Forum Activity for @Sanja

Cacao powder variation- anything one can do?

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

Dear chocolate life community,

I'm writing with a question that I hope at least some of you will know an answer to. We are a small producer of vegan chocolate and we process everything at low temperatures. We noticed that when we process a bath with a lighter colored cacao powder, we get a very solid and desirable structure. However, when we process a batch with a darker variety of cacao powder under the same conditions (same tempering curve, same machine, same outside temperature), the end product always ends up being less solid, melting more readily when touched. The darker cacao powder is also significantly more bitter/sour and we even have to change our recipe to adjust for the variation.

Does anyone have any insight as to why this is happening? The supplier, obviously, just says that it's a natural variation. I am wondering if there is a trade term for the lighter variety of Peruvian Criollo Cacao? (See attachment)

Has anyone had similar experiences and can share tips? 

Any help will be much appreciated.

All the best,

Sanja

Inexplicable change in chocolate strucutre- please help

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

Hi Sebastian,

what makes you say that? Since we started making chocolate we have used a very good tempering machine and never had problems. Yes, I realize it doesn't guarantee perfect tempering but we have used it with the same basic ingredients over a longer period of time and never had the issue. 

Do you think it might have to do with needing a different tempering curve?

The main issue is that at the same temperature, the chocolate is now significantly more liquid feeling and looking, and the end product of course is affected. My first thought was that there might be humidity in the sugar, but if you have any other pointers, I would love to know more. It does all leave me a bit baffled.

All the best,
Sanja

Inexplicable change in chocolate strucutre- please help

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

Dear chocolate community

I hope one of you can help me with this issue. We process our chocolate below 42 Celsius. Till now we always had great consistency. For sweetener, we use coconut palm sugar. I just started using a new coconut palm sugar which has a slightly darker appearance. It seems as everyone considers that a natural variation so I didn't think much about it. However, when I created a small test-batch, the chocolate turned out much more soft, melting much faster when touched. I am sure that it was correctly tempered. My first thought is that it might be due to humidity in the coconut palm sugar, but would that necessarily create that sort of effect? Any insights on this?

updated by @Sanja: 08/29/16 08:00:44

"raw" vs. regular cacao butter

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

Hi everyone,

I have been wanting to ask this question for a while regarding "raw" cacao butter vs. regular butter. I am sure some of you already know much more about this. After talking to many people in the chocolate filed, I have come to the conclusion that raw cacao butter (i.e. processed below 42 degrees Celsius) is practically non-existent, as even the producers that declare their butter as raw say that they will go up ti 45 degrees in the processing, and that temperatures during transport (especially in the tropical countries where they are produced) can even exceed that temperature at times.

Below is a chart that is apparently used by a producer of raw cacao.

My question is: does it ever actually make sense to make the distinction? Wouldn't raw and now-raw cacao butter be very similar in structure and attributes (excluding those that are deodorized)? 

Many thanks,

San

updated by @Sanja: 09/14/16 10:11:46

Chocolate discoloration- Please help!

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

Hi Clay,

thanks so much for clarifying, this is helping shed some light for me. We have access to a Selmi Legend and that's what we have been using. Regarding tempering by hand, we have done that at the beginning and never had any issues with it, which I guess means we were never challenged in that aspect. We have already looked into tempering curves and yes we do see some clarity from that. Do you have any advice regarding the Selmi Legend, or any other thoughts on what might help us get insights?

Chocolate discoloration- Please help!

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

What are your recommendations in terms of ensuring the machine tempers correctly, do you have any insight on that?

Chocolate discoloration- Please help!

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

we do monitor the temperature at which we temper, which seems to be working just right for our chocolate, but not the humuidity. Whats your insight on humidity and its effect in tempering?

Chocolate discoloration- Please help!

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

Hi Clay,

thanks so much for the response. I suspected thats what it was but I am surprised mostly that it shows up only several weeks after the chocolate is done. We use coconut palm sugar.

The strangest thing is we actually use a high end tempering machine. So if I wanted to prevent this using the machine, would it mean I'd have to make the chocolate heat up and cool down numerous times to ensure proper bonding of the molecules?

updated by @Sanja: 03/13/16 11:20:55

Chocolate discoloration- Please help!

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

Dear Chocolate lovers,

I have been making chocolate the raw way for the past months, i.e. I don't heat anything above 42 Celsius in the process. I'm noticing with some of the chocolates I make that they look perfectly fine when they come out of the form and for the following couple of weeks, however, some of them after a while start to develop streaks. They seem to get just a little less visible as I go over them with my finger, but mostly the discoloration remains. Is there any way to prevent or at least mitigate this altered look in the long run?

I am aware that this sometimes shows up right after the chocolate  is done, but I find it strange that it becomes visible after lets say 2 or 3 weeks. What are some tricks and tips to prevent this?

Thank you so much!

Sanja

updated by @Sanja: 03/13/16 06:35:31

Need HELP: Raw Cacao Butter looking different!

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

Hey Clay, Peter & Sebastian,

thanks so much for the feedback! We did of course order samples beforehand and seeing as it's the second time we've ordered from this supplier, we do have a good relationship and generally feel that the produce is at a high level. I suppose that there's not really much they can do if this is indeed part of the natural variation. It seems that this only affects a smaller part of the entire delivery.

I suppose my question now is: Is it possible to use these pieces with the nicer looking ones, say in a ratio of 1:10, without impacting the quality, smell or taste of the final product? Or maybe a different ratio?

Need HELP: Raw Cacao Butter looking different!

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

Hi Sebastian,

thank you so much for the feedback! that would definitely be the best case scenario so I'm happy to hear that! Do you happen to know if there is any kind of mould or insect that could even potentially attack cacao butter? I have heard about it for cacao beans but I'm not sure wether cacao butter has a suited environemnt for that kind of thing, seeing as it's pure fat.

Also, do you know of any tests that can be done to determine wether the raw ingredients are not compromised? 

All the best,

Sanja

Need HELP: Raw Cacao Butter looking different!

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

Hi everyone,

I hope that someone can help me with this. We have been making raw chocolates using raw cacao butter and in a new batch we noticed that the structure, taste and smell of the butter is different. I am attaching two photos- one is the smooth and good cacao butter, the other one is the flawed butter that is porous in structure, has a slightly acidic smell and also tastes different in the final product.

We contacted our importer who said he will ask the supplier. We have dry and safe storage so I don't believe it's from our end, especially since we've always used the same storage for these supplies.

Any ideas on what this might be and also practical tips on how to tackle the issue with the importer or supplier?

Many thanks for your help!

updated by @Sanja: 02/16/16 06:43:01