Forum Activity for @Pantoufle

Pantoufle
@Pantoufle
02/19/15 17:30:38
4 posts

Choosing a Couverture
Posted in: Tasting Notes

Ruth Atkinson Kendrick:
While the taste is extremely important, don't forget viscosity, and what flavors you are planning to use with it. I think most chocolatiers use several different chocolates for different purposes. Also, some chocolates are easier to source than others, depending on where you live.

Hi Ruth - Thanks for replying to my post.  What an honor!  I actually just bought your Candymaking book and it just arrived a couple days ago!  It was recommended to me by my instructor, Kerry Beal, at Ecole Chocolat.  I wrote about a difficult time I had with making cherry cordials that leaked.  Kerry said your book could possibly help with that issue.  I'm looking forward to reading it! :-)

Regarding viscosity, that is an interesting point I had not considered.  For now I am mainly looking for couvertures to be used for solid molded chocolates/bars, and am not yet thinking about ganaches, etc.  So for that purpose, I believe I would need high viscosity chocolate?  I'm not really sure how to predetermine viscosity before purchasing and tempering the chocolate.  Do you have any recommendations?  That kind of brings me to my next question: Is there any website or resource that reviews/rates chocolate couvertures?  I've searched around, but the only thing I've seen has been C-spot, which I believe is more about reviewing chocolate bars?

 

Pantoufle
@Pantoufle
02/19/15 17:08:46
4 posts

Choosing a Couverture
Posted in: Tasting Notes

Sonia Christidis:
Hello another brand you might consider is Belcolade,  a Belgian couverture very nice. As far as buying small batches to sample, you might want to try Ebay.  

Sonia - eBay is a great suggestion.  I had not thought of them for small quantities of couverture.  Thanks!

Pantoufle
@Pantoufle
02/19/15 17:06:30
4 posts

Choosing a Couverture
Posted in: Tasting Notes

Michael Arnovitz:
You might want to think about these guys; for what you're attempting it seems like as convenient a way to begin as any: https://www.chocosphere.com

Thanks for the suggestion, Michael.  I purchased couverture from Chocosphere once and was very happy with them.  One thought I had was to possibly just start emailing places like Chocosphere and asking if they ever sell smaller sample sizes of the couvertures they offer.

Pantoufle
@Pantoufle
02/18/15 16:24:08
4 posts

Choosing a Couverture
Posted in: Tasting Notes

Hi All,

I am considering starting a chocolate business and am in the process of trying to decide on the couvertures I would like to use for my product lines.  I'm wondering if others can share their input on how they went about deciding on the couverture you would eventually use in your business?

So far I have tasted around 40 different couvertures and I don't feel like I am anywhere close to finding a perfect dark, milk, or white chocolate that I'd like to use for my recipes.  The brands of couvertures I have tasted so far have been Felchlin, Valrhona, El Rey, Callebaut, Guittard, and E. Guittard.  I have tasted a few from each brand, but not every variety that each of those brands sells.  Some of those have been very good, but I am still searching.  I'd really like to find a way to get a very large sampling of different couvertures so that I feel like I've made an informed decision and that my products are the best they can be.

So far I have been limited to what I can find locally in small quantities.  I'm trying to avoid buying several pounds of a couverture that I just want to taste.  Can other chocolatiers offer suggestions on how you went about buying small samples of couverture to taste so that you could make a decision for your product line? 

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!


updated by @Pantoufle: 04/09/15 13:31:51