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"It is dark as the AlChemist walks along the corridor, rough stone under his feet, air warmed from well smoldering hearth fires stirring his cowl. He opens a hewn timber door, worn smooth at the threshold over years of use. He breaths deeply the comforting smells of this laboratory. Hints of wood and smoke linger in the air from the last time he roasted raw materials for his elixirs. Another smell, heady and almost intoxicating, brings a smile to his face as he remembers the smell wafting up as he was last grinding his pastes and powders. He looks about. Everything is in place. The roasting drum is cool in the hearth. The mortars and pestles are laid out neat and tidy, only a small amount of deep brown paste marring their finish. The cracking mill is sitting ready, waiting for the next batch to be crushed fresh out of the roaster. It is time to begin his magic, his devotion, his passion, his Alchemy, yet again. He prepares himself for the work ahead. The roasting, the cracking, the winnowing, the grinding, the mixing. The transformation of base materials into something more than they were. The transformation of cocoa beans to chocolate, the work of Chocolate Alchemy."
1397318 visits and counting.
The newest shipment of Melangers have arrived in port. They are available and we are taking orders but they won’t ship until next week sometime due to back logs. And for those paying attention, Santha has requested that they be referred to as Spectra now. It’s the same item.
And look for more […]
Filed under: Products, Cocoa Beans, Refining & Conching, What's new & Updates | 2 Comments »
The tangy and umami laden Mexican Tabasco is back in stock.
Filed under: Cocoa Beans, What's new & Updates | No Comments »
For some reason, there have been a few spats of difficulties lately with too thick or thin chocolate in the Melangers.
One person reported only being able to get 4 lbs of chocolate into the Melanger before it spun itself out. The culprit was 3 times the cocoa butter the recipe called for. I […]
Filed under: Refining & Conching, What's new & Updates, Alchemist's Mussings, Tempering | 4 Comments »
I have been getting this question a lot lately, so I though I would address it. The new Melangers (Spectra 10 - previously the Santha Wet Grinder) should land by the end of the month and be available shortly after. I am not taking pre-orders. There will be plenty. Also coming in this shipment are […]
Filed under: Cocoa Beans, What's new & Updates | 1 Comment »
I have put together an article on tempering. In it you will find one I wrote some time ago about some of the theory behind all those temperatures you have to worry about during tempering. New now is an illustrated explanation to tempering.
My hope in both of those is that it will make […]
Filed under: Alchemist's Mussings, Tempering | No Comments »
