What do you make/grow/do by youself?
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Living in Guatemala, I don't really have access to pre-made nut pastes and purees, hence the venture into making them myself. I don't really use any specialized equipment except for the initial grinding of nuts, and there I use something readily available: a Champion juicer with the solid plate in place of the screen.For my fruit purees it's even more lo-tech: a stick blender and a chinois! If I have way too much passion fruit to process, I do run the seeds once through the Champion with the screen in place to squeeze that last bit of juice/pulp from them.Since I only do single-plantation chocolate, I considered pressing my own CB an absolute must. And yes, definitely, compared to commercial CB I do notice an enormous difference in taste. I use exactly the same class of beans (not seconds or thirds) to press the butter as I use for the chocolate, and am very careful not to over roast. This assures purity of taste from one bean to the other.
