Forum Activity for @Clay

Calling all Chocolatiers: What are YOU Making Special for Easter This Year?

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Jeff:You are one sick puppy. But I mean that in the nicest way.:: Clay

Calling all Chocolatiers: What are YOU Making Special for Easter This Year?

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Easter is one of the top holidays for buying and gifting fine chocolate and I know that there are many very creative chocolatiers that are members of TheChocolateLife.So - what are you making special this year? Let us know - and please post pictures of whatever you mention.:: ClayTech Note: Please limit file size to about 100Kb so the page does not take forever to load. Maximum width of 800 pixels, medium-quality compression - these are not for print reproduction. Minimum width dimension should be 600 pixels so we can see the detail.Tech Note Too: To embed a photo into your post, click on the camera icon in the "Reply To This" area and then select the file you want to upload. The HTML code will appear in the reply area, and you can embed as many photos as you want, you're not limited to three attachements.
updated by @Clay Gordon: 12/13/24 12:16:07

SF Chocolate Salon Tasting Panel Winners: Amano Cleans Up

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

The winners of the tasting panel awards from the recent 2009 "International" SF Chocolate Salon have been posted.Art Pollard's Amano Artisan Chocolate company walked away with many top honors, including:Best Dark ChocolateBest Milk ChocolateTop Artisan ChocolatierBest Dark Chocolate Bar (?)Best Milk Chocolate Bar (?)Best in SalonMost Gifted Chocolatier / Chocolate MakerIf you take a look at the awards and categories, you'll see some deep confusion about the makeup of the chocolate industry. This is a criticism I have long leveled at the organizers: their hearts are in the right place but they really don't know what they're talking about when it comes to the chocolate business. As with the organizer's books I found the information about the awards profoundly lacking in the basic - for example we only know the name of the company who won an award, not what product they won it for. We know that Amano won best dark chocolate bar over Tcho and Brix, but all three companies make more than one bar. WHICH chocolates were being awarded?It's also impossible to know what the difference is between the award for Best Dark Chocolate and Best Dark Chocolate Bar is. (It's not an editing mistake because it shows up in the 2008 LA awards list.) In another confusing award, because Amano does not make confections, it's hard to understand why they won as best artisan chocolat ier . Finally, there is no distinction (that is obvious) between companies that make chocolate from the bean and companies that either melt and mold a single commercially available chocolate or that melt and mold a blend of commercially available chocolates. What you say, too nuanced? Not at all - it's recognition of different skills.On the other hand, the awards do not seem to suffer from two of the challenges of the Academy of Chocolate awards - a dearth of judges, and obvious sponsor favoritism: more than 35 judges are listed and none of the apparent sponsors won awards. To their credit, the organizers did not have a single judge whose product was submitted for an award. As is most common, there is no description of the judging instructions.One other place where these awards differ from the Academy of Chocolate awards is that it appears you must be an exhibitor to submit product for judging. In the AoC awards, anyone can enter - they don't have to be Academy members. So, there is no obvious sponsor favoritism but the awards reflect a shallow pool of entries.These differences highlight the difference in intent in the purpose of the Awards and only begins to expose some of the challenges in creating the rules that govern a competition, including not only what will be judged, but how it will be judged, and how the judging process will be explained (or not) to the companies whose work is being judged as well as to the general public.In saying all this I don't want to be seen as diminishing Art's accomplishments. He - along with the many other young small bean-to-bar manufacturers - have done great work in a very short period of time. He deserves recognition for his success: Congratulations, Art.But it does say that there is a long way to go in crafting a competition that accurately and meaningfully represents the chocolate business in a way that is truly helpful to the consumer.
updated by @Clay Gordon: 12/13/24 12:16:07

Madame Cocoa's Adventures in Paris - Top Paris Chocolate Spots

Posted in: Travels & Adventures

Madame Cocoa posted a lovely album of photos taken in Paris in September 2008.There are some very lovely photos that remind me of my last trip there, but only a few of the photos are identifiable. SO - let's play a game of "Tag The Photos" and all ChocolateLife members are invited to play.At the same time, let's compile a list of top chocolate spots in Paris. I will start out with some of mine. Chocolate Shops #1 - a l'Etoile d'Or - Best chocolate store in Paris selling many brands. Chocolatiers' Shops (I have personally visited, that I can remember) Christian ConstantSadaharu AokiPierre HermeCluizelJean-Paul Hevin (multiple)Gerard MulotLa Maison du Chocolat (multiple)FauchonMarquise du SevigneRichart Hot Chocolate #1 - la Charlotte de l'Isle (Ile St Louis)Cafe de FloreAngelina Chocolatiers I Must Seek Out on my Next Trip Patrick RogerMichel Chaudun Disappointments LadureeA la Reine AstridAtelier du Bayonne (but love the presentation)
updated by @Clay Gordon: 04/10/15 05:53:29

Is Taxing Chocolate A Good Way to Help Fight Obesity?

Posted in: Opinion

A doctor in the UK seems to think so according to this article .

Chocolate should be taxed in a bid to control the obesity epidemic, a doctor has suggested. Family doctor David Walker believes that chocolate is a "major player" in the problem of the country's expanding waistlines.Taxing the treat would raise its profile as an unhealthy food which can contribute to weight-related conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure and back pain, the Lanarkshire GP will tell doctors at a conference in Clydebank.He said people are often eating more than half a day's worth of calories when they polish off a bag of chocolates in front of the television.

Of course! Blame the chocolate. It has nothing to do with the sedentary couch potato behavior of the lardass snarfing up some sweet fat confection that bears very little resemblance to "real" chocolate.Earth to Dr Walker: If you make chocolate more expensive they'll just move to crisps or something else equally bad. Don't blame the food, blame the behavior of the person who's eating the food.As my old friend Edith Ann was very fond of saying, "And That's the Truth.":: Clay
updated by @Clay Gordon: 04/10/15 06:52:07

Lindt to close most US Stores

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Susie:I think the real problem is brand confusion. The presence of Lindt stores in locations like 5th Avenue in New York City imply an upscale brand - as does the advertising.But on Unrwapped they showed them making millions of those vile Lindor truffles - a day. And then you can bu Lindt bars in most every bodega and in places like WalMart. And I think that most people are confused by this because they know that real upscale brands aren't that cheap.Valrhona had the same problem when they started selling bars in Trader Joe's at a steep discount. One of the reasons there is new packaging is to distance the new product - especially the origin bars - from what's being sold in TJ's. So while some Valrhona chocolates will be available in TJ's it's only one or two blends and they'll have the old packaging.

Lindt to close most US Stores

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

From an article in the Financial Times

Lindt & Sprngli, the Swiss maker of chocolate truffle balls and Easter bunnies wrapped in gold foil, is to close nearly two-thirds of its retail boutiques in the US as people switch from its fancy chocolates to cheaper brands.Lindts gloomy forecast contrasts with more upbeat outlooks by mass-market chocolate manufacturers such as Nestl and Cadbury, both of which have reported rising sales for mainstream brands such as Cadbury Dairy Milk and Kit Kat in recent months.To save money, the company which also owns the Ghirardelli brand is to shut 50 of its 80 US retail boutiques, concentrating on boutiques in shopping malls. It first started exporting chocolate to the US in 1987 and began opening its own stores in 1994 to raise awareness of its brand.Lindt said it no longer needed the boutiques because most of its US sales were now made through well-known retailers such as Wal-Mart, Costco, Target and Walgreens, and because shoppers were unwilling to pay the higher prices charged at its own stores.

updated by @Clay Gordon: 12/13/24 12:16:07

San Francisco/West Coast Chocolatiers - Call to Action

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

If you do reply to this, please let us all know here so we don't pitch something that's already been pitched.

Corn Syrup

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

Sarah:Try Marroquin Organic Commodity Services out of Santa Cruz, CA. They sell a number of different organic corn sweeteners .:: Clay

Corn Syrup

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

Water is bad for your health if you drink too much of it.The amount of corn syrup you're talking about in a single piece is fractions of a gram. In that amount is it better or worse (considered solely from a health perspective) than refined white sugar?Probably not.You're over thinking this. There are far more important things to worry about when it comes to chocolate.

Chocolatiers = Re-melters?

Posted in: Opinion

Brad:Bernard C has chocolate made to his specs by the Barry-Callebaut company. I would be interested in knowing whether the chocolate is made in Belgium or in St Hyacinth which is where B-C has a manufacturing plant in Canada (they also have one in St Albans, Vermont).However, it may be true that Bernard C DOES get involved in selecting the beans for the chocolate he has made. However, the language is ambiguous and leading.I don't know how much it's worth fighting this but figuring out a meaningful point of differentiation that the consumer can quickly and easily comprehend that does not directly compare you with this icon. Not easy I know, but more valuable to you in the short run than fighting the misconception.

Chocolatiers = Re-melters?

Posted in: Opinion

Sam:This is a very strong example of how stepping back from the process to re-examine it can reveal meaningful differentiators. Forget the notion of "bean-to-bar" (I notice that you used) but, "We make chocolate from cocoa beans we roast ourselves" is an easy to comprehend concept and the analogy to coffee is good, though imperfect, as we know. However, most consumers can probably tell that there is a difference between roasting coffee beans, grinding them, and making coffee than buying roasted (and perhaps already ground) beans from someone else and making coffee with that.This works for you and for many others. Artisan in London works from cocoa liquor which means someone else roasts and grinds the beans so this distinction doesn't work for them.:: Clay

Chocolatiers = Re-melters?

Posted in: Opinion

There's no conflict here - milk and sugar are ingredients that chocolate manufacturers purchase to make finished chocolate, whether they start from wet beans (seeds), dry beans, nibs, or liquor. Sugar and milk are added during what is usually called the refining step, irrespective of type of refiner used (e.g., roll refiner or integrated refiner/conche).The entire purpose of conching is to make the chocolate edible on two fronts: physical (texture) and taste (removing unwanted flavors, developing desirable flavors).AW: In the UK, most people use the word bonbons or chocolates, not confections? No worries, for the purposes of this context they are equivalent terms.BC: You think these are hard, try moving people off of "single origin" which is meaningless when the "single" origin is an entire country. I prefer to use "named origin" (or just "origin") where the origin that is being named can be huge (a blend of beans from an entire country) all the way down to a single plantation.

Chocolatiers = Re-melters?

Posted in: Opinion

This whole discussion has been very helpful for me because it points out how the language we use affects our perceptions. Re-melter has a negative connotation to it that fondeur seems not to, perhaps because of the "re-" prefix. It's also clear that the phrase bean-to-bar no longer (if it ever really did) adequately describe the complexities of the process. Praline (with/without the accent) is one of the most overloaded words in chocolate/confectionery, and here in the US the confusion caused by a final "s" or lack thereof is, well, unnecessarily confusing.To start the attempt to formally clarify the situation, here's my take on the matter.ROLESChocolatier = Confectioner = Candy MakerFor the purposes of this discussion, these three labels are nearly semantically equivalent. No matter what label they use, these people/companies purchase ingredients from other companies to make finished goods. Depending on where you live, these finished goods might be called pralines, bon bons, truffles, and/or chocolates.Chocolate ManufacturerA chocolate manufacturer is a person or company that makes FINISHED chocolate - that is chocolate that can be eaten as-is or used as an ingredient by a Chocolatier/Confectioner/Candy Maker - from beans or intermediate products (combining butter/powder, or from from nibs or liquor).Cocoa ProcessorA cocoa processor is a person or company that makes cocoa products from fermented, dried cocoa beans: cocoa butter, cocoa powder, cocoa nibs, cocoa mass/chocolate liquor. These cocoa products are often used as ingredients in chocolate products by chocolate manufacturers.Owner/GrowerA grower is a person or company that makes dried, fermented cocoa beans for use by a cocoa processor or chocolate manufacturer.Note that we haven't applied any labels here that have to do with scale or other attributes. It's also important to note that a person or company can fulfill more than one role.Scale AttributesMicro-batch - 50kg or lessSmall-batch - 50kg - 250kgMedium-batch - 250kg - 1 tonneLarge-batch - 1 tonne - 5 tonnesIndustrial-scale - manufactures using automated continuous processing techniquesThese scale attributes can be applied to any role. A person or company can be a micro-batch chocolatier or an industrial-scale candy maker.Intent and Process AttributesCraft/Artisan - Craft or artisan (they are semantically equivalent in this context) refers to a person or company that emphasizes hand production techniques and direct involvement by people in all aspects of the manufacturing process on equipment that they own and operate.From-the-tree: from wet beans to finished productFrom-the-bean: from dry beans to finished productFrom- nibs/liquor: from liquor to finished productFrom-chocolate: from finished chocolate to finished productThese intent and process attributes can be applied to any role but cannot be applied to industrial-scale manufacturing. A person or company can be an artisan chocolatier or a craft chocolate manufacturer. Note however that it is possible for a company to have product lines that cross scale boundaries. Please also note that the craft/artisan designation does not mean that the person/company assumes/asserts control over all processing for all ingredients. Thus, a craft chocolate manufacturer purchases key ingredients such as sugar, vanilla, and perhaps even cocoa butter from ingredient and raw materials suppliers.So now we have this matrix. How does it apply in some real world cases?Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory - Original Hawaiian is an owner/grower, from-the-tree, medium-batch, craft chocolate manufacturer. They own their own trees, ferment and harvest their own beans (though they may also purchase wet beans from other farmers in the area and ferment and dry those), they manufacture finished chocolate and produce bars using equipment located in their own factory that get sold to consumers.Garden Island Chocolate (ChocolateLife member Koa Kahili) - Garden Island Chocolate is an owner/grower, from-the-tree, mico-batch, craft chocolate manufacturer. They own their own trees, ferment and harvest their own beans, they manufacture finished chocolate and produce bars using equipment located in their own workshop that get sold to consumers.Amano Chocolate (ChocolateLife member Art Pollard) - Amano is a from-the-bean, small-to-medium-batch, craft chocolate manufacturer. They manufacture finished chocolate and produce bars (and nibs) using equipment located in their own factory that get sold directly to consumers.Guittard - Guittard is a from-the-bean large-batch craft chocolate manufacturer (the E Guittard line), a from the bean industrial-scale manufacturer (chocolate and compound coating), and a cocoa processor.Felchlin - Felchlin is a from-the-bean small-batch craft chocolate manufacturer (their Grand Cru line is finished in 160kg conches), and a from-the-bean large-batch craft manufacturer. They also produce non-chocolate ingredients and raw materials for use by chocolatiers and pastry chefs.Cluizel - Cluizel is a from-the-bean large batch chocolate manufacturer as well as a chocolatier. They also produce non-chocolate ingredients and raw materials for use by chocolatiers and pastry chefs.TCHO (ChocolateLife member Louis Rossetto) - TCHO is a from the bean large-batch chocolate manufacturer. They purchase beans directly from growers, they personally oversee roasting and grinding according to custom protocols in facilities around the world (thereby adding value in the country of origin which is important to consider), and produce finished chocolate sold directly to consumers in their facility in San Francisco. Because they do not not perform all major aspects of production on equipment they own, the craft/artisan designation does not apply.Artisan du Chocolat (ChocolateLife member Artisan) - Artisan is first and foremost a from chocolate chocolatier/confectioner. They buy ingredients, including chocolate from suppliers and combine them to form finished products sold directly to customers. They are also a from liquor micro-batch chocolate manufacturer making some of the chocolate used in some of their finished products.

Chocolatiers = Re-melters?

Posted in: Opinion

Robert --Actually, I don't think that they are straw man arguments.I've been giving this topic a whole lot of thought in the last couple of weeks as I've talked with other chocolate makers and chocolatiers and what we're beginning to finally discuss are some important differences in our attitudes about chocolate and other gourmet foods and beverages.I think that a lot of the confusion stems from how new chocolate as a "serious" gourmet food is. We're still working on developing the vocabulary - and the target is moving while we're doing it. The world is a lot more complex than our current language to describe it. We can either ignore the changes and force the world to fit the existing pigeonholes or we can work on finding better ways to talk about what the changed reality is. 10 years ago bean-to-bar was adequate. Today it no longer is.I certainly feel the need to revisit some of the "accepted" definitions and rewrite them because they are clearly not working any more.:: Clay

Chocolatiers = Re-melters?

Posted in: Opinion

And this just in from Timothy's Facebook page (March 26, 2009):"Timothy Childs is waiting as Ecuadorian customs is xraying and searching 12 boxes of cocoa liquor."So not only are they roasting in Ecuador they are grinding (which makes total sense). But - to be fair, the site says, "TCHO is direct, transparent connection between the farmers and the consumers, from the pod to the palate, from high concept to sensual experience." They don't claim (at least here) to do 100% of the manufacturing in the SF plant. Notwithstanding, I don't think they are bean-to-bar in the accepted definition of owning all the manufacturing plant.

Chocolatiers = Re-melters?

Posted in: Opinion

From Timothy Childs' Facebook post March 25, 2009""Timothy Childs is extremely pleased to be celebrating a very sucessfull [sic] 4-day roasting run of 27 tons of cacao beans here in Guayaquil, Ecuador by having a big nice cold..."I think it's safe to say that at least 27+ tonnes of their chocolate is not "from pod to palate" in their SF factory.

Chocolatiers = Re-melters?

Posted in: Opinion

Hallot:It's okay to name names here. It's in the best interests of transparency all the way around. Does the company name by any chance begin with with the same letter as the state they're HQd in which just happens to be the first letter of the word chocolate?:: Clay

Chocolatiers = Re-melters?

Posted in: Opinion

Hallot:For what it's worth, my definition of bean to bar has never included the concept that it must all be done in one facility - just that you have to "own" all the processes involved. In other words, the company that's claiming to do the bean to bar thing must clean, roast, crack/winnow, grind, refine, and conch the chocolate to a finished, edible state.All of the above steps must be done by the company laying claim to bean-to-bar or it's not. I don't think it has to be done all in one building. It doesn't count if you send the beans out to be roasted under contract to your specs. Bean-to-bar means 100% traceable to the company making the claim.I really don't care if the chocolate then gets tempered into retail bars or some other form (bar, disk, pellet) that gets sold and melted to be used in something else, though some people assume that bean-to-bar means bean-to-retail bar.So in the case of your making the chocolate and sending it to the shop to be made into bonbons - it's still bean to bar as long as you're doing all of the work in-house (even if it's more than one house).I hope this helps your thinking on this.:: Clay

Chocolatiers = Re-melters?

Posted in: Opinion

Melanie: I agree with you on most points.However, it is important to note how others represent themselves because in some cases they have the money and/or visibility to alter a market view and make it more difficult for everyone else to compete.I've said elsewhere that one of Guittard's biggest goofs was not to immediately start making a product to compete with Scharffen Berger once they stopped making chocolate for them. That gave Scharffen Berger the opportunity and time to define what "good" chocolate was. "Good" chocolate had lots of big, bright, red fruit flavors in it. If another chocolate didn't taste like Scharffen Berger it wasn't good chocolate.For a representative of TCHO to make remarks like this - unchecked - has the potential to do a disservice because they are very good at using the Internet to build awareness and a loyal customer base and therefore have the ability to change the way people think about chocolate. We know that they want to do this because they are staying away from percentages and origins and adopting a new kind of naming system for their chocolate. This is smart if they can get people to adopt their language because it puts everyone else at a disadvantage.While I do believe that TCHO intends to become a fully integrated bean-to-bar manufacturer, at the moment I do not believe [Note to Timothy, Louis, et al, please let us know if I am wrong here.] that they are roasting their own beans in their own equipment in their own factory. IIRC, beans are roasted by others "according to proprietary protocols" and then ground into liquor. The liquor is transported to the factory in SF where it is converted into finished chocolate and molded.For a rep of TCHO to refer to a chocolatier as "merely" a "re-melter" is a little disingenuous IF in fact TCHO "merely" makes chocolate from liquor while implying that they are making it from beans.I believe, and I think virtually everyone else in the community agrees with me, that a "true" bean to bar manufacturer owns all of the equipment and personally performs all of the processes to convert raw beans to finished chocolate. They do not outsource any part of it. (As far as I am concerned, wrapping is immaterial to the process of making chocolate, so I don't include that in the requirement to be a "true" bean to bar manufacturer.)

Chocolatiers = Re-melters?

Posted in: Opinion

Mindy:I would also be interested in knowing who this is, and I don't think there is any need to keep it private. It's not a question of their being "better" than you in some way because they are making the chocolate they use and you're choosing to focus on a different area of the business. It's whether or not they're being truthful in how they are representing their business.I do have to agree with Devil that the term "re-melter" is not derogatory, it's merely descriptive; while being not totally accurate. The French term for this is "fondeur" or simply "melter" not re-melter. The issue you are probably having is that this company is implying that they are necessarily better than you are because you are "only" a fondeur.You can point out that virtually all of the best chocolatiers (and you can name some) in the world are "only" fondeurs. Their interest and their passion lay with making confections, not in making chocolate. And that's not bad or wrong. If I were a painter and did not make my own paints does that mean that a painter who does is a better painter than I? No. As a photographer, I use film and paper that are made by companies who specialize in making film and paper. Does that mean that someone who makes their own is a better photographer than I? No. Same with chocolate.One advantage that you enjoy as a fondeur is a nearly limitless palette of options when choosing the chocolate you want to use. You're not limited to the origins and percentages you make, there are hundreds you can choose from. So in that sense, NOT being a chocolate maker can be thought of as a definite advantage -- because if you don't like a particular chocolate (for whatever reason) you don't have to use it. Besides, if the only chocolatier in the world that is using (chocolate company's name here)'s chocolate is (the aforementioned chocolate company) and the chocolate is so great, how come more chocolatiers aren't using it?So. Embrace your inner fondeur now that you have some information that affirms your decision to focus on the craft of being a chocolatier - which is difficult enough all by itself. There's no reason to take umbrage with what others might say (after all, it's their insecurity that's driving them to say it) and stay above the fray. But ... if someone asks the question, well now you have some answers for them and off come the kid gloves.

Best Chocolate for Fondue

Posted in: Tasting Notes

You could do all this with cocoa butter, no?

Best Chocolate for Fondue

Posted in: Tasting Notes

JC:Personally, I like fondues that are little more than warm-ish ganaches that are a bit on the thin side. Use any chocolate you like to eat. If you won't eat it, don't use it for fondue.I like to do a mix of dark and milk chocolates and use both butter and cream. Lately, I've been using a hot chocolate mix from La Siembra/Cacao Camino (Rodd Heino, a ChocolateLife member, works there) that has mild Mexican/Mayan spices in it. A little chile-pepper heat with some cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. The spices add some roundness and depth and complexity to the richness of the chocolate/butter/cream mixture and will complement most fruits or other foods you'll be dipping in the fondue. I use just enough to make the flavor present without calling attention to itself. I add the powdered mix to the cream to dissolve it completely. I start out with about 50gr to 1kg chocolate, how much I use depends on the kind(s) of chocolate I use.I melt 1kg of chocolate in a double boiler until completely melted and then let cool to about 98-100F. I add the butter (1 stick, cut into pats) and mix with a balloon which until it is fully incorporated. The ganache will be very glossy. Then, also with the balloon whisk, incorporate warm (also about 98-100F) cream (how much cream depends on the fat content of the cream and the fat content in the chocolate - I just eyeball it). I'd start out with at least 200gr, making sure it is fully incorporated before checking the consistency. If it's too thick, add more cream in 50-100gr increments until it's where you want it. Keep the fondue/ganache warm to serve as it will thicken if you let it cool down.I don't like most fondue pots because the gel heat source is usually too high and it usually scorches the bottom - well, at least for me it does. So, look for a small chafing dish with a water bath or use one of those small crock pots.:: Clay

HEALING WOUNDED CHOCOLATE MOLDS

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

From a web site selling Mikro-Smooth:

Because Mikro-Smooth contains only ultra-fine, completely inert particles [ Ed: ceramic] and distilled water, it cannot cause either short-term or long-term damage ...

Here's a description of how it works:

The physics are simple: a mass-produced CD or DVD, though it looks smooth, has substantial microscopic roughness at the surface being read by the CD/DVD player's laser beam. That micro-roughness causes audible jitter in the digital music data stream. Mikro-Smooth fluid uses highly uniform particles of two ten-millionths of an inch sizefar finer than conventional polishesto significantly smooth the playing surface's micro-roughness.

I will get in touch with the manufacturer and ask if its safe for human consumption.

HEALING WOUNDED CHOCOLATE MOLDS

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

Susie:Following is a link to the Micelli Mold Company web site. Micelli is the only US-based manufacturer of polycarbonate molds for chocolate production on the US. Their Contact page has a link to download a PDF file of mold washing instructions .:: Clay

Evidence of Cacao Use in New Mexico 4-500 years before Columbus

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Full abstract from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .

Chemical analyses of organic residues in fragments of ceramic vessels from Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, reveal theobromine, a biomarker for cacao. With an estimated 800 rooms, Pueblo Bonito is the largest archaeological site in Chaco Canyon and was the center of a large number of interconnected towns and villages spread over northwestern New Mexico. The cacao residues come from pieces of vessels that are likely cylinder jars, special containers occurring almost solely at Pueblo Bonito and deposited in caches at the site. This first known use of cacao drinks north of the Mexican border indicates exchange with cacao cultivators in Mesoamerica in a time frame of about A.D. 10001125. The association of cylinder jars and cacao beverages suggests that the Chacoan ritual involving the drinking of cacao was tied to Mesoamerican rituals incorporating cylindrical vases and cacao. The importance of Pueblo Bonito within the Chacoan world likely lies in part with the integration of Mesoamerican ritual, including critical culinary ingredients.

A newspaper article citing this research goes on to say that the nearest known cacao plantation would have been more than 1000 miles away.
updated by @Clay Gordon: 12/13/24 12:16:07

Source of Small Scale Cacao Processing Equipments

Posted in: Classifieds F/S or Wanted

Mohiddin:

1000 MT of beans will result in something around 750-800 MT of liquor which will then be pressed into butter and powder. That means processing something like 3.4-3.6 MT of liquor per day (assuming 220 working days per year).

This is industrial-scale production and cannot be done (let alone be done cost effectively) using small scale equipment. I would be really surprised if you could purchase the equipment for less than US$500,000 before shipping, import duties, and installation costs. It might be closer to US$1 million. You might be able to save money by buying used equipment, but I would be extremely careful about making sure that everything actually worked. I have heard too many horror stories.

As much as anything, this is a materials-handling problem. Storing, cleaning, and moving around that quantity of beans, liquor, butter, press cake, and powder is non-trivial. You are going to want professional assistance from a company that specializes in producing equipment that operates at this scale.

Source of Small Scale Cacao Processing Equipments

Posted in: Classifieds F/S or Wanted

Ernesto:If you have not already, you might want to look into Kiva.org. They provide microfinancing to businesses all over the world.:: Clay

Source of Small Scale Cacao Processing Equipments

Posted in: Classifieds F/S or Wanted

Langdon:Any idea what the total cost of the system is likely to be in AUD? How many of the production steps below will the system you're building handle?CleanRoastCrack/WinnowGrind/RefineConcheTemperDeposit/MoldThanks,:: Clay

Askinosie Davao: The first cacao from the Philippines in over 25 years - and a mea culpa

Posted in: Opinion

On Friday, January 30th, Askinosie Chocolate officially introduced their newest origin bar - Davao 77% made with beans from the Philippines. ( Official press release . Article in Philippine Star newspaper. Article in Manila Standard . Review on ChocolateNote by ChocolateLife member Casey. Zingerman's February Newsletter (scroll down).)Come again? Wasn't there already a forum thread on this? Where did it go?I am re-posting the news of the release on the bar because the original poster ("B") decided to leave TheChocolateLife and when he did all of the content he contributed was deleted automatically by Ning (whose software I use for this site) including any comments to forum threads and blogs he started. Those of you who read the previous thread might have noticed that I posted a very strong reply to one of the comments "B" made in followup to his original post. Yesterday, after about an hour on the phone and after several thousand words of e-mail back and forth over the past week, "B" decided he no longer wanted to be a member of TheChocolateLife.I am sad that he decided to leave, and so I decided to use this as a learning opportunity for the entire community.I did come down hard on "B" because I was privy to information none of the rest of you had. I wrote what I did because I received a complaint from Shawn. In hindsight it was unfair to "B" to respond as I did in public - in essence violating my own rule against flaming by appearing to over-react. Normally, my approach is to deal with issues like this one completely and totally privately and I also sent a private communication to "B". Without going into any detail about why Shawn complained, I will say that I was very angry that TheChocolateLife was being used to publicly air a grievance "B" felt he had against Askinosie.Even after an hour on the phone and a half-dozen e-mails back and forth with "B", I still have no idea why he felt he was entitled to feel the way he did and why that entitled him to act the way he did.I know why I responded the way I did, but that does not excuse my response, so I am apologizing to "B" and to everyone else here on TheChocolateLife for doing exactly what "B" did - which was to air a private disagreement publicly.Moderating TheChocolateLife is a delicate balance. Those of you who have been members for any length of time know that I only engage in removing content from or revoking membership to TheChocolateLife as a very last resort, and never without trying to engage all of the parties involved in an attempt to mediate the issues privately - even when content clearly goes against the spirit of the "Golden Rules for Posting." At the same time, I work diligently to ensure that the site is not used for SPAM purposes - to promote products and businesses that have nothing to do with chocolate.That remains my commitment to TheChocolateLife community because I know that the only way for members to feel comfortable contributing is to know that their contributions are valued equally. While I may be "an" expert on some aspects of chocolate, I am not "the" expert on everything chocolate. I know what I know - and I know that it's only a small part of the delightfully wonderful world of chocolate. The success of TheChocolateLife depends on my knowing that I don't and can't know everything about chocolate and welcoming everyone who wants to share. Every day on TheChocolateLife I learn something new from members who do me the courtesy and honor of sharing their passion for chocolate with me and with the world.
updated by @Clay Gordon: 04/19/15 04:11:24

Demise of Joseph Schmidt Brand?!!

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Everyone:I started a discussion on this topic a couple of days ago here. I am closing this topic to replies, so please share your comments there.

Mixed News From Hershey: Recession is Good - Closing Plants

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

There is historical precedent for this. In the first third of the 20th century hundreds of small chocolate makers, chocolatiers, and candy makers were bought out and closed down - deliberately to eliminate competition - by the Hershey, et al. I don't think that was the case with these three, however.I am sure that all of the people who reaped the rewards of the buyout packages (like Mr Schmidt in Gwen's comment below) have mixed feelings. They are sad to see the companies they worked so hard to build falter or fold. On the other hand, they have been rewarded well and the companies' current difficulties are no fault of their own.Personally, I would have liked to see Schmidt offer to buy back the company for 10% of what Hershey paid for it and continue it for what it is: a strong local player that was never strong enough to go national on the scale that Hershey, as a public company, needed it to be.
updated by @Clay Gordon: 06/10/15 06:14:18

Mixed News From Hershey: Recession is Good - Closing Plants

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Cybele:One of the things that I had hoped would happen with the expiration of John's and Robert's contracts would be more transparency about the history of Scharffen Berger. Here's what I "know" from piecing things together from many sources. It many not be 100% accurate but in general it checks out.In the very beginning, John and Robert approached Guittard to produce chocolate for them and, in fact, the earliest SB chocolate was produced by Guittard. Very quickly, Guittard backed away from the business, I think for several reasons, including they did want to create their own competitor, and people were heaping praises on the SB chocolate that they never heaped on Guittard.Guittard really missed the boat here. By not entering the market aggressively after giving up the SB business, they let SB determine what "good" chocolate tasted like. I think that this has overall been a bad thing for the artisan chocolate maker business here in the US because there are more flavors in chocolate than red fruit and most SB chocolate (to my taste) has a pronounced acidic red fruit bias. This bias is not surprising given John's background as a champagne blender for Veuve Clicquot.If you study carefully the plant in SF, it becomes very evident very quickly that the numbers don't match up. There is no way SB can produce the amount of finished chocolate they needed to reach the sales numbers they were quoting. In particular, the reliance on a single small (250kg) melangeur and two small (1tonne) conches tell the real story of their production capacity.You will also notice that there is no cocoa butter press, so they were buying both butter and powder, and there was no filling machinery, so someone else was packaging their powder and nibs. Also missing was any wrapping machinery, so the vast majority of that was outsourced as well.As near as I can tell, the only products reliably produced from bean to bar in the SB factory were the limited edition bars. The entire plant is geared towards that production, from my perspective.I did have a long talk with John about production capacity about 8 months before the Hershey announcement. From that talk I gleaned a couple of nuggets:The capacity of the plant, running a single shift, five days a week, was about 20 tonnes of LIQUOR. SB shipped this liquor to others to finish. Among these other companies was Blommer, an industrial manufacturer. In particular John told me that they searched long and hard for the milk used in their first milk chocolate bar. Because the SB Berkeley plant is certified kosher pareve there is no way the milk product was being made there.If you taste the SB milk chocolate against most European milks, and even the Guittard Orinoco, you'll notice that the SB milk has a distinct sour taste that mirrors the taste of Hershey milk. It is my conclusion that the milk chocolate was a deliberate attempt to update and upmarket a "grown-up" version of plain old Hershey milk chocolate.As far as the factory closing is concerned. Hershey is a public company that is under pressure to perform up to analysts' expectations. Hershey has an army of accountants and others who analyze all of the (money) variables around decisions to move production and close plants. The decision to move production from Berkeley to Illinois instead of keeping it in Berkeley or moving it to another Hershey facility nearby was made as a result of examining hundreds of different factors. In the end, the one that was "cheapest" in the long run is the one they went with.Of course, straight financial decisions like these never take into account that intangible known as "good will." Examined from that perspective, the decisions to close down and move may cause irreparable damage to the brands. And not just SB, but Schmidt (which is being shuttered entirely) and Dagoba as well as the Artisan Confections brand. This is a disastrous move for Hershey and a lesson for the entire artisan chocolate industry.When I learned about Hershey's acquisitions I opined that they were good for the industry because they were an indication that if someone built a thriving business that there was an exit strategy. These moves indicate the downside of giving up control - the potential to completely destroy a business that took years (decades in the case of Schmidt) to grow.PS. Ironically, two days after the news I received an envelope with two new SB bars. A 68% milk (that high because it contains nibs) and a new Brazilian origin bar.

Mixed News From Hershey: Recession is Good - Closing Plants

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Heres another opinion from me . (not that its worth anything): Ill bet that in 5 years there will be dozens of small bean-to-bar manufacturers of very, very good chocolate. Some will supply high end pastry chefs, some will sell retail over the internet and from their specialty shops and some will process their country of origin chocolates into artesian confections for sale over the counter in their store front shops. How could there be such a radical change in a stodgy old industry as bulk chocolate processing?

I agree that there is an untapped market for small, local, artisan chocolate makers. Few of these will provide couverture as it takes a great deal of skill to make chocolate with consistent workability.Why is this happening? People are becoming more interested in supporting local food businesses, people are interested in knowing more about the food they eat, people are more interested in origins, people are more interested in experimenting, people are interested in sharing experiences.Why do brew-pubs exist when there are all these big breweries? The big breweries obviously don't meet some needs. Same with chocolate.However - and this I caution everyone who wants to start making chocolate to sell - comparing chocolate making with roasting coffee, or brewing beer or making wine doesn't work. The processes are very different.Three things are holding up the movement:1) Educational infrastructure2) Easy access to small-scale equipment3) Easy access to quality beansI am working an all three and it's taking a lot longer than I thought to put things into place.

Mixed News From Hershey: Recession is Good - Closing Plants

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

The following was posted by Truffles in a discussion about the Demise of the Joseph Schmidt Brand. Because I had already started this discussion I closed that one to further comments, asking people to reply here. Here is Truffles' post:

I saw the news that Hershey's was closing the San Francisco chocolate manufacturing of Scharffen Berger and Joseph Schmidt chocolates.Scharffen Berger manufacturing is being moved to Hershey's revamped Illinois plant. But no news on what's happening with Joseph Schmidt.I just spoke with a wholesale customer service representative at Joseph Schmidt and she said that the employees were just told today that the Joseph Schmidt brand was being discontinued by Hershey's and all production will stop by summer 2009.I'm so sad about this news. Joseph Schmidt is a strong brand name and made good truffles at a reasonable price point. Yes, there are other artisan chocolatiers and truffles that are superior, but Joseph Schmidt was really good for the price.Why would Hershey's kill off the brand?

Mixed News From Hershey: Recession is Good - Closing Plants

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

Today, the Hershey company announced in an article in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) that their "Profits Jumped 51% Amid Signs Consumers Are Trading Down but Not Giving Up Chocolate."However, yesterday in an announcement reported in the San Francisco Gate that shocked many who live in the San Francisco Bay Area it was revealed that Hershey is planning to shutter BOTH the Scharffen Berger plant in Berkeley and the Joseph Schmidt plant in San Francisco.From the article:

Hershey already makes the majority of its Scharffen Berger products in its newly upgraded plant in Robinson, Ill., said spokesman Kirk Saville from the chocolate giant's headquarters in Hershey, Pa. He said the plant closures will affect a total of about 150 employees from both facilities. Saville said Hershey intends to maintain the quality of the brands, which make up the company's wholly owned subsidiary, Artisan Confections Co."We will continue to source the world's best cacao to create our rich and distinct chocolate," he said. "We will maintain the highest quality standard for all our artisan productions."That provided little solace to Bay Area fans of the chocolate-makers. Both brands have created a strong legacy and helped increased the popularity of high-end, gourmet chocolates around the country.

What say you? Is this the beginning of the end for Artisan Confections Company brands? And what are your thoughts about how they are doing maintaining the quality of the brands?From the Wall Street Journal article:

But, as with coffee, eating out, and apparel, the recession has consumers trading down with chocolate. Supermarket sales in the premium chocolate category in the fourth quarter were flat versus last year, Hershey Chief Executive David West told analysts Tuesday.Mr. West said he expects that to continue, adding that manufacturers have been making premium chocolates faster than consumers have been buying them and that retailers probably will devote less shelf space to them.High-end chocolatiers have noticed. Katrina Markoff, president and founder of Chicago-based Vosges Haut-Chocolat, said sales slowed in the fourth quarter. People aren't splurging on offerings that cost $100 and up, she said, although sales of products in the $25-to-$50 range are growing.Last Valentine's Day, she said, people spent an average of $75 to $80 on online orders; she thinks they will spend an average of just $50 this year. "People still want to have a little taste of luxury and decadence," she said.At a Fannie May chocolate counter Tuesday in downtown Chicago, accountant Karen Martin said the recession hasn't dimmed her taste for chocolate -- but she is cutting back on price."I still indulge but not on huge items," she said. "When I want a really nice treat, I go out and buy it. It's like $2 -- maybe." Even thriftier, her friend Nora Wideikies snapped up four Santa Claus chocolates on sale for a dollar.However, Jim Goldman, chief executive of Yildiz Holding's Godiva Chocolatier Inc., said he expects sales to grow. "One of our best-selling products this holiday season was the 'Ultimate Collection,' a $130 offering of the best of Godiva truffles, chocolate and biscuits," Mr. Goldman said in an interview. Lower-priced items also sold well during the winter holidays, and he said he expects strong Valentine sales.Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Sprngli AG, maker of premium Lindt chocolates, reported a 5.8% sales increase in 2008, saying that was at the low end of its long-term goal of 6% to 8% annual sales growth."Considering the market conditions, this result is encouraging," the company said last week in a news release.

updated by @Clay Gordon: 12/13/24 12:16:07

measuring cocoa question

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

DIAA:Actually you're not being a jerk, but if I read the question correctly, Rosalind wants to know how to measure 900 milligrams of cocoa powder - or 9/10 or 0.9 grams. That's a very good question. A scale is the way - the question is finding a scale that can accurately measure this quantity.Which turns out to be not all that difficult and they are surprisingly inexpensive. Here's one with a 55gr capacity and a .01(one one-hundredth)gr resolution.So what I want to know Rosalind is if you really do need to measure 900 milligrams I am very curious about the recipe that requires this kind of precision.:: Clay

This just in: Scharffen Berger Baking Chunks Press Release

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

NEW FROM SCHARFFEN BERGER CHOCOLATE MAKER: ARTISAN CHOCOLATE CHUNKS ESPECIALLY FOR THE HOME BAKERBERKELEY, CA, January 13, 2009 Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker, one of the first US artisan "bean to bar" chocolate maker founded in fifty years, introduces a line of premium dark chocolate Baking Chunks produced especially for the home baker.Available in Scharffen Berger's classic 62% cacao semisweet chocolate and 70% cacao bittersweet chocolate, these chunks will allow chefs everywhere to use Scharffen Berger's flavorful premium chocolate in cookies, brownies and breads. Packaged in a convenient 6-ounce pouch, Scharffen Berger's Baking Chunks are one of the only super premium chocolate chunks currently on the market for non-professional use. Their large size and shape make them especially flavorful in baked goods.Each pouch features an exclusive chocolate chunk cookie recipe created by cookbook author and celebrity chef, Jacques Pepin. "I love to work with Scharffen Berger chocolate because it has such intensity," says Pepin. "The Baking Chunks are particularly exciting as they bring that wonderful rich Scharffen Berger flavor to cookies and brownies, making them extraordinary."
updated by @Clay Gordon: 12/13/24 12:16:07

open book accounting

Posted in: Opinion

Sarah:This is a very good question and I will ask Shawn to join TheChocolateLife and comment on his take. Before then, however, Shawn tells me that he uses this accounting practice in all aspects of his business, not just with growers.In fact, Shawn practices it weekly in his factory. Everyone in the company meets and they learn about where the company stands, financially. This helps them better understand some of the decisions that get made, and it also shows everyone how their actions affect the company's finances. People can see the direct effect their jobs have on the bottom line. Shawn told me that knowing this information makes his employees more responsible workers with more of a stake in the business.In fact, you may wish to look up A Stake in the Outcome by Jack Stack, a business philosophy book that inspired some of Shawn's thinking.

WSJ: Premium Chocolate Holds Steady in Tough Economy

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

There was an interesting article in the NYTimes or WSJ in the last week or so that indicates that while overall alcohol sales have not dropped what's happened is that instead of buying one $200 bottle people are buying six $35 bottles. An article on wine auctions in today's NYTimes corroborates that prices at the high end are well off their highs and it's time to go bargain hunting (comparatively speaking and if you (still) have the money for it).The market research company Packaged Facts puts out a research report on the chocolate industry penned by ChocolateLife member Curtis Vreeland. That report is the source of the market segmentation I and many other people use:Mass Market : up to $15/lb retail.The Premium Market is everything over $15/lb and it is segmented in three distinct markets:1) Mass Market Premium - $15-25/lb2) Gourmet - $25- $40/lb3) Prestige - > $40/lbI think that this is not fine enough any more and there needs to be a $40-$70 range and a $70+ range (Luxury).You might try what I did for a while which is to aggregate orders. Tell everyone you'll special order the Hannah for a minimum number of pieces but you won't place the order until you've got enough orders to meet the minimum. Contact them when you place the order and then again when it arrives. Sure it's high touch but that's one of the things that really generates customer loyalty.

WSJ: Premium Chocolate Holds Steady in Tough Economy

Posted in: News & New Product Press (Read-Only)

More-Selective Consumers Make Each Morsel Count With Emphasis on Ingredient Sourcing and Artisanal ProductionBy HOLLY HENSCHEN

Even in a recession, frugal consumers shell out cash for popular premium chocolate, but the variety they purchase depends on its value, quality and manufacturer. Analysts said trendy, pricier premium cocoa varieties promote chocolate consumption growth. Throngs of products from smaller specialty as well as major chocolate manufacturers line store shelves. But consumers are buying the sweets less often and more discriminatively as household incomes contract with the U.S. recession and world economic crisis.

The text of the full article is here .I don't agree with everything the article says:

Large chocolate manufacturers Barry Callebaut and Hershey Co. delved into the premium chocolate realm previously occupied primarily by smaller-scale specialty manufacturers. In 2008, Mars Inc.'s Mars Snackfood US introduced M&Ms Premiums in flavors such as mint chocolate and raspberry almond, as well as dark chocolate varieties.

It's just too weird to seriously consider M&Ms - whatever flavor - a premium chocolate product.
updated by @Clay Gordon: 12/13/24 12:16:07

Is chocolate a part of the traditional Mediterranean diet?

Posted in: History of Chocolate

You can do some research on what was eaten during the period before the 1950-1960 period, albeit unscientifically, by taking a look at the cookbooks of the time and relating that to contemporary written records that talk about meals, etc.And/or you can qualify your terminology by saying that the "traditional" diet is actually a very modern, post-WWII, artifact. When I think of culturally-based food traditions I think back several centuries, not several decades.