Forum Activity for @Shana Wilkie

Cocoa Bean Storage

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

Clay, This is something I didn't think of before now. Humidity is something I don't know much about or how to measure. What does it mean to 'keep humidity within a good range'? That link looks very interesting and I'll have to read it a few more times before I get my head around it!!!

Your combination sheller/winnower sounds great. Do you have an idea of the winnow capacity per hour? I just spent about 2 hours hairdrying 2kgs of beans and I have to say, while I am quiet proud of the amount of husk I managed to remove, there has to be an more efficient way to do this!

Thanks

Shana

Cocoa Bean Storage

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

Brad, I have read through the chocolate alchemy winnowing information. There is a lot of info there and it's very informative. Do you have a link to your solution? 120lbs an hour is fantastic!

Cocoa Bean Storage

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

Hi Brian, thanks so much for the advice. I currently leave the cupboard doors open and the window in the room too just to keep the air moving. I do use my grinder in the same room at the moment put the odors are not strong. I have noticed a few more fruit flies trying to enter the house but nothing else. I will screen the beans with a mosquito net anyway, that might keep any intruders out!

Thanks again for the information.

Shana

Cocoa Bean Storage

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

Hi all,

Could anyone advise me how to store my cocoa beans before I roast them? They arrived in jute bags. I am only starting out and still experimenting with roast times, winnowing, grinding, refining. I have read that beans can go moldy. At the moment I am re-bagging into smaller jute bags and storing in a cupboard. The average daily temperature in there varies about 15-18degrees. Is this cool enough to store the cocoa bean?

Any help or advise is greatly appreciated.

On separate note, I am finding the winnowing very slow, (crankandstein and hairdryer method) however I am confident that with the growing interest in making chocolate that soon someone out there will develop an affordable small scale winnower. Thanks to everyone for all the posts they are extremely helpful and informative.

Shana

Ireland

updated by @Shana Wilkie: 04/09/15 17:12:03