A lot depends on the humidity and temperature of your shelf space and or storage space. Also some chocolates with inclusions may be more likely to cause potential health dangers. We store our chocolate in a "choclador" which is a walk in room like you find in a fine cigar shop. Creates an interesting shopping experience and keep the chocolate at the best temp and humidity for longer storage...our chocolate is still good after 6 months to a year. I think if properly stored you may be able to keep it good longer. Ours is usually sold much before that time.
Hope this helps.
Love this topic...not sure if anyone is still following but we have a tree to bar single estate chocolate business in Costa Rica. It seems to me that if there is to be a true path to the wine model...the chocolate would need to be made at the location as well. I know the challenges because I have found several tricks to the problem of making chocolate in a warm rainy climate...but it would be nearly impossible to produce a massive amount for worldwide distribution.
The making of chocolate on the farm converts the chocolate from something on your grocery shelf to something you travel for...much like wine country is for winos.. The most expensive bottles of wine are not in the liquer store...they are in the cellars of the winery. You might even have to know the owner to taste some of these wines. The same is true for chocolate if the chocolate is made at the farm.
Much of the flavor developed in the chocolate is set before the chocolate maker even gets the beans...so it seems to me that chocolate made at origin may also find its way into "special" since in that case it is the same farmer who made the chocolate from tree to bar. Story, travel, excellent flavor and the cacao farmer gets the true fame for the excellence of the chocolate...
Since the single farm factory is very small the quantity of this chocolate would be very limited. The future of chocolate needs to include and experience for the consumer. Chocolate travel locations like Hawii and Costa Rica and recently I visited Guatamala have chocolate makers who are setting a new bar by creating these fabulous chocolates in which you must travel to there site in order to taste. Exclusivity and adventure.
Thanks for the forum topic. Very encouraging and informative for me.
I am making chocolate in Costa Rica from tree to bar. We recently received the Melager from CocoaTown which has speed control to better manage the refining and conching temperatures. Does anyone have any tips on what temperature ranges the chocolate should be within to have the best overall flavor?
I make chocolate in Costa Rica. We hand temper our chocolate and use a chest freezer to cool the chocolate. Being a very warm humid environment, we encountered the same thing. The best way to avoid condensation on your chocolate is to move the chocolate from the mould into the air tight container before leaving the freezer. Once the chocolate is broken out and placed in the container it can be removed to warm gradually to the ambient temperature. Once the chocolate warms up it can be removed and packaged. No cold surfaces touching warm humid air means no condensation. Give it a try!
I have been making chocolate "at origin" from tree-to-bar in Costa Rica for about 3 years...the last 1.5 years really starting to produce a viable amount to support our family. Our challenge has been defining our chocolate as something better than the "rustic" chocolate that is not tempered or conched.
I just wanted to agree with Dirke on his two cents. Whatever you do, do it well and if you buy chocolate to use for your truffles or bars then give the "chocolate maker" some credit. Since we are also cacao producers, we are very aware of each stage of the chocolate process....not to say we are experts. But each player is important and those who are doing it all...know that everyone deserved all the credit and "Value added" to making chocolate.
I understand the bean-to-bar chocolate makers difficulty selling to "re-melters"...we have had several chocolateers, and pastry chefs who want to use our chocolate for their products because it is from Costa Rica and is superior in quality. However...we cannot produce that kind of volume and need to make the maximum value added. I only will wholesale to people who are going to give credit and pay fair value all the way to the producers.
