Single Origin Cocoa butter?
Posted in: Opinion
Interesting Sebastian. What do you mean when you say that very few people understand how to conche properly... when do you do you Masterclass? 
Forum Activity for @Julie Fisher
Posted in: Opinion
Single Origin Cocoa butter?
Posted in: Opinion
1) Not everyone does add add'l cocoa butter. Because things like moisture and particle size make a difference to viscosity, and because there are very, very, very few people who understand how to conche properly - add'l cocoa butter is a very easy way to compensate for rheological challenges
2) i'd say so, yes - but there are no standards.
3) it's expensive, and there's little demand for it. you'd also end up with a single origin cocoa powder, by the way - which there *may* be demand for if you can market it properly... but still very expensive. Actually there are single origin cocoa butters - you can get single origin ivorian, single origin ghanaian, single origin indonesian - it' effectively what's already out there, for the most part.
Single Origin Cocoa butter?
Posted in: Opinion
It seems that many chocolate producers add cocoa butter to their ingredients.
Since cocoa beans are approx 50% fat (cocoa butter) why would you need to add extra?
If you are producing a single origin bar, shouldn't this cocoa butter also be from the same origin?
Why then are there NO single origin cocoa butters available?
updated by @Julie Fisher: 04/14/15 21:56:10
Visiting a cocoa plantation in Peru
Posted in: Travels & Adventures
Hi!
I have always wanted to visit a cocoa plantation and find out how it grows, walk around between the cocoa trees and see how the fermentation process is done.
This year (in September to be exact) I'm going to travel to Peru hope to get the chance to visit one of those farms.
Has anyone experience with cocoa plantations in Peru? I don't speak Spanish and couldn't get any information in English about where the farms would be located and if it's possible to just go there and take a look.
I would be so grateful if anyone of you would have some hints for met!
Thanks in advance!
Cheers
Astrid
updated by @Astrid Helm: 04/10/15 07:32:53
Sanitation of product when using enrober
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
You're over thinking it. We use a Perfect and make some varieties of pronounced flavor truffles. We segregate gluten batches into different chocolate reservoir to keep from gluten cross contamination but for truffles have never seen flavor blending.Considerations,-- a 35# chocolate res can take minuscule truffle bleed out. Think of how much greater the dilution is than your current setup.-- You will need to refill your res during large runs. There is a happy place the machine draws most effectively from. If you don't refill you will be left with 5-7# at the end and have to add a new 30# the next time. Again, dilution. You'll also find a rhythm for resetting a res from time to time.-- Enrobers are steady and swift. 2-3s under the falls. Hand dipping is a little more jerky and potentially a longer immersion time.With that in mind I doubt you'll ever notice any issues. You'll have far more issues early on learning the nuances of the workflow and keeping the chocolate happy.
Good luck!
Sanitation of product when using enrober
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Good evening!
Right now my candy shop makes every product by hand, including dipping truffles. We have grown too big for our britches 
I am looking to purchase my first piece of equipment and think an enrober is the way to go. I am looking at the Perfect 6", however, as I think about how I works I am concerned about sanitation of the chocolate.
When using a hard item like a cookie or biscuit, you may get a few crumbs that come off under the chocolate "waterfall" or from the blower.... but my largest concern is when enrobing truffles. We make a Mayan truffle, which contains a lot of chili pepper in the ganache. When we hand dip them, I can clearly see the outermost layer of ganache melt slightly as the warm chocolate coats it. Eventually the dipping bowl becomes so filled with chili powder build up from the melting ganache centers that we have to throw the coating away and begin with new.
My thought here is that when using the enrober with a large hopper as it were, will also experience a slight melt of ganache centers during the coating process. As that chocolate is rotated back into the hopper, hasn't that introduced both flavor contamination and water contamination (ganache contains cream, cream contains water), thereby inviting bacterial growth into your chocolate tank? I know there are tons of companies that must use enrobers for truffles but I can't figure out how they get around the likelihood of contamination of the coating chocolate. I feel like I have to be missing something very obvious.I make a number of truffles with strong flavors, so the worry of bothflavor and bacteria contamination are making me second-guess this idea.
Am I missing something? Can anyone tell me their process in order to avoid this concern? Thank you!!!
updated by @Shannon Campbell: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Adding cocoa butter to thin chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Why don't you call the lab at Guittard? They are very helpful and can answer your questions. Guittard also sells cocoa butter. They might suggest you use a different chocolate than Ramona.
Adding cocoa butter to thin chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Clay,
Thank you for taking the time to reply, I really appreciate it. I will be using Ramona Guittard. Yes, to answer your question this is about the enrobing question, we have been trying to achieve the thin layer with the enrober, and yes it does have a blower, however this enrober is super ancient and when the blower is on nothing comes out looking nearly as nice as without. So that is why I am wondering if we can achieve the thin layer with a less viscous chocolate and without the blower. Ah yes and I think I may have gotten confused with the weights somehow, I am looking to achieve about a 1/16 of an inch. Also is there a particular brand of cocoa butter that I should consider using with Ramona?
Thanks!
Adding cocoa butter to thin chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Brianna:
You should only need to add a fairly small amount (<5% by weight) so the answer is ... it depends on the chocolate and the cocoa butter you are using. Unsweetened chocolate (like Guittard Oban) is fairly high in cocoa butter, so if you think you're diluting the flavor, cut down on the butter slightly and add some unsweetened chocolate to the blend. Alternatively, consider using an undeodorized cocoa butter which will have a pronounced chocolate flavor (compared with a deodorized butter).
As for the melt point - some butters have lower melt points than others. Butters with low melt points are considered "soft" and butters with higher melting points are considered "hard". If you add a low melt point butter to a chocolate it may affect the melt point of the blend, also depending on the amount of butter you're adding.
In the end, you'll need to do some experiments to see what works best for you.
Is this related to the enrobing question?
Adding cocoa butter to thin chocolate
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi there,
If I am looking to add cocoa butter to thin out and lower the viscosity of chocolate, does anyone know how much I can add before it will really begin to effect the flavor? Will a higher level of cocoa butter cause my end product to melt easier?
Thanks!
updated by @Brianna: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Achieving a super thin layer of chocolate on a hard center
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Brianna -
I assume you've done tests to know that the chocolate adheres well to your center.
Can you specify thinness as a measurement, not weight? 8-10gr of chocolate on 28gr of center is 25-30% by weight which seems fairly thick, actually. And the pieces are fairly big. What shape are they? Not sure if the can be panned or if they need to be enrobed.
You can thin out the chocolate a tad (is this the point of the cocoa butter question?).
There is usually a movable blower attachment on an enrober belt. The blower can be positioned quite close to the work to remove a significant amount of chocolate.
Enrobers should also have pre-bottomers and de-tailers so I would not "settle" for having a foot around the pieces.
Achieving a super thin layer of chocolate on a hard center
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
How many do you need? I do this with freeze dried strawberries in order to give me a base for panning.
Achieving a super thin layer of chocolate on a hard center
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi there everyone,
I am looking to get an very very thin layer of chocolate on to a hard center. By thin I mean super super thin, around 8g-10g of chocolate per 28 grams of hard centers. I will be having this done by a commercial facility and so I am looking to figure out the most efficient method, and piece of machinery that will be needed. If anyone has any advice at all that would be greatly appreciated. I don't mind having a "foot" on the bottom if need be, and I would prefer to keep them natural and matt vs any sort of confectioners glaze.
Thanks!
updated by @Brianna: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Shelf life of chocolate sauces
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Talk to your people at Oregon State. You have to be concerned with the water activity and possibly using a small amount of preservative. If you pack at 180 degrees and have your aw low enough, you SHOULD be ok. Wouldn't want that liability without the experts advice.
Shelf life of chocolate sauces
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hello! I have been trying to find a thread on chocolate/truffle/caramel/sauces shelf life issues and I am having a hard time. Does anyone "bottle" their chocolate sauce and/or caramel? If so, how is your process? Do you do a water bath? Pressure cooker? No "canning" at all? What is your self life? I just can't find specific information about this...I have been making a chocolate sauce that would be a great product to sell around Christmas time, but I would like to make it safe...Thank you!
updated by @Juliana Renno: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Is my Cocoatown Melanger 12SL broken forever?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Carrie -
Yes, please post photos. And, I agree with Ben - unless a part got broken or lost during disassembly/assembly it should be able to be put back together correctly.
Also, CocoaTown representatives are members of TheChocolateLife and once the photos are posted they should also be able to help.
Is my Cocoatown Melanger 12SL broken forever?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Unless there is a piece that is actually broken (snapped plastic on the case, etc.), I'd imagine it can be put back together. Can you post some pictures?
Is my Cocoatown Melanger 12SL broken forever?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Help! Because of a stupid misunderstanding(I wont get into the nitty gritty details, but it wasn't my smartest move) my Cocoatown 12SL melanger is now disassembled and I cannot put it back together. I removed the bottom piece to check the belt, and it has somehow changed size so it will not reattach. The belt and all pieces are in their places. We hired a sort of handyman to try and reassemble it, but he says that it is broken.
I am obviously a beginner; this is my first time using these machines and I am not mechanically minded. Does anyone have any insights on how I might put this thing back together? Anyone else have the same difficulties? I should not have taken it apart in the first place, but I had no idea that by simply taking out a few screws I would ruin the thing forever...
updated by @Carrie2: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Startup Essentials for a Small Chocolaterie
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
It's depend on your budget.You must consider buy chocolate warmer if refuse buy tempering machine yet.Because chocolate warmer at least make tempered chocolate stable and you have enough time to mould it.CMIIW
Startup Essentials for a Small Chocolaterie
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I'll be starting it as a home business so that I could cut in rental costs. I'll be starting with the minimum equipment requirements, and I'll just work my way up to bigger Equipments.
Startup Essentials for a Small Chocolaterie
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
A Stone melangeur would be good for Conching and Refining right?
For the winnower I'm planning to build my own customized winnower using a blueprint that was posted here in the website.
Startup Essentials for a Small Chocolaterie
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
If you are going Bean to Bar, then you will also need a roaster, a winnower, a conch. Good cacao beans.
Startup Essentials for a Small Chocolaterie
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
It depends on the quanitity of chocolaes your going to make. Marble slab method takes time and eventually you will need to invest in a tempering machine. There are cheper lower production quantity tempering machine like Chocovision Rev2. Apart from this you will need probe thermometer, bowls, dipping tools, scraper, mold. visit sites like bakedeco, chocolate doctor, ecole chocolat, jbprince, chocolateman. They sell starter kits as well
Startup Essentials for a Small Chocolaterie
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
P.S Bean to Bar.
Startup Essentials for a Small Chocolaterie
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi everyone,
I'm Eirven from the Philippines. I'm a new member here in this forum. I would just like to ask from you expert Chocolatiers if what are the necessary Equipments that needs to be purchased right away, and what other equipments can be purchased later. (e.g Instead of buying tempering machines right away, I'll just use the manual table tempering method using Granite/Marble tables)
I'm 20 years old, and I'm planning to Start-up a small chocolate company here in the Philippines. I'll be starting as a home-based business, and will expand later.
Cheers!
P.S : Bean to Bar.
updated by @Drobert Eirven: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Chocolate Airbrushing Issues, Not Always Siphoning
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Thanks Ruth for your thoughts. Yes I've been making sure that all holes are clear and clean. I'm trying to book some troubleshooting time but as you know breaking away from the myriad of things we do to just focus on making something work right is so..meh.
I'll check the breathing holes more and worst case maybe I'll drill them a bit bigger, then start a better comparison of those that work vs those that aren't. Such small differences.
I feel like I'm diagnosing the toffee slab issues again, lol.
Chocolate Airbrushing Issues, Not Always Siphoning
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Andy, I used to use the same brushes, but have recently changed. I'm sure you are making sure the air hole in the lid is open? I found the same situation as you-I even started to put the "bad" lids aside so I wouldn't mix them up. Have you adjusted the nozzle on the lid?
I recently bought a Badger 175 and I'm much happier with it. I think all airbrushes come with their challenges--you just have to figure out which ones bother you the least:-). I have found that if there is even a tiny amount of butter is not melted, it will clog. I tend to run my butter a bit warm to make sure it is melted. I don't worry too much about temper-it seems to temper when sprayed. The new brush also has less atomized spray so I am not breathing it or losing extra product.
Chocolate Airbrushing Issues, Not Always Siphoning
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
When we began we had a lot of luck looking through this site and egullet's forums, and a few blog articles found along the way for the beginner steps to airbrushing cocoa butter & cocoa / chocolate mixes. Since we're always in operation its hard to dedicate a week to learning and troubleshooting so this has been a multi-month set of experiments and learning.
Currently all we need is broad stroke work so we ended up with a nice cheap, quiet air compressor and the quick change kit:
http://www.harborfreight.com/quick-change-airbrush-kit-93506.html
We also picked up this one but since we haven't needed anything further than bulk spray at the moment its staying in the box--
http://www.harborfreight.com/airbrush-kit-47791.html
The issue I'm running into is some of the time the cocoa butter sprays, other times it does not. Fluidity and temperatures are equal, if I change the lid from one to the other that often fixes it, sometimes the working lid works, but only if its partially unscrewed-- but that's not at all efficient. After I clean and change parts a new one rises to being a working one..
For the ones that currently don't "work" if I detach the top a bit and keep it in the fluid, I can see it get drawn up, but it never seems to make it to the top. Switch a few tops out and one ends up being happier than the rest--but they all look the same.
It's just confounding me. After use I diligently clean in scorching hot water and use the pipe cleaners to clean each and every part. So if all things seem equal, what variable am I missing?
I know these kits are in use in some rather high throughput environments so while I could discount that I'm using cheap pieces I know those here and elsewhere are using them for their broad stroke application.
Anyhow, any thoughts or gotchas that you may have found along the way would be really helpful. If this continues I might take a video of it to show off the finer points of weird behavior.
updated by @Andy Ciordia: 04/11/25 09:27:36
DIY Winnower
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Great idea. I'll let you know with photos when I get it going. I'm not sure how easy it'll be to get a ball valve in Santo Domingo. Maybe Amazon.
DIY Winnower
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Yep, exactly.
You'll need to change the way you control airflow, though. My thinking was to replicate what I'm doing with my winnower, and use a pvc ball valve. So, I would hook a PVC "T" connector to the husk output of the zigzag winnower. One side would go to the dust deputy and the other would point straight up and go to a ball valve. By adjusting the valve, you'd control the airflow through the winnower.
DIY Winnower
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
That's great, because I ordered the Dust Deputy fromoneida after winnowing to protect my shopvac. You're saying I should instead hook it air-tight to the husk exit, right?
DIY Winnower
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Thanks! I look forward to seeing the video.
One idea would be to hook it straight up to a vortex dust collector on a 5-gallon bucket, replacing the built-in shell collection chamber. I use one for my current winnower and can winnow 30 Kg or more before having to empty it.
DIY Winnower
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I will put a video this W.E. The good thing about this set-up is that you immediately see what falls in the husks and can adjust the air intake. So, provided you manage a fairly consistent intake of beans from the juicer or manually, the result is really good. I did 8 Kg of roasted beans in 15 min.
My only issue is that I need to stop the vaccum cleaner in order to empty the husks side and that breaks the rhythm. Not sure if/how I could do that.
DIY Winnower
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I'd love to see it in action, too! What kind of yield are you getting? Any problems with husks in the nibs or vice versa?
DIY Winnower
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Looks great! I'd like to see it working if you could film it.
DIY Winnower
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
By strictly following the measurement and plan from the realseeds.co.uk you'll get a perfect wooden winnower on the cheap. The wood material is attractive and the plexiglass front provides a show as well allowing to check what really happens. 
DIY Winnower
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Got it now. Thanks for the clarification!
DIY Winnower
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I'm not sure what you mean by it being cut 3/4 of the way and bent. When you cut the hole in the pvc, you're left with a disk. That is then bolted to the inside of the pvc pipe blocking the bottom of the feeder pipe.
It's not bent (other than the existing curve of the disk). The drawing makes it look like the curve goes top-to-bottom, but really the curve fits into the curve of the pipe, as shown in the photo on that page.
Does that answer your question, or am I still misunderstanding?
DIY Winnower
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Okay I read that post as well but couldn't figure out how the deflector sits in the tube...it looks like it's cut 3/4 of the way....is it then just bent forward?
DIY Winnower
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi Donny,
John talks about the deflector disk in this blog entry:
http://chocolatealchemy.com/2011/07/13/chocolate-alchemys-diy-winnower-part-2/
There's a lot of great info in all of the blog entries and comments about the winnower:
http://chocolatealchemy.com/2011/07/11/chocolate-alchemys-diy-winnower/
http://chocolatealchemy.com/2011/07/13/chocolate-alchemys-diy-winnower-part-2/
http://chocolatealchemy.com/2011/07/17/chocolate-alchemys-diy-winnower-part-3/
http://chocolatealchemy.com/2011/09/02/announcing-the-aether-winnow/
http://chocolatealchemy.com/2011/09/12/the-aether-sylph-winnower/ (this one has tuning instructions)
Ben