PS - if applying directly to the transfer sheet for later application to enrobed pieces, you'll have to mind the balance of dry-enough vs too-dry before cutting the sheet into individual units.
Have you tried using white chocolate (assuming you're not making Vegan products)? If airbrushing, you can cut it 50/50 (more or less) with plain cocoa butter to thin it out for spray application. Of course, this solution is for using a transfer sheet (assuming that's the University logo application) with a magnetic mold - you could just make the transfers for the Maroon part and leave the white portions as negative space, which then get sprayed with the white background color to form the white portions. Then, you can use any kind of chocolate to make the shell, so it won't taste like white chocolate. Of course, if you're talking about enrobed chocolates and didn't want the whole piece to be white chocolate, then you'd have to apply the white "background"/portions by spreading or spraying using the white chocolate (not necessarily cut with cocoa butter if you're spreading, not spraying application...your preference) directly onto the transfer sheet. Then you'd cut them to individual units and apply them to dark or milk enrobed pieces as normal. Don't forget that if you're spreading, not spraying, then having the white tempered/pre-crystallized will be (more) necessary, as the act of spraying *supposedly/usually* tempers the cocoa butter. Hope that works for you!
Whoa: barrel-aged sour paired with a white/matcha/lemon?!
Box officially annihilated. Well played, sir. Thanks for sharing.
Clay:
Thanks for all the info. That pressure-maceration trick sounds awesome, too, so I'll definitely try that sometime! Seems like main thing I'll have to contend with then in the scenarios I've described is heavy metal and other inorganic compounds in brewing. Fortunately, this brewery has a chemical engineer of-sorts on staff, so he'll probably be excited about testing for that. Cheers!
Also, I would like clarification on this statement, please:
"[...] the temperatures involved in the distillation process, coupled with the alcohol of the finished product, are likely to kill any bacterial pathogens that might be present on the shell."
Does this still hold true now that I've clarified that the product would be a rum infused with cacao and not a spirit distilled from cacao?
Also, does this also hold true for the brewing of beer? Figured it's worth asking since the alcohol content is significantly lower.
Thanks again!
Clay:
Thanks for the response! The information regarding bacteria and heavy metal analysis were very helpful. Most of your response was based on a couple misunderstandings, though, which I'll clarify just so others don't take the conversation on a deeper tangent.
First, I made a mistake by omitting an important clause. My statement should have read, "[...] used raw, whole bean cacao [...] to make a whiskey infused/flavored with cacao." The whiskey this NY company made was a traditional whiskey flavored and/or aged with raw cacao, and that is what these rum distillers wanted to do with their rum (distilled from molasses). Sorry for the confusion there.
Second, I am not personally making any alcohol products; I've merely been approached as a chocolate maker and chocolatier to provide materials or products and to collaborate on the creation of rum and beer flavored with cacao by two separate, fully licensed companies.
Finally, I would never partner with the Brothers for any reason; the current rum distiller is a former employee of the whiskey distillery that partnered with the Masts on the cacao infused/aged whiskey.
So, I have no need to discuss those three items further, but I'd love to hear more from anyone about the concerns with heavy metals, inorganic compounds, and/or mycotoxins.
Thanks!
At the risk of beating a dead horse, I'd like to introduce the tangent of alcoholic brewing and distillation, as I've recently had two interactions wherein a craftsman has suggested we use raw cacao to create a beverage.
First, a rum distiller had previously, when working with a whiskey distillery in NY, used raw, whole bean cacao from (brace yourself, Clay) the Brothers of Mast to make a whiskey. They were interested in doing the same now with their rum, and based on what I'd read on this thread and elsewhere, told them it wasn't a good idea to use raw cacao or shell material - and also to forget the name of those other chocolate fakers forever. 
Then, a local brewer asked me, "SO, when are we gonna do a wild cacao (meaning, raw) fermentation?" Now, this is why I'm even bothering to ask for your opinion specifically, Sebastian - back in Seattle, he claims to have done such a fermentation not on a whim, but in conjunction with what I'll call "a very large, industrial, yet socially- and environmentally-responsible chocolate manufacturer that conducts and sponsors a lot of scientific research" - as I have no reason to give them a bad name, if this story does that. The conversation was cut short, so I didn't get too much info on the process, as he was kind of recalling multiple instances and methods of brewing experimentation and the laboratory of this chocolate factory (e.g., centrifugally separated cacao juice? really?). However, the main idea he was discussing was to throw the beans in whole and raw, asserting that, "... it's all yeast, right?" To which I shuddered and told him I'd look into it. Anyway, I'd like to know exactly what's what, lest his superior knowledge of brewing negates my sophomoric understanding of the risks.
Now, I'm assuming that alcohol, being a mycotoxin itself, would only amplify the possibilities of toxicity (in a bad way, not a "cool, drunker" way - LOL), no? Or would the mycotoxin battles each other for survival, yielding a comparable intoxication to alcohol alone? I would also assume the possibility of heavy metal contamination would be raised, no? Then there's the miscellaneous junk on the shell - dusts, dirt, etc - though perhaps that could be washed off to some degree (at least to the same degree as hops and malts?) without eliminating the natural yeasts?
Anyway, the big question here: is there any part of the distilling or the brewing process that might negate, if not control, the critical points previously discussed? Again, since I'd like to work with this guy in the future (preferably with roasted nibs or chocolate, though), I don't want to make assumptions or miss something crucial so as to negate the argument against shell/raw cacao use as a whole.
Thanks!
I saw this website has two similar ball roasters (and in Spain!): https://www.machinio.com/cat/ball-roaster
I feel like I had seen at least one of those machines listed on another site, too, though I didn't find it in a quick Google search.
There are also these two Barths, though I'm sure they're more than you'd want to spend for museum display purposes:
http://www.coffeetec.com/category_s/60.htm
Schokoma in Germany sometimes has old ball roasters, though there's nothing listed on their site now. You may ask them anyway, in case they just have something unlisted.
Finally, I have no transaction history with these websites - nor any history buying antique roasters. I just stumbled across these recently while researching, and thought I'd share. Good Luck - sounds like a fun project.
-Chris
PS - Clay typically encourages using the Private Notes feature, rather than posting your email address for spammers, though we have to Follow one another to send said notes, so give me (and any others) a Follow if you'd prefer to negotiate on the site.
Hi foodpump! Two Q's: What's your email address? Do you ship to the US?
I'm interested in the following molds: magnetic hearts (both the hollow and the transfer style), the mahjong, the cigars, the santa molds, and the standing/sitting bunny molds.
Thanks!
Chris
Hey Del,
I'm also interested in both. Please send me a private message (or follow me so I can send you one).
Thanks!
Chris
Jeez - I even checked my trusty text (Peter Greweling's Chocolates & Confections, 2nd ed., p.277) to make sure the accent was correct. Thanks a lot, Greweling!
Anyway, as I mentioned, you can still Google "praline paste" (or "praliné") and find recipes or sites that sell it in bulk (e.g., Callebaut). It's not difficult to make, though if you need a bunch you can buy it.
Oh, "praline"....such a complicated little word. Where I'm from - New Orleans - and the rest of the Southern US, the praline is a crystallized-sugar pecan confection (pro-tip: the less-traditional kind with cream are awesome for the 1st 5-10 minutes of their life...after that, "meh.") which was adapted from the almond version born in France. In modern day France, Belgium, and most of Europe, a praliné is a bonbon or an enrobed chocolate (tbh- not positive if it's used for both molded and enrobed).
However, I'd guess Wybauw means the third option: praline paste. Some consider the traditional version to be simply caramelized hazelnut paste, while others say it's a caramelized mixture of hazelnuts and almonds made into a paste, and still others would say any caramelized nut paste will do depending on your recipe and whims. One simply caramelizes the nuts (Untoasted! They will cook in the caramel.) and processes them in a food processor until the nuts express their oils and a paste forms. Google "praline paste" and you'll find some recipes.
Bon Appétit!
Clay:
If a chocolate maker is only interested in making truly single origin chocolates, then obviously that's a superfluous acquisition, but what if the producer is also making milk and white chocolate, various couvertures and selling the cocoa powder and cocoa butter (ie, for beauty products)? Ethically sourced cocoa butter is not that cheap, is it? Stretched over the life of the machine, is more than $15k worth of cocoa butter (and "powder" - yes, I'm aware the fat content will be higher than the typical 10-12%) not produced? Do these machines not last that long? Please, feel free to play devil's advocate ...
Thanks again for sharing, Salvatore!
Clay: In my opinion, even that "more expensive" price is fairly reasonable. Again, I'm surprised more people aren't using the Delani or the National models (or, at least, aren't mentioning them on the relevant forum discussions on this site). Thanks for the information, and I'll probably be in touch about that press in the future, barring the unexpected emergence of some better option.
Salvatore: Thanks for your response. My assumption was that National is the original designer/producer. When you spoke with them, did you happen to ask if the machines are actually built in Korea with parts manufactured in Korea? My concern would be that it's simply designed or conceived or sold by a Korean company while actually being made in China using cheap parts. If they are the real deal, it seems that many people would already be using them - if they work as they claim, the price is quite good, no? Surely if the design is good enough to copy, many someones out there must be using the originals successfully, no? Yet, all these forum discussions seem to lament a lack of smaller presses under $25,000...?
Clay: Indeed, that's the spec sheet I found on their Spanish language site, and the manufacturing/correcting scenario you described is what I assumed. I have already requested a quote via their site, though haven't heard back (though, weekend), so if you already have that information to forward to me, or if you care to share a ballpark figure with the forum, feel free.
OK, back in in the USSA [sic] and ready to report. The best offerings I found (regarding wide, quality selection- not individual stores of makers) were at Eataly in Torino/Turin and La Rinasciente in Milano.
First, when I speak of the Eataly in Torino, I'm speaking of the HUGE (once you find the alcohol section downstairs, almost doubling the square footage) grocery located in the Lingotto area of Torino - a 5 minute Metro ride from Porta Nuova (main train station); NOT the smaller one in the center of town, which is focused more on the restaurant aspect of their business model. They have a lovely selection of pretty much everyone except Amedei. Their Domori selection was the biggest I saw in Italy, and they had Gardini, too; I managed to buy the LAST TWO, gold-medal-winning cherry giandujia cremino. (If I don't get an email in the next few days, I'll contact you, Clay; tempting as it is, I won't eat yours.) Pro-tip: skip the Gelato there and head to Grom, Orso (especially here for espresso! They actually had 7 mono-origins and 2 blends- separate grinders and all!), or Marchetti (Pepino is OK, though more historical than presently enriching, imo).
Then, La Rinascente's literal penthouse of food is definitely worth checking out in Milan. The chocolate section is a step-down from the first option mentioned, though they had a bunch of Gardini's aforementioned treat as well as Pacari (multi-award winner from Ecuador), which was a nice detour. Their selection is pretty clogged with chocolates that are less worthy of your time - whereas the Eataly of Lingotto had tons of top quality on top of the "lesser" quality. Even if you have no intention of buying chocolate here, it's worth the multiple escalator rides to the top to have a nice lunch on the outdoor patio, where you're seated a small leap (no jumping allowed ) from the roof of the beautiful Duomo.
Feel free to ask any other questions should you seek info on Italia; I visited all (I think...so many!) Cioccolatieri in Torino, and tons of Gelatieri as far south as Rome.
Anyone know about the hydraulic presses from Hanaro or Delani? What little I know about the two:
Hanaro's website claims it's based in Korea, though I believe the same hydraulic presses (or just very similar) are made and sold by Chinese companies on AliBaba...? Last I checked they were 11-12k..? Video on their site:
http://www.nationaloilpress.com/hydraulic-oil-press-machine-hanaro-a-type/
As for Denali (from Peru, I think), I have no idea what they sell. First, they have a youtube video advertising a press that looks just like the Hanaro:
If you click on the info link there, it shows you, via their English site, a totally different press for sale. THEN, if you dig deeper and go to their Spanish site (delani.biz) you find two machines meant to work in tandem: a.) what looks like the aforementioned, possibly Korean (or Chinese?) press enrobed, if you will , in metal and b.) a clarifying machine to rid the cocoa butter of impurities/cocoa mass.
Anyone have experience or information on these 2, 3, 4, or 5 machines? I sent an quote-inquiry via the English site, so I'll update when I hear back.
Just an update, for those who may search this topic in the future:
Based on Clay's endorsement, I contacted Gardini to find out where their products were sold. They said Eataly, which I'll be going to at some point for the experience outside of chocolate anyway, but the real gem came in the form of the only other option they mentioned: la Rinascente. Like Eataly, la Rinascente has multiple locations in all the major cities, but they are considered a department store (and fashion is the focus) rather than a food or grocery store. However, judging by their website, their chocolate game is on point. The chocolate section of the site (linked below) not only shows all the brands they carry, but also which stores stock each brand! Moreover, there are some other Italian brands I had not heard about mentioned on the site as well. Now, not only do I know where to find the brands I was looking for, but also what to do in Milan on a Monday! Perfetto!
https://www.rinascente.it/rinascente/en/W0010/W0304/W1955/food/packed-chocolate/gardini/
Enjoy!
Bonus Question: I'm assuming I can pick up some of my favorites that I won't be able to visit (ie, Domori and Amedei) at EATALY, but if this is not true, or there is a better chocolate store that carries stock from multiple makers, please guide me towards the light! Thanks, again!
Hello, 'Lifers! While making final preparations for my upcoming trip to Italy, it dawned on me that I should ask this community of ours for some suggestions on the MUST SEE Cioccolatieri! Specifically, I'll only be travelling around on a tight schedule after doing some coursework there, so "unfortunately," I'll be limited in my travels to the following places: Turin, Milan, Venice, Florence, and Rome, so I'm only looking for reccomendations for these cities. Furthermore, I'm fairly knowledgeable on the scene in Torino, so no need to mention Gobino, etc - unless there's a relatively unknown cioccolatiere or a specific confection (beyond gianduotti and bicerin) that I must know about. Also, feel free to shout-out your favorite Gelato or Caffe experiences - they'll be well received, I assure you. 
Finally, I'll link the 4 forum/blog posts on this site that I've read already, so you won't have to link me to them (though please link any I missed here or elsewhere).
GRAZIE!
https://www.thechocolatelife.com/clay/blog/153/the-best-coffee-and-gelato-in-all-of-rome
https://www.thechocolatelife.com/su/blog/154/ah-italy-the-foodthe-chocolate
Ciao! Add me to the e-mail list, please! burgundyport@yahoo.com
