both molded and enrobed pieces. With whipped ganache, don't you have a short shelf life?

I moved to the USA a year ago and started my business selling what I consider to be "european style" chocolates. I learned early in my career to pipe whipped ganache for dipping and I've kind of stuck to that technique and being in the USA discovered that it's a method not commonly used ( from what I've been able to find online at least) . From that perspective I assumed I would have something novel on offer. My experience here is showing me that the trend toward molded and colored products is what sells. I've considered changing my technique but not sure if that's wise seeing as I have a name for "no artificial colors" and purely molded bonbons are a little too old-school in my opinion. Is a divided assortment too sloppy? Some molded and some enrobed? Or do you think it should be one or the other? Curious what you all think...

Sorry but the description is pretty clear in the very first line: Brazil Dark Dipping Chocolate (in the chocolate industry also known as Melting Chocolate or Confectioner's Coating) 25 lbs.

I see nothing misleading there.

Hello Justin,

Thank you very much for these details.

However, I cannot see on your product presentation page at http://www.santabarbarachocolate.com/wholesale-bulk-chocolate-brazil-dark-dipping-chocolate-melting-chocolate-25lb-p-186.html?osCsid=3191015b776c997a1fedb96b0dda4df4

the word " compound" and nowhere does it say that this product contains something that is not chocolate like palm butter . Furthermore confusing to me, it says that it is like couverture but only does not require tempering - "Santa Barbara Chocolate's Dark Dipping Chocolate works just like a couverture chocolate but the only difference is that it doesn't require tempering."

You are right, Palm butter is not evil, Brazialin cacao may be of high quality and of course there is a market for this product, considering its non-tempering characteristics and its price/quality ratio.

If we agree on this, why not clearly describe every ingredients in your product. Most chocolate bars detail what they are made of, including that they've been made on machines that sometimes handle nuts. I am not the only one to beleive that the only way to build trust is through full disclosure.

Sincerely,

Alek

Hi Alek,

My name is Justin and I work at Santa Barbara Chocolate Company, and we clearly state that this is a compound coating in our write-up, also known as confectioner's coating. In no way have we omitted the truth or tried to be dishonest. There is a definite need for this type of product in manufacturing and we do our very best to satisfy our customers and we hope to gain you as a happy customer.

The Santa Barbara Chocolate product known as Brazilian Dipping Chocolate is not a cocoa butter based couverture chocolate. It is technically known as confectioner's coating. We make it using cocoa powder produced in Brazil from 100% top quality Manuas cacao. The cocoa butter has been replaced with palm butter. The palm butter is not hydrogenated and there are no artificial ingredients in our recipe. We made it to be as natural and as close as possible to our real chocolate cocoa butter couvertures (there are many pure chocolates to choose from on our site). We offer the Brazilian Dipping Chocolate as a convenient alternative for pastry chefs and confectioner's who are looking for a great tasting chocolate alternative that does not require tempering.

Sincerely,

Justin

Hi Alek,

My name is Justin and I work at Santa Barbara Chocolate Company, and we clearly state that this is a compound coating in our write-up, also known as confectioner's coating. In no way have we omitted the truth or tried to be dishonest. There is a definite need for this type of product in manufacturing and we do our very best to satisfy our customers and we hope to gain you as a happy customer.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Justin

http://www.santabarbarachocolate.com/wholesale-bulk-chocolate-brazil-dark-dipping-chocolate-melting-chocolate-25lb-p-186.html

Hi Alek,

My name is Justin and I work at Santa Barbara Chocolate. Pleasure to meet you.

The Santa Barbara Chocolate product known as Brazilian Dipping Chocolate is not a cocoa butter based couverture chocolate. It is technically known as confectioner's coating. We make it using cocoa powder produced in Brazil from 100% top quality Manuas cacao. The cocoa butter has been replaced with palm butter. The palm butter is not hydrogenated and there are no artificial ingredients in our recipe. We made it to be as natural and as close as possible to our real chocolate cocoa butter couvertures (there are many pure chocolates to choose from on our site). We offer the Brazilian Dipping Chocolate as a convenient alternative for pastry chefs and confectioner's who are looking for a great tasting chocolate alternative that does not require tempering.

Sincerely,

Justin

Thank you very much Sebastian and Larry. I understand very well.

So, this is closer to lying that advertising since they do not mention "compound" or the fact that this is not a 100% cacao product. At $139 for 25 Pounds I should have guested something was wrong compared to Valrhona or Tcho's prices. I did not know Santa Barbara chocolates at all before I stumbled on this ad. I will not buy from a company that "omits" to describe the truth about their product.

Thanks again for the explaination

The difference between "Chocolate" and "Compound Coating" is the fat used. Chocolate is made with Cocoa Butter which is why it must be tempered. - to get the proper crystal form of the cocoa butter.

Some other fats i.e. coconut oil are easier to work with in that tempering is not needed, but you give up some flavor and satisfaction.

from countrykitchenusa.com

The main difference between chocolate candy coating and real chocolate is the oil based used. Candy coating has palm kernel oil or other fats while real chocolate has a cocoa butter base. Real chocolate is a bit more expensive and more difficult to work with than candy coating, but nothing beats the flavor. Good quality candy coating is easy to use, delicious in taste and is an excellent alternative to real chocolate. Beginners will enjoy the ease of working with candy coating while advanced candy makers may want to tray working with real chocolate. Real chocolate must be tempered when dipping or molding. That means it needs to be a certain temperature (generally 86-89 degrees) when working with it, or your chocolates will not come out as desired. Candy coating is available in milk, dark or white flavored chocolate as well as a variety of colors. It is easy to use. Candy coating does not have to be tempered. Simply melt and it is ready to use.

Candy coating is sometimes called almond bark, summer coating, Candy Kote wafers or Candy Melts. Chocolate-flavored candy coating is much easier than real chocolate to use, and the results are more likely to be successful for the novice. Candy coating is available in milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white, peanut butter, butterscotch, mint, and a variety of colors. Candy coating is also available in tubes called candy writers. Candy writers are ideal for detailing on finished candy pieces or painting details in candy molds. You may also add an oil-based food color to achieve colors not commercially available. High quality candy coating is delicious; high quality real chocolate is superb. Real chocolate is available in milk, dark or white. All real chocolate contains cocoa butter.

Information and image taken with permission from Autumn Carpenter's Book, All About Candy Making. All rights reserved.

It's a compound coating, it's not chocolate.

Hello,

Santa Barbara Chocolate sells Brazilian and other origin chocolates and claims it does not need to be tempered. What process or ingredient can acheive that?

What are the draw back?

Although I occassionally fail the tempering process, I do find it that complex.

Thank you.

http://www.santabarbarachocolate.com/wholesale-bulk-chocolate-brazil-dark-dipping-chocolate-melting-chocolate-25lb-p-186.html?osCsid=3191015b776c997a1fedb96b0dda4df4

Thanks Brad. Very helpful! i live in Pennsylvania where wine is sold in State Stores and the staff is not very knowledgeable. Delaware (neighboring state) does have Wine stores with very knowledgeable staff. I'll take a ride to Wilmington and talk to them about the pairings. Thanks again for the help. John

John, that was a tough one for me because I don't drink.

What I did was poll a series of local wine merchants who were willing to work with my company, and then sit down for a couple of hours with their sommeliers, various beverages, and my various chocolate bars and figure out what works and what doesn't.

The wine merchant who seemed most amenable to working with me got my business, and their referral information on our "official" Choklat wine pairing list that I posted on my website.

I hope that helps.

As always, thanks for the great advice, Brad. I always find your posts most useful. Knowing a fair amount about chocolate but very little about wine, how did you initially determine the pairings? Do you know of any short video clips that could be shown during the party that help explain the relationship between the wine / chocolate? Also, are there any regulatory concerns about serving wine to paying participants (I'm in the US)? Thanks again, John

I started the events about 6 months after I opened my doors. I used an existing email list of clients for the first few, and also dedicated one event per month to a local charity whereby I would give the charity tickets to a single event. They would sell the tickets, keep the proceeds from the ticket sales, and I would host the event. Usually those events proved very fruitful, as the attendees were appreciative of my company's donation, and they would make signifiant purchases at the end of the evening.

The events are a huge win/win. The organization gets funds. The donor has an entertaining and unique evening, and Choklat gets new customers and great good will in the community.

Krista;

I have a fabulous marketing plan in place whereby people pay $50 per person to attend a tour and wine pairing at my shop. They are a captive audience for at least two hours, and the events themselves have become so popular, that my staff now host them 4 evenings a week, and they are sold out until the end of April. Each event hosts 10 people.

With this program in place I have had to spend ZERO on marketing in the past 5 years, and now have 2 corporate stores doing great, as well as a new dealership (like a franchise)in another city.

One word of advice: DO NOT SPEND A SINGLE DIME ON ANY TYPE OF ADVERTISING/MARKETING WHERE THE RESULTS CANNOT BE QUANTIFIABLY MEASURED!!!

Cheers

Brad

I would get the Delta or the x3210 and if I can get it at the price that Paul John Kearins did.

If they are priced evenly, then which one to pic?

I think someone on one of the forums made their own holey baffle for one of the smaller machines by just drilling some holes in one of the regular baffles.

I got mine a couple years ago for about $1800 including extra bowl and the holey baffle. Clay here at the Chocolate Life offers some discounts on some of the Chocovision machines.

No, a larger bowl would not fit into the machine. One can purchase extra bowls (which I have done) from Chocovision, but they are just for convenience, not for quantity. The "holey" baffle gives the larger machine more effective capacity, but although I read that Chocovision was developing such a baffle for the Rev 2, that never came to be. So to get more capacity, the user can either (1) heat more chocolate separately and pour a little of it into the tempered batch--but I found it a nuisance to try to estimate how much was not too much to add or (2) heat more chocolate separately to the start point for tempering (113 F. for the dark I use), use what is tempered in the machine until the level is low, then turn the machine off and back on to start the melt cycle again, and add the extra melted chocolate to fill the bowl-it sounds ridiculous, but since the extra chocolate is quite warm, the Chocovision goes into the temper cycle right away. Obviously a larger machine would be great, but I just don't do batches large enough to make good use of it.

Is there a larger bowl that can be purchased separately for the smaller $500 range temperers like one can do for the larger ones?