Medical Marijuana / Chocolate please share your experiences
Posted in: Opinion
That's pretty slick.
Forum Activity for @Thomas Snyder
Medical Marijuana / Chocolate please share your experiences
Posted in: Opinion
Sure, send me a pm and we can discuss that in private.
The little elf is my daughter during her first Christmas.
That bar looks interesting. I've been pretty disappointed at everything called "chocolate" I have seen here in Washington. My experiences are pretty limited when it comes to that, but from what I saw, there was one company in the Seattle area selling medicated chocolates, and it was NOT chocolate. I didn't even want to try one after seeing hydrogenated oils in the ingredients.
What is your pour-n-pack program? I'm assuming you're in either California or Colorado?
Medical Marijuana / Chocolate please share your experiences
Posted in: Opinion
I do not currently have any practical experience making THC infused chocolates, but I have been looking into it pretty hard. I've done plenty of infused outlets and butters for medical purposes, but never cocoa butter. Being in Washington, I have a pretty unique opportunity. I have all the equipment to make bean to bar chocolate, I just need to devise a safe, reliable and consistent way to infuse the cocoa butter with the cannabis.I'm thinking the lowest cost option would be to infuse the cocoa butter directly with the dried plant matter. I think a sous vide system, vacuum-sealing the coca butter and flowers together. Heat to ~200 for 8 hours and then strain the cocoa butter to remove plant matter, and then send a small sample to get tested for potency. Washington state laws require every infused product to be tested for potency, so each infusion should be of as much cocoa butter as is practical, since potency testing must be done by a state licensed lab.
Well, there's a LOT of variables here. Are you purchasing the land and building for your location, or are you planning on renting? Are you putting the kitchen into the location, or is there already one there? Are you planning on making everything by hand, or do you want machinery to automate certain processes?
Just these three questions can each make a $50,000 or more difference in the cost of setting up your own shop. Giving a little more information could definitely help narrow down your question and hence the answer. Are you trying to do this on as little cash as possible, or are you thinking you'll have the capital to throw down a couple hundred thousand if need be? I'm guessing you're somewhere in the middle there with not quite broke and on a shoestring budget, but not strapped with cash you're waiting to spend on something ridiculous, right? lol
Myself, I'm working on putting together a kitchen in our church to work out of (loving the idea of not having any rent or property taxes for overhead; just paying the increase in bills, and doing various services for the church in exchange), and we're doing it on a TIGHT budget. We're about a third to a quarter of the way done purchasing the equipment (for a general bakery, not a chocolate shop), and we've spent about $2500 so far. I'm not sure how your health district, but ours requires a class 1 hood to be installed over any equipment that has the ability to cook oil (IE: ANY type of stovetop or range). If yours is the same, you'll need a hood to be able to cook any sort of ganache or caramel. That in and of itself is a HUGE expense. I'm hoping to purchase a used 10' hood for around $1000-1500 (craigslist is a huge boon in used equipment purchasing), but I'll still have to get a contractor to install it and the fire suppression system.
Well, that's a bunch of rambling that I hope made sense.
~Tom
packaging
Posted in: Opinion
I'm pretty simple with my packaging. I use this box for most of my chocolates. I put 8 of my truffles in it. Each of them are around 15-16 grams, so it ends up being just shy of 5 oz most of the time. I have the other larger windowed box, but I don't use it quite as often. I should for assorted boxes, but since I have to pay for every minute of kitchen time at the moment, I try to keep things as streamlined as possible.
I like the box though because it's simple, it's cheap ($0.34 each on a cs of 250 before shipping), and it's got a good sized window to display the truffles with. They're really easy to set up too. It only takes me a few minutes to put together a bundle of 25 of them.
Washing Strawberries
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Honestly, I haven't thought about it much... I've only done them a couple of times. Today was probably the fourth batch of 5lbs that I've dipped so far...
Washing Strawberries
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
I usually wash gently in a colander and dry with multiple paper towels. I get a little excessive with it, but I can't afford to waste chocolate. lol.
Outdoor market
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
I seem to remember one guy here saying that he used an insulated cambro like this one with ice in the bottom for his back-stock, and a hotel pan with ice in it to display his individual chocolates.
I'm in the same boat you are. Our first Farmer's Market of the year was yesterday, and it gets REALLY hot (90-105 in the middle of the summer) around here. Fortunately for me, our Market has a large open-air building, so my chocolates were in the shade most of the day. There was a short period that I was a little worried because the sun was directly on my chocolates (shining though a skylight), but I would think that an umbrella would be able to assist in keeping direct sunlight off the packages.
I've been considering picking up something like these reusable ice cubes and wrapping two or three around the package with paper towels to insulate. I think something like that might be sufficient to enable the customers to get their confections home without damage.
Oh, and I'm also considering picking up a small wine fridge and remaking the shelves to fit my needs. They keep the perfect temperature for chocolates, and could even possibly be used as a display fridge if needed...
Seeking inspiration for pairing...
Posted in: Tasting Notes
So, I've got this really cool recipe in a book I got, and I really want to change it a bit to make it my own. The original is a teardrop shaped container made from white chocolate, filled with cranberry Bavarian cream and garnished with a chocolate rum sauce, cranberries and pistachio croquant.
Now, my idea is to use two of the containers (I have 2.5" acetate strips), and shape them into a yin-yang circle. I'd use a milk or dark chocolate for one and white chocolate for the other. With the cranberry Bavarian cream in the white shell, I need to come up with a flavor to fill the milk or dark chocolate half of the Yin-Yang. Putting dollop of whipped cream on top of the dark cream and a circle of the chocolate rum sauce on the cranberry cream will complete the look I'm trying to create here...
So, I'm looking for advice or inspiration as to what I should use to pair with the Cranberry Bavarian Cream. I'm thinking maybe orange in a dark chocolate Bavarian cream? Maybe pomegranate? I'm pretty new to all this, so any help is greatly appreciated!
Thanks guys!
~Tom
updated by @Thomas Snyder: 04/17/15 13:38:49
Pre Grinders and particle size
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
I think I read on chocolate alchemy that the champion's cutter wheel needs to be replaced every 250-300 lbs of beans. It's not impervious to damage, it's just plastic and steel.
Almond Paste: Make it or buy it?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
So, I'm looking at some recipes using Almond Paste, and I'm not sure which would be better, making my own or buying it.
How about you guys? What do you do for your almond paste? Do you go ALL hand-made and do it yourself, or do you purchase already made?
The main reason I ask is because the storefront I have my chocolates in is VERY health conscious. There was an issue a couple months back when they realized the corn syrup I was using had high fructose corn syrup in it, and they forced me to take all the candies and chocolates with it off the shelved. I lost over $500 in product from that bullcrap, and I don't want to deal with it again. Every container of almond paste I find online with ingredients listed lists a "synthetic bitter almond oil", and I don't want that on my ingredient lists if it's worth it to make my own...
updated by @Thomas Snyder: 04/10/15 14:24:20
cocoa beans hazardous food
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Wait, I'm confused. I was under the impression that PHF's are foods that need to be refrigerated for storage. Do un-roasted beans need to be refrigerated?
Food safety when keeping chocolate or compound melted
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Man, I really feel bad that you're having this tough of a time with your inspector! I've had exactly the opposite experience with the Health and Ag departments here where I'm at. They've both been as helpful as possible in helping us get set up in the co-op kitchen we started in, and also in the planning of the kitchen we're putting into our church where we'll have more room and storage space and less overhead. Their attitude is that the more licensed commercial kitchens in the area the better, and they'll work with you as much as they can to help you accomplish your goals!
I hope you figure out a solution to the problem you're having with your inspector there. Maybe complain to his\her boss? Maybe collude with the State Health Dept. to organize a committee to publish a clear and concise set of requirements and rules? If you don't get satisfaction at the level you've brought your complaint to, there's almost always a way to escalate the situation to provide a solution.
Food safety when keeping chocolate or compound melted
Posted in: Chocolate Education
That's how my inspectors described it to me. Since the chocolate outweighed the bacon, I didn't need to get any additional certifications...
It DID, however, take about 3 weeks of emails back and forth between me, Dept. Of Ag, and Dept. Of Health! Worth the hassle, IMO. I just need to get a vacuum-sealer to improve the shelf-life of the bacon (after about 10 days, it gets too stale to keep in boxes).
On the subject of bacon and chocolate, check out this enterprising entrepreneur! http://www.thestickypig.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1823
Food safety when keeping chocolate or compound melted
Posted in: Chocolate Education
I had a similar issue with our health department, but it turned out very well. I was asking about chocolate covered bacon (I had several customers asking for it), and the answer I received was very informative. Like Clay and Sebastian said, it's all about the AVAILABLE water, or water activity. The inspector just had me make up a few samples for them, and they took em to conduct testing on them. A week later, I had results (all of the samples were under the .85 that the health department requires here, but some were just not crisp enough to work well in chocolate) and had em on the shelves that day.
I feel for you that your inspector wasn't as knowledgeable as he should be on the subject. 
Fruit ganache
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
How does adding glucose to the ganache extend the shelf-life?
Chomping at the bit, but I'd like some advice first...
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Well, I don't have any perforated sheet pans, but I would think just a trip to Bargreen's would net me some. I work with my mom's baking company out of the local food hub's commercial kitchen. We have a double Wolf stove with a 6 burners and a short grill, and a convection oven next to those. I've got plenty of options there, so I think the roaster is probably gonna be taken off the table for now...
Chomping at the bit, but I'd like some advice first...
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Yes, it does! I was worried about purchasing 220 pounds and then the beans going bad before I had the opportunity to roast and use them. Now I've got some definite hard thinking to do about what I'm going to purchase then...
And it definitely helps in determining how to roast em, but it opens up more questions too... How much do you roast at a time? Do you use a regular oven, or convection? Do you stir the beans in the pan at all?
Thanks Brad!
Chomping at the bit, but I'd like some advice first...
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Well, I guess I should have mentioned my budget, huh? lol. My total I have for this project is $2,260. I've been doing molded chocolates and truffles, and our chuch's retired pastor is completely in love with them. lol. I had mentioned my desire to make chocolate from scratch to him, and a week later I was in his living room outlining my budget to him as he cut me a check for what I needed. Deal is him and his wife get a pound of chocolates a month for the rest of their lives! It won't be an insanely long time as he's 86 and she's 92! lol.
Anyways, I figured that between what I have listed, and $200 for 20 lbs of beans (I estimated that, since the average price I"m finding is between $8.50 and $9.50 an lb), $365 for 55 lbs of cocoa butter, $120 for 50 lbs of milk powder and $125 for 50 lbs of Sucanat (all natural, organic, f/t, unprocessed), That brings the total up to $2230.
Now, I've got a better source than I had originally quoted him for my beans. Got a guy in Costa Rico that charges $4 a kilo, plus shipping. Once I get things going (and I know how to NOT ruin my chocolate), I'll make a 100 kilo order which comes out to be about $900 including shipping.
So, I guess I'm asking if I should just skip getting the champion and the roaster and get the 100kg order of beans to start with? If I don't get those two and add the $200 for beans to that, I've got $750, so I'd need another bill fifty from somewhere to get the entire order...
Also, how long can I keep the un-roasted beans for? Do they spoil after a certain amount of time? The commercial kitchen we're putting in the church (that's where we're gonna do our baking and my chocolates, since we're outgrowing the co-op we currently work with) won't be done for AT LEAST two months, and even then it's gonna take a while for me to figure out the proper techniques for roasting and whatnot. I want to order things soon, but I don't want almost a grand worth of beans to go rancid before I even get the chance to make them into chocolates.
Another thought I have is that I have been assuming that the roast really determines the flavor of the chocolate about as much as the individual beans themselves do (somewhat like coffee. If it's shit beans, the taste is shit no matter how well it's roasted, and if it's roasted improperly, it's shit no matter how high the bean quality is). Is that correct, or am I way off base there? And where can I find more information on how to roast properly? I haven't been able to find much of anything for that answer...
Chomping at the bit, but I'd like some advice first...
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
So, I've got a decent amount set aside to order the equipment I need for small scale bean-to-bar production, but I wanted to get some advice before ordering well over a thousand bucks worth of stuff.
So far, here's the list of what I'm ordering (it all just happens to be from the same place since I like to order locally, and Chocolate Alchemy is a small business only a state away):
Spectra 11 Melanger ($490)
Behemor 1600 Coffee and Cocoa Roaster (comes with 4 lbs of free cocoa beans!)($300)
Crankandstein Cocoa mill ($190)
Champion Juicer ($240)
Slyph Winnower($200)
Total = $1,420
Is there anything I'm missing from this list? I know I'm gonna need some sugar, and powdered milk, and cocoa butter. I'm also gonna be ordering a 55 pound block of CB from John too, since it's the best price I've seen on organic fair trade cocoa butter ($380 for 55 lbs of deoderized) since I started looking for supplies. I'm gonna wait on ordering it though (and the milk), since I'll be starting with only dark chocolate.
Any comments, questions? Please, help out a novice just starting out!
Thanks in advance!
~Tom
updated by @Thomas Snyder: 04/14/15 14:31:29
Cacao Powder Grinding
Posted in: Tasting Notes
I tried to diffuse the situation, but he seems determined to be upset about the issue. *shrugs*
Cacao Powder Grinding
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Brad, maybe it wasn't so much of a lie as it was just misinformation? It seems that maybe IceBlocks is of about the same knowledge level as I am (that is, having read up on most things readily available, but doesn't have the working knowledge of the industry that a veteran chocolatier would have?), and took a supplier's terms that he used at face value. I think you're really upset at his supplier for labeling something as "cold-pressed" that obviously (to someone who knows what the process of separating cocoa butter from the powder truly entails) could never have undergone such a process.
I do understand where you're coming from, since as a professional it irks to hear someone use terms like that so improperly. There needs to be a standard that everyone is held to, and deceptive labeling should be punished appropriately. BUT, that doesn't mean that an entrepreneur who is ignorant of certain parts of the process should be derided and chastised for a simple mistake.
How about educating him on the reasons as to why it's impossible for him to have "cold-pressed, raw cocoa butter" instead of berating him for not having this knowledge beforehand? I mean, that's the point of these forums, right? For people to come together and share knowledge of cocoa and chocolate?
Peace and Love!
~Tom
Deoderized or natural?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Awesome answer, Clay! I think I'll end up just using the cocoa butter for my coveurture (it's needed to make it thinner and easier to dip with, right?), truffles and white chocolate.
BTW, LOVE this forum! It's great to have a place I can go to read the musings and thoughts of so many experienced and passionate chocolatiers.
Deoderized or natural?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
Hrmm... Well, not as definitive an answer as I was hoping for, but that works. lol. Thanks for the help, Sebastian!
Deoderized or natural?
Posted in: Tasting Notes
So, I'm looking into the first purchases I'll need for bean-to-bar production, and I'm not sure which kind of cocoa butter I should get... The deodorized is only $15 more than the un-deodorized (for a 55 lb brick), but that's not what matters to me. I don't want to purchase that much and have it end up something I don't want to be using...
Anyone have some advice for this problem? I'm only looking at making dark and milk to start with, but I'll want to make white eventually too (I know, it's not "real" chocolate).
Thanks in advance for the advice, guys and gals!!
~Tom
Also, when buying equipment for the fist time, who bought a roaster, and who made due with an oven to start with?
updated by @Thomas Snyder: 05/05/15 00:18:21
Need help w/ brix conversions
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
One of my favorite products is a Black & Tan Citrus Confit (candied orange peel dipped half and half in milk and dark), and I've never heard of the term "brix solution"... Maybe it's because I'm completely self-taught, but nothing like this term ever came up in the book I use (Greweling's Chocolates and Confections At Home).