"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."
667665 visits and counting.
The first thing is that we are transitioning into some new labels. Will it affect the flavor of the product? Nope. Why do it? Well, it’s been 5 years with basic labels, we finished our taxes (yeah, wild round of applause for all of you who did also), have decided will […]
Filed under: Products, Cocoa Beans, What's new & Updates | No Comments »
My dear partner Penelope put this together, noting that so far there is not one single page outlining the entire chocolate making procedure start to finish. Well, now there is.
Chocolate Making at Home 101
It won’t give you everything you need in detail (hence the ‘101′) but gives a great overview. For all the detailed […]
Filed under: Products, Cocoa Beans, Roasting, Refining & Conching, Grinding, Cracking & Winnowing, Alchemist's Mussings, Tempering | 3 Comments »
Every week I field questions about the necessity of the Melanger and whether the sugar can dissolved in “just a little” water to eliminate a step. Basically, you can’t do that. Or more to the point, if you do, what you will end up with is not classic chocolate. This Water and […]
Filed under: Products, Cocoa Beans, What's new & Updates, Alchemist's Mussings | No Comments »
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 »
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 »
