Forum Activity for @Ash Maki

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
03/09/15 11:04:09AM
69 posts

help


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

Try a hair dryer and microfiber cloth...

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
03/09/15 11:03:09AM
69 posts

boxes or wrappers for chocolates


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

Hi there, Nashville wraps and the rever group both sell wrapping stuff if that is what you are looking for!

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
03/09/15 10:59:39AM
69 posts

Chocolate Enthusiast and a Supporter of Indian Cocoa Farmer.


Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself

That would be great, We always like to try new things around here. You could send a sample to our shop here. 

Starchild Chocolate

101 N Main St Willits, Ca 95490 USA

 

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
03/07/15 06:09:40PM
69 posts

Chocolate Enthusiast and a Supporter of Indian Cocoa Farmer.


Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself

 We would be willing to try your beans provided they are certified organic. I have yet to try an Indian bean.

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
02/19/15 09:57:08PM
69 posts

adding sugar and lecithin to chocolate


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

Thanks for the response, makes sence. Looking forward to learning more about the process for sure!

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
02/19/15 12:01:44PM
69 posts

adding sugar and lecithin to chocolate


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

 Hi there, I had a question for you Sabastian along the lines of something you were saying earlier. If your chocolate does smell like vinegar and as you said above it was acidified during fermentaition what tips would you tell the farmers to improve there process to ferment without acidifying? A lot of diffrent factors im sure but is there a basic mistake that gets made that imparts the taste and smell of vingar into your chocolate that could be easily corrected? 

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
07/21/14 03:11:04PM
69 posts

Cacao beer or wine available in the us?


Posted in: Tasting Notes

Hey there clay. That sounds like exactly what we are looking for! would love to get the contact info for that one. It would be great to get our hands on any other drinks you might know of too such as the black inca beer I noticed pictures of as well.

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
07/20/14 11:17:59PM
69 posts

Cacao beer or wine available in the us?


Posted in: Tasting Notes

Hi there,

Anybody out there heard of, or know of, any wine or beer drinks that are made from or with cacao that are available in the US?


updated by @Ash Maki: 04/09/15 09:04:25AM
Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
06/12/14 10:49:37PM
69 posts

Thick chocolate while tempering


Posted in: Tasting Notes

I tend to get the same problem with the delta but only after being in temper for too long. Four or five hours. Raising the temp to 89-90 f takes care of it pretty well. We have very low humidity here.

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
06/11/14 02:44:28PM
69 posts

More bugs in wild beans?


Posted in: Chocolate Education

Thanks for the reply! That puts it into perspective a bit. As someone who has made a few of them journeys, unrelated to cacao, I could understand completely how difficult it might be to get anything out of there at all... I have yet to try them as a finished product but do look forward to seeing what comes of them.

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
06/10/14 07:08:23PM
69 posts

More bugs in wild beans?


Posted in: Chocolate Education

Yea thats pretty much what I was thinking and fortunately didn't get the larger order I was going to place. Thanks

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
06/10/14 12:55:33PM
69 posts

More bugs in wild beans?


Posted in: Chocolate Education

I just acquired a order of wild beans from Bolivia and was wondering, as I have never used wild beans before, if they tend to have more bugs or if its just a bad batch as there is at least 25% insect damage. Definitely smaller and not the best job of fermenting but a decent enough looking bean aside from the insect damage. Thanks


updated by @Ash Maki: 04/10/15 11:43:42AM
Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
05/29/14 12:10:37PM
69 posts

Salmonella and Factory Layout


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

Hi there, Seems to be a great idea doing the through the wall roaster. Just out of curiosity as I am drawing up a floor plan as well, on a bit of a larger scale,

Would there be any benefit to trying to harness the heat of the roaster to add to the clean room to keep the oils in the grinders and conch a bit warmer? Rather than what some people do by adding a heat gun. Provided the grinders had there own room and where not in your cooler tempering area.

Then provided you didn't put a door between the dirty and clean room and instead whent through another room first would it be easy enough to test your roast without having to walk all the way around each time. A very roaster specific question I suppose.

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
05/29/14 12:18:29PM
69 posts

Looking for custom printed bar wrapping, example provided


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

The Revere Group is pretty good too. glerup.com

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
05/15/14 12:29:30PM
69 posts

cleaning/winnowing/breaking equipment? 500kg a week...


Posted in: Uncategorized

Any recommendations for cost efficient Cleaning, Breaking, Winnowing Equipment? For the processing of around 500 kilos a week...


updated by @Ash Maki: 04/14/15 12:12:03PM
Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
05/28/14 05:58:17PM
69 posts

Superheated steam roasters


Posted in: Opinion

Thanks for the reply that is pretty much what I was starting to put together from talking with them and one of the people that uses one for nuts down in texas. It does seem to be a very cost effective way of roasting large volumes but like you have said there seems to be quite a few variables that contribute to how good it might work for cacao. I certainly don't think I have enough experience myself to pioneer the roasting of cacao in this machine though the price to production ratio makes for a tempting option...

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
05/14/14 01:04:50AM
69 posts

Superheated steam roasters


Posted in: Opinion

That certainly brings a better understanding to the situation... All that being said it seems something like theMoffatt E32D5 might be a good way to start getting to know the use of steam...

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
05/13/14 08:44:19PM
69 posts

Superheated steam roasters


Posted in: Opinion

from what I am hearing/reading roasting with super heated steam in something like the roastech r100e can achieve similar results as a medium roast in an oven but maintains a much higher level of polyphenols and supposedly up to 40% less loss of flavanols... I would look at the fat not being degraded as a good thing... I guess just wondering how a 40% less loss would effect the flavor... One might assume that that would be better and there would be more room to pull out the flavor you are looking for... Really don't know just trying to learn more...

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
05/13/14 02:45:57PM
69 posts

Superheated steam roasters


Posted in: Opinion

On the bit of a larger scale... anybody have any experience with something like roastecksR100E?

[ Editor's Note: That's the Roastech R100E. ]

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
05/13/14 11:20:59AM
69 posts

Superheated steam roasters


Posted in: Opinion

Pretty well micro scale but...

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
05/13/14 11:13:11AM
69 posts

Superheated steam roasters


Posted in: Opinion

What about something like the little steam ovens from sharp sharp ax-1200?

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
05/13/14 11:07:20AM
69 posts

Superheated steam roasters


Posted in: Opinion

I suppose my next question would be then using steam can you achieve a better flavor and maintain more of the nutrition as it says in a few of the reports I have been recently reading? as you have said on the light and medium profile anyways? Almost all of the roasted chocolate I try pretty much taste burnt to me... I would hope to get a medium roast without the burnt chocolate flavor coming through while maintaining as much nutritional value as possible... I notice a big difference in the way raw cacao makes me feel but do understand the need for heat in the chocolate making process... There for I would hope to compromise with a method that maintains the highest values of nutrition and flavor...

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
05/12/14 02:42:26PM
69 posts

Superheated steam roasters


Posted in: Opinion

Hi there, anybody have experience with the new method of superheated steam roasting? Or the roasters them selves and wether or not it would be practical to acquire a roaster for small scale production... I have read that it is a way to maintain maximum nutrition and health benefit...


updated by @Ash Maki: 04/14/15 05:05:25AM
Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
04/20/14 08:50:44PM
69 posts

savage bros Tempering & Molding Workstation vs the selmi top ex


Posted in: Opinion

Hi i am looking for anyone with experience with either or both machines and if some one could point me in the direction of which one might be a better buy... Thanks I do understand that the selmi is continues feed option but any feedback would be helpful...

http://www.selmi-chocolate.it/en/prodotti.asp?id_categoria=1&id=6#specifiche

http://www.savagebros.com/p.47/chocolate-molding-workstations.aspx


updated by @Ash Maki: 04/13/15 02:48:08PM
Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
07/02/14 01:11:04PM
69 posts

Panning


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

At what point would you speed up or slow down the pan?

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
07/02/14 12:37:26PM
69 posts

Panning


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

Thank you, that is the most informative post on panning I have been able to find anywhere...

Ash Maki
@Ash Maki
05/29/14 12:37:42PM
69 posts

Hands-on Bean-to-bar Chocolate School: Curriculum, Cost, and more


Posted in: Chocolate Education

cole chocolat runs a bean to bar course for around $450 Its entirely online and runs over the course of a few months. I think the next one starts in september. For the money it provides a wealth of information and very good introduction to the world of making chocolate. Not equipment training per say or recommendations in any one direction, with the exception of tutor feedback, but very neutral information in all aspects of the industry and a good broad outline with lots of resources. A good start I would say, which does cover everything you mentioned above.

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