Blogs
To cocoa butter or not to cocoa butter?
That is the question...
We did an experiment to provide an answer to thistime old question (ok, sure, were borrowing from Shakespeare). For this experiment, we used our favorite Madagascar beans. I think were now about halfway done with the giant bucket!
Lets post some hypotheses about the two batches...
Read more here:
Last month, we visited John Nanci, the Chocolate Alchemist in Oregon . It was a lot of fun and we learned a ton about his process, ingredients, and recommendations!
One of our favorite parts of the visit was roasting a batch of cocoa beans with him. Check out our previous postson roasting here . We picked out thebeans after sticking our heads in all of his big barrels of beans and smelling the wonderful scent of raw beans over and over again. I wish I could share smell through this post, because its incredible how different (and delicious) each barrel smells. We decided on the Venezuelan Carupano Corona, 2014 harvest, which has a savory, almost spicy scent...
Learn how we tried to match the roast!
What is the absolute first step in making chocolate? Sorting! See if I made sorting more exciting than it seems!
This step in making chocolate does not usually get a lot of attention. Perhaps thats because its such a tedious, manual process in most cases. Perhaps its because until recently, it seemed uncontroversial.
Well, let me try to make this topic as exciting as possible for our readers. I promise itll involve threat of violence, betrayed trust, and the potential for incredible flavor variety Here we go!
http://rootchocolate.com/2014/12/01/sorting_chocolate_beans/
Hi there choco fans
I need help findingcontract chocolate manufacturer in the US or even better in Florida.
Google doesn't seem to be enough, therefore I'm asking you.
I want to find as many companies possible, in Florida or near Florida so I could compare the quality of their work.
Thanks to all
Dorita
Over the weekend, we had the exciting opportunity to meet up with another local chocolate maker. Dave Huston of Confluence Chocolate, who lives up in Sacramento, agreed to come down to the Bay Area for a visit. We met at Bittersweet Cafe , and drank some absolutely delicious hot chocolates (similar to whats offered at Dandelion ). I recommend the Spicy hot chocolate!
We met up with Dave to chat about life as hobbyist chocolate-makers, to share stories of how chocolate sweetens our lives and get to know each other. I know cheesy. And it was wonderful! Imagine if you could meet someone else who has the same strange hobby that fills your weekends and evenings!Yes, we learned a lot, but more importantly, we met a new chocolate buddy. As per the trend, people in the small batch bean-to-bar industry are awesome!
So, what did we learn exactly?
Read more on the website: http://rootchocolate.com/2014/11/26/chocolate_meet_up/
Hola Chocolate Lifers!
My name is Jenny Samaniego, founder and owner of Cocoa Provisions. I grew up in Ecuador and I moved few years ago to NY. My love from the chocolate industry took shape in the Unites States while working for chocolate companies, Pacari Chocolates and Vintage Plantations Chocolates, and traveling back to Ecuador to meet the farmers.
The special connection I had with the industry, grew to become my life goal, after witnessing the need and struggle of the small farmers to find a market for their produce. My company is the bridge that connect the world of the small Ecuadorian farmer and your world, bringing in a taste of the passion and hard work that is needed to bring such quality products.
Cocoa Provisions source directly from the small group of farmers in Ecuador, thus contributing to the conservation of "Arriba National" cocoa, Fair Trade & Sustainable Agriculture Practices. This makes us a purveyor of fine organic fair trade "Arriba Nacional" cocoa beans. We dedicate our work to "Bean to Bar" Chocolate Makers, Chocolate Manufactures, Chocolatiers, etc.
Visit Cocoa Provisions at www.cocoaprov.com or contact us directly us jenny@cocoaprov.com .
The company's products are supplied to many
multinational chocolate companies, as well as to a number
of independent manufacturers, all over the world
There has been a lot of news recently regarding the world chocolate shortage. Some sources are stating that there will be a 1 million MT deficit in chocolate by 2020. The ICCO denies that projection, addingthat this year actually showeda 40,000 MT surplus of chocolate.
A few factors certainly could contribute to a shortage of chocolate overall in the world. Note the emphasis on overall. If were to take the chocolate shortage claims seriously, we must include all the factors that could contribute.
Read more about what this news has to do with Root Chocolate and any other small bean-to-bar maker here:
Ever wonder what the Root Chocolate Factory looks like? Check it out!
Its been about 8 months since we starting playing around with chocolate. And in that time, weve collected quite a bit of equipment, tools, and ingredients that now fill an entire area of our apartment. We like to call that area our Chocolate Factory.
We started with just a bag of cocoa beans from the Grand Central Market in LA and some white cane sugar . From our very first coffee grinder to the old fashioned grain mill to the melanger we use today, weve gone through more than a few iterations of our process.
Id like to show off a little about our current set-up, in the hopes that it will be useful to other chocolate-makers or aspiring chocolate-makers out there!
Read more here: http://rootchocolate.com/2014/11/18/chocolate_factory/
"Organic" "Local" "Single Origin" "Fair Trade" "Rainforest Alliance" "UTZ" "Direct Trade"
What do these all mean and which ones should you pay attention to when you're choosing your chocolate? Good question! Some relate to labor practices, others relate to the environmental circumstances surrounding the farming.
Here at Root Chocolate, we've discussed where cacao farmers fit into the picture, the complications of importing cocoa beans, the benefits of slowing down our interaction with food, and the importance of supply chain, and the relevance of genetics. Now let's talk about the external certifications that can factor into your decisions around chocolate purchases and consumption.
I'm not going to claim that one certification is better than another or that any one of these means your chocolate is sustainably produced and sourced, but let's go into what each of them mean.
Learn more here: http://rootchocolate.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/chocolate_labels_1/