Forum Activity for @Brad Churchill

Couple of questions:

1. Why create such a complex blend? Without coming across as a jerk, to me the blend sounds pretentious. As soon as you add milk and various spices to it, 99% of the population won't notice the difference. In fact I would hazard a guess that not even the most refined chocolate pallates in the world will be able to pick out the nuancesin the various bars you are using. This is the same philosophy as taking an $80 bottle of shiraz and using it in a stew. It's a waste, as other flavours overpower the delicate nuances in the wine, just as other flavours in your drink (and the milk too) overpower the nuancespresent in each ofthe chocolates you are blending together.

2. Why are you using chocolate? You don't have near the control you would if you used liquor.

3. Traditional drinking chocolate is thickened with corn starch. You can create a very rich, creamy drink without all the fat by using 3.25% homogonized milk and cornstarch. There's enough fat already in the chocolate / liquor. No need to add more in the form of animal fat. At the same time you can boast to your customers that you are taking them closer to the origin of chocolate than the guy next door.

My experience for what it's worth, and we've been written up all over Canada for the drinking chocolate we offer.

Cheers

Brad

Hey Adam,

I Never looked at the science behind hot chocolate making like yourself, thanks for the detailed input.I drink my Chocolat chaud like the mayans. I like to include Cinnamon and Cayenne Pepper in mine. I do not see how the taste gets harsh when you infuse it in milk or cream, you just need the right amount of spices.

Cheers,

Omar

I recently returned from 6 months in Paris, spending a great deal of time with the chocolate and pastry kings. Whether I was talking with Jacques Genin about his work, nudging Pierre Cluizel to try some new ideas at his new chocolate concept store, or just enjoying some Jean-Paul Hvin pieces, the one thing in the back of my mind was . . . their hot chocolate.

They each do great things with their chocolat chaud, but Im possessed with the idea that they havent spent enough time on decadent blends and the science behind what goes into the cup. So Im hoping The Chocolate Life brain trust can offer some insights. Any thoughts you have on the below would be greatly appreciated!

Preface: Im using a blend of bars, in non-equal proportions, as the basis for the hot chocolate Domori Porelana, Amedei Grenada, Cluizel Maralumi Lait, Pralus Ghana, and Bonnat Chuao

1. Ive nailed down the by-weight ratio of liquids to chocolate to about 2:1. While most recipes use a blend of milk and cream, Im obviously using such pricey bars that I want to incorporate as little perceptible milk fat/protein as possible. So, within the liquids, Im using 3 parts whole milk to 1 part water. With constant agitation, I can get the serving temp to about 130 degrees before the emulsion starts to break down and cacao solids come out a bit. Id like to use even less milk and more water, but then the emulsion breaks at lower temps. Any tricks/advice?
2. Regardless of the milk quantity, Im trying to be very sensitive to the milks ultimate temperature. Ive been using the approach baristas take, heating the milk to around 140-145 as a way to exploit the conversion of alpha to beta lactase, helping create a slightly sweeter milk component. Im not seeing any reason to scald the milk, as Im not doing a ganache, and the hydrogen sulfide produced by the breakdown of lactoglobulin (at around 172 degrees) really wrecks the flavor of the end product. Any thoughts or considerations?
3. The only additive flavor Im introducing is vanilla. Ive found that, by doing a 24-hour cold infusion of only 2 grams of a bean in milk, I can flavor 600ml of the end product. I was hoping to weave in some cinnamon, preferably Ceylon, but its proving too harsh at any concentration. Perhaps I should try simply infusing the cinnamon into water, as a way to extract some different nuances. Thoughts or suggestions?
4. Do any of you have any other too-deeply-thought-out hot chocolate recipes that might assist in my little project here? Despite a lot of research, Im not finding any other recipes that get serious about blends, temperatures, and process.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts you might have. - Adam / Paris Ptisseries

Interesting. I didn't realized that was what Dutched meant.

Thanks Ice

Sounds likethe cacaomay have been dutched (alkalised) with either sodium or potassium carbonate to help it dissolve in water.

Kerry

This is a brilliant explanation and addresses the specific taste. The first test I will do is to change the Cacao powder!

Thank you, I'll keep you posted.

John

That's a great plan, Clay.

Will let you know how it goes...

If it is developing a soapy taste then saponification of either the cocoa butter and/or coconut oil is likely at fault. A metallic alkali reacts with a fat or oil to form soap.

Sunfood claims that it's cocoa is 'lower acid' than other cocoa - meaning higher pH and also high in magnesium, therefore I believe making it a 'metallic alkali'.

I'm uncertain if lowering the pH in some way may prevent this from happening, perhaps acidifying your agave in some way.

Certainly, free water in the agave syrup (or any other ingredient) is a contributor.

One way to test this is to make the exact same recipe but leave out the agave. If, in a week, you don't get the taste change you know that the water in the agave is encouraging the growth of something. You can then try an alternative form of sweetener (e.g., coconut palm sugar).

If you do get the taste change, make the recipe removing one ingredient at a time until the taste change does not happen. Now you know what ingredient is reacting with the water in the agave and you can find a substitute.

It may be that the cocoa powder/mass you are using has mold or other spores in it. These are much harder to control than in "cooked" chocolate because of the low temperature processing. You have to be much cleaner working, too.

'Morning Clay,

It's hard to describe. Not moldy, but soapy tasting, almost like it's heading towards rancid...

It has been suggested that maybe it's the water content in the Agave.

Any suggestions are appreciated

Thanks

John

John:

When the chocolate "goes off" what does that mean? Does it start to taste rancid? Is mold growing? What's happening?

Hello
I am making raw chocolate, but having difficulty making it last more than a week or 10 days

I've read through these posts looking for advice. But I am not making it from the bean

I mostly use Sunfoods Raw Cacao Powder/ Mesquite/ Soy Lecithin / Vanilla... sometimes Spirulina
Mix it up and add Cacao Butter / Coconut Oil / Agave until I get a paste
I set it in the fridge and it gets hard (more like a brownie consistency left out)
but after a week it starts going a little off...

I have read the water content in Agave ma make it go bad...?

So i have even done experiments with coconut crystals to sweeten it, so the only binding liquid is the butter, but then the chocolate is too brittle. I like the slightly maleable (almosy brownie like consistency.

How would I go about making this last longer?
Should I use more cacao butter ?
Is there some trick to making it shelf stable?

Thanks so much, in advance
John

Thank you Tom. We did an initial gritty grind in the DR and it has aged for 4 months now. I didn't know if I should age it after I conch it, before the temper and mold. The paste I am using is pretty rugged. I did buy 100 pounds of fermented beans from a farmers cooperative and a women's cooperative roasted the beans over wood and then hand cracked and winnnowed the beans before it was put through a hand grinder. The 12 hour conch seems to work. Thank you again.

I age it once it has been totally finished and moulded into bars. Most dramatic changes in the chocolate taste occur in a period of three weeks after that, from then it seems reasonably stable (I mould pretty much straight after I finish grinding it). This is just my experience from making and eating a serious amount of chocolate in the last 4-5 years. As for conching, you just have to use your taste, I don't ever conch overly long, I like a bright chocolate. Over conching is a sin, it flattens and mutes the chocolate. Only with a very acidic chocolate like madagascar would I conch in the true sense. It takes about 12 h for a 1 kg batch to grind down to sufficient particle size in my Spectra 10, usually I wouldn't do anything more to the chocolate after that. But with a madagascar I would take the lid off and 'conch' (grind further) for about another 6 h, this also depends on ambient temperature also.

The best way to learn is just to make heaps of chocolate and try different things all the time, try lots of different origins too. Importantly taste it all the time at all stages and keep notes.

Looking for a little advice on how to better work with the chocolate as I go through the process of learning. I purchased a Cocoa Town melanger and have made about 10 - 2 lb. batches in the last month. I am using the balls of paste we made in the Dominican Republic last summer.

I break up the balls using a meat grinder and soften the pieces on a double boiler before I put in in the melanger. I have been adding about 2 cups of pure cane sugar and am testing 2 1/2 cups on my current batch. The conch time has ranged from 4 - 8 hours and one 20 hours conch. Clay warned me about over conching and the gleam appears after about 4 hours.

When I take it about I generally let it harden at room temperature and store in the refrigerator until I temper it. When I visited Mast Brothers they told me they age their chocolate for a month and I read in Maricel Presilla about chocolate being aged for more than three months. AT WHAT POINT DO YOU AGE IT? After the conch and what are the ideal temperatures to store it?

When I took samples of the 7 hr conch to the chocolate show in NYC, it is obvious it is missing something, especially at the end. Are the flavor notes primarily determined at the bean selection, fermentation and roasting processes? How much influence do I have with the conch machine? Or am I mostly working on texture and appearance at this point.

I also lose probably 10 -15% (a guess) transferring it between the machine to a bowl and then during tempering to the molds.

I take it to school (I am a teacher) and share it with the students and get a lot of good feedback. I talk about making chocolate with kids at every opportunity. And they love it.

I also made my first batch of ganche and made some truffle balls rolled in a variety of nuts and roasted quinoa works well. Tried a little batch with reduced orange juice. Not the same as those I purchase around NYC but it is a start.

We just bought a temper and we need to know where to buy bilk block milk chocolate for tempering. Please let us know.

Thanks

Gary

I'm not sure what causes it, but I get it on one of my cocoatown ultras, too.

While running the last two batches in the Spectra 11 there is a good amount of static electricity building on the bowl. This is new. I can't pin down the cause for this. I've run through every variable I can think of with temp, weather, humidity, etc. I'm wondering if this is an early warning sign that something is happening with the Spectra. There is enough static electricity building that it's getting my attention like never before. I'm starting to know what a mosquito feels like at the bug zapper. Was curious if anyone else experienced this and could offer up the shocking truth.

Cheers! Scott

I guess I could see it used as a base or used in a truffle, or other concoction. I did finish the bar and I have to admit I enjoyed it. It wasn't my favorite chocolate bar, but it was worth a try.

How do you guys feel about the Taza 80% bar?

I bought a bar over the weekend and have made a pretty nice dent into it. But I don't know yet how I feel about it. I love all the flavors that this bar has, but not sure about the texture. Over all, I want to say I love it.... but not sure that I can.

Anyone else have thoughts on this bar?

Hi Tom

Thanks for the advice- I have them on my list. Do you know anyone that has dealt with this company before? If so, any feedback?

I am looking into Heritage chocolates- are you familiar with them?

Cheers

Natan

Corvina is the Melbourne company I assume? Apparently there is one in the Gold Coast but I forget the name, perhaps you can use this geographic area to locate it?

Hi all,

I am currently looking for a reliable chocolate manufacturer to produce a quality 50g chocolate bar (to my own specific design). There seem to be very few manufacturers in Sydney who have the capacity to do so.

I know there is a larger chocolate making community in Melbourne- I will work with these if I have to.

Does anyone know a manufacturer in Sydney (does not have to be bean to bar)??

Thanks

Natan

No, not on these.

Are you using colored cocoa butter?

Did some more experimentation today and actually pre heated my molds, the marks went away so I guess these are water spots. That opens another issue for me-If i can't decorate it I won't make it. How do I decorate it and pre-heat it at the same time?

Did you let your molds air dry the last time you washed them? If so there could be minerals from the water left behind that polishing the molds might not remove. Stains like this can be difficult to remove. I've never done it with chocolate molds but you typically have to use a white vinegar and water mixture. In this case, I'd probably just soak the molds in this mixture for a while and then rinse welland hand dry.

I have recently ran into a problem with some of my molds.After de-molding I am getting weird spots that don't really qualify as water marks. (see attached) I have tried polishing molds, moved the temperature of the work environment to as high as 72 F and as low as 60 F, preheated the molds, washed and did all of the above. The problem first occured after the molds were washed before switching from milk chocolate to dark chocolate. This is not the first time that such a switch too place but a first time that I have encountered such a problem. My molds are all hand painted so I cannot pre-heat them too much anyway just to about 75-77 F. The image attached shows a cloudy area in the middle of an otherwise shiny object. Any suggestions?

Hi christine. That sounds good. My email is sinclairpinto@hotmail.com

It would be nice if I could visit you for a few minutes at your kitchen and discussing further and it will also give me an estimate as to how much time it would take to commute.

Thank you,

Sinclair

Hi Sinclair

Take a look at my site and let me know if you'd be interested in interning with me. My kitchen is in Belmont.

Christine

Neo Cocoa

www.neococoa.com

Thanks everybody for all your suggestions. But knowing my eagerness to get my hands down into chocolate, have ordered a few moulds online and an airbrush to keep me excited until I get my internship.

Thanks Nat for clarifying which San Jose, I was wondering too! Great news that it is the local one (for me). There are many makers in the Bay Area, let's talk to figure out what kind of match would make for a good fit. You can email me directly (through my business website email) or via The Chocolate Life. I have a small chocolate tasting business that works with mostly bean to bar makers, but also some confectioners.

Best wishes,

Sunita

The Chocolate Garage

Palo Alto, CA

www.thechocolategarage.com

Check craigslist for the SF Bay Area. I saw a couple of jobs in SF and Emeryville for chocolate assistants.

Which San Jose?

San Jose, Costa Rica

San Jose, California

San Jose,Peru

San Jose, Guatemala?

Near San Jose, CA there's Recchiuti, Dandelion Chocolate, Bittersweet Cafe, Sokola ( http://www.socolachocolates.com/contact.html ), and several more.

Hi,

I am currently residing in the San Jose area. I have moved here from London and will be here until Feb. I am looking for an opportunity to intern with a chocolatier. Would really appreciate suggestions or help.

Sinclair

Not always but we are having a heat wave 36C yesterday.

A portable a/c fpr a chocolatier is like a great card hidden while playing poker...you never know when you need it but it is certainly better to have it where are you located that is that hot?

Thanks Ricardo, I think this is the best idea to get a portable one, it will not be as expensive. For interest's sake, it is so hot here that chocolate we poured out of the chocolate fountain in the market 24 hours ago is still not set. OK, I know because it is not tempered it takes longer, but certainly not 24 hours!

Magrieta, if your room is small enough try to get some portable a/c unit (doesnt have to be a huge one) but it will help to cool down the temperature a little bit and as for the ganache make sure it's well emulsified to prevent a broken batch.

I had the same problems with my room temperature and feel your pain but I managed to fix it as explained.

always try to run a couple of tempering test before molding, enrobing etc to make sure chocolate sets timely and everything is perfect before your big production.

hope this helps

Cao