Server issues and something novel

Hey folks.  Hang tight.  Many of you have noticed and let me know the site has been down off and on the last few days.  It may continue to happen for a few more days while we work it out.  Actually, we run off two servers - one for content and one for the store and inventory.  The store is, has been and will continue to be up.  The direct link should you want it is http://shop.chocolatealchemy.com/. Also, a couple things to look forward to in the near future.  I will be offering Roasted cocoa (in moderate amounts, less than wholesale) and possibly, if I can work out, a roasted bean of the week where you can just get a couple pounds.  Let me know what you think about these ideas.

And I have a very nice sample of Venezuelan Carenero Superior.  Quite rummy and deep chocolate flavors.   Good clean and even prep.   I am going to be trying something just a little new on this for a short time.  Pre-orders.  Both large and small - and the incentive will be price.  So, make me interested in putting this together and let me know if you like the idea and would pre-order for something like a 25% discount off the list price once it arrives.  This includes full bags.  It's a really great bean and I want people to get it and love it.  Drop me an e-mail or a note here if you might be interested.  An e-mail if you might like a bag and want more details.  And don't worry - there will be more details.  I am just testing the waters at the moment.  Let me know if they are cold or warm.

Inventory updates

Well, the Peru sold out the same day I said it was in short supply.  I was just about to put up the same 'low stock' warning about the Papua New Guinea, but alas, it is actually all gone.I have a sample of  Papua New Guinea in from the current crop that I like a lot.  Look for it in a few weeks I suspect.  A touch less smokey and a little more balanced and with more depth of flavor.  More later on that.

We have also run out of deodorized cocoa butter.  At this moment, I don't know when I will get more in.  I have to find a better supplier.  The one for the last batch kept playing price and money games and I don't have time or patience to play games.Oh, and some/most of the individual post links and possible the comments here are not currently working.  I know about it.  Just have to work out some server issues. That goes for some of the other other main header links (FAQ, Contact, etc).  Have to work out where the file path is wrong on the new server.  Thanks for you patience.

Stock changes

We are just about out of the delicate and soft Peru.  No, I don't know if any more will be coming in any time soon.  So, if you have not tried it and have been thinking about it, now is the time.  It probably will not be around next week. The same is true with the Deodorized Cocoa butter.  There are a few pounds left and I am not sure when or if more will be back.  The last supplier was not true to his word and I just won't be getting more there, regardless of how nice it was.  Oh, and the Natural cocoa butter is currently back ordered about a week.  It is on the way, but my little Internet outage a couple weeks ago disrupted that supply train and so it's running behind.  The site shows it in stock - just be aware it isn't but will be next week. Roasted Beans: This area has been empty quite a while.  Look for it getting filled this week.  There will be 10 lb and 25 lb amounts of most of beans we carry (no Peru of course).  These are roasted in a large drum roaster, and 5 lbs may be problematical as I don't want roasted beans setting around getting stale, but nor do I want to just toss them.  Proverbial rock and a hard place.  What do people think of a "Roasted bean of the week" on a set schedule so you can plan ahead?  If that were to work out, I could even offer 1 lb and up.  I may try that.  Give me input.

For the last 5 years I have tried to ship out in a fast and timely manner.   Generally 2-3 days, many orders went out the next day.  That record has mostly gone away with the death of Penelope, my wife.  Although the Order confirmations don't reflect this (yet - but soon), right now I am packing and shipping orders once a week, on the weekends.  It is simply all I can do.  Hopefully you understand.  Regardless, it is how it is.  In a few months, it may change - or not.  Only time will tell.

Finally, the Winnower.  It is mostly at a standstill development wise, although it is getting good use and I am collecting lots of data as to what works and what does not.  I am not advertising, except  this little note for the moment, but I am willing to accept larger orders of nibs (over the 5 lb maximum) currently.  Turn around time is 7-14 days (noting I am only shipping once a week) but I am here to meet your needs and if you need 10 or 20 or 30 lbs of raw (sorry, not roast yet) nibs, drop me an email and we can set up the specifics.  The only catch is that for that amount I will be charging a winnowing fee.  Generally $1-1.5/lb.  Under 5 lbs is still free.

'Don Homero' from Ecuador

There is a new bean available from an origin I have not had in a while.  Ecuador.  It is processed in quite a novel and good way.  Sort of semi-washed.  Check out the review and all about it. 'Don Homero' Ecuador

Other than that, as to be expected, things are quite rough around here currently.  I will update the official times soon (in my spare time - inside joke there) but right now I am only packing and shipping on the weekends.  I hope everyone understands.

New arrivals & Chocolate Formulator

Madagascar will be back in stock early next week.  I also have a brand new semi-washed (more on that later) Ecuador that is full of clean graham cracker and malt flavors.  A couple weeks after that I am going to be offering up four of the current stock as roasted (with small minimums) and see how that goes. And finally the stock of refurbished Behmors is quickly dwindling but also I am not able to repair them at the speed I want (Penelope is p. rehab after another surgery, so spare time is a myth) but I getting a couple here and there.

The winnower?  Not much with that spare time myth, but I do have a new cracker/mill in mind that I hope to couple with the winnower.

But in a spat of free time, I finished up a Chocolate Formulator in Excel I have used for some time now.  You can down load it and them discuss it over in the Forum or down load it directly below.

Chocolate Alchemy Formulator 

Roasting

While roasting up my samples of the up coming Tanzanian cocoa (it's in - look for it over the weekend), I noticed how picture perfect it roasted up.  They went from a slightly rough surface to a nice smooth surface.  Just what you want to aim for.  Also, unlike coffee, note there is not really any color change.  It is virtually all texture.

If it isn't obvious, the roasted is on the left.

And, just to see the more in context, here they are just out of the Behmor.

  This time the roasted is on the right.  And for those that want to know, this was done on P1, 1 lb setting, 16:15 minutes on the Behmor.  2.25 lb roast size.

Oh, and to comment about the Behmor, the refurbished units, the waiting list, etc.  I have a stock of roasters in.  I am about 1/2 way through the waiting list.  I have plenty of parts.  Due to increased shipping costs, I am only offering for free either beans (coffee and cocoa) or a small grid drum.  Not both.

Related to when Behmors will be available again to everyone who wants one, I will be out of town from the 22nd to July 10 to handle my mom's estate.   No shipping or repairs during that time.  Limited email.  Very similar to when she actually died and I had to shut down.  Behmors should be available mid July.

Take care folks.

Back to normal

I am back from my mother's memorial service, and like is (mostly) back to normal.  All orders that have come in since we were closed should go out Monday.  Thank you again for all your understanding. So far, I like the results of the flat rate pricing for the Peru beans.  With that in mind, I have put up special for the month of May for Papua New Guinea.  Flat rate, at a reduced rate.   $8.95/lb regardless of quatity.  I hope you enjoy them and the price.

Refurbished Behmors will be available sometime this week.  Just keep an eye. I suspect demand to be high, so turn around time may lengthen a bit.  If it is too high, they may go temporarily out of stock just so I can keep up.  If you wish to be on a waiting list, feel free to let me know and I will be glad to queue you up.

Happy chocolate making.

Updates before closing

Just a few notes before I am gone for a bit. The first of course is that we will be closed for the next week while I am taking care of family medical issues.  As I type this, all orders that came in before 5 am, Friday 27, PST, have been packed and shipped.  Any that come in today onward for the next week will not be processed untill I return.  I am leaving the shopping cart turned on. Likewise, I mostly will be out of e-mail contact.  I wish I could give some alternatives, but I can't.  If you have general questions, as opposed to problems, eta questions and the like that only I can answer, consider stopping by the Forum.  They are fellow chocolate makers and have a wealth of information.

The new crop of Panama is now in and available.

That is all for now.  Thank you for all your kind e-mails, calls, words and thought.  And understanding and patience.

Thank you.

New Origin - Peru

We have a new large and beautiful lot of cocoa from Peru.  It is Organic, Fair trade and has quite a lot of Criollo character to it, not to mention paper thin husk.  Plus soft fruit aromas and flavors like banana and mango.  I have a limited supply so I am also trying a new flat rate pricing scheme - $8.99/lb across the board.  I will try it out for a month and evaluate it at that point.  Maybe it will stay that way.  Maybe I will cycle another bean to that pricing.  Maybe I will keep it the way it is.  Let me know what you think. I now have parts in for the Behmors, so will make those available again soon.  I may hold off until I am back from my partner's hospital stay.  I am not sure yet.

The Good, the bad and the Ugly

I have another refurbished Behmor in less than pristine condition. The Good - no roasts on it except the one QC roast and I am offering it at a further discount. The Bad - UPS returned this on with their own special touch.  They banged the left side and door pretty well.  It is fully functional, but the door isn't super smooth (they cracked a plastic bit) but should not get worse.

The Ugly - I replaced the left panel, but the frame is still not 100% perfect and there are some scratches.

The last one like this went in about 30 minutes.  First come, first serve.  Enter UPSDENT in the discount code at checkout for a $25 discount making it $174.00 plus shipping.

Also, a new origin will be in this week.  A beautifully prepared Trinatario from Peru.  Reminds me a bit of the Panama (who's new crop will be in at the end of the month).

And Santha now has stock of Melangers again.  I am still waiting to hear what spare parts are available.

New beans and Behmor deals

It's been a bit I know. New beans should be in within the next month.  Some new Panama, hopefully some Ocumare and Cuyagua, plus two new origins, Nicaragua and Peru.

Also, I am offering what I hope are some very incentive laden deals on the Behmor.  I have currently decided to not restock new Behmor for a few reasons.  Room, sales (lack there of), and better deals elsewhere that I just can't complete with.  But what I can do is this.  Refurbished are now coming with your choice of 2-4 lbs of cocoa or coffee so you can get a feel for the roasting process a little more stress free.  There is also a new smaller grid drum available that I am offering for free.  And, last but not least, I have dropped the shipping weight so shipping costs will also be less.  Just choose what combination you want and away you go.  Oh, and because I have had the question quite a bit, the small drum cylinder is meant for smaller coffee beans, not cocoa nibs.  The nibs still fall through too much.

Finally, on a first come, first serve basis, I have one Refurbished roaster that has a nasty dent on the front top.  It doesn't affect roasting at all - it just isn't pretty.  I don't feel right selling it for even the $199, so I am offering it up with a discount code.  At checkout, (last page), if you enter the Discount Code: DENT it will take $25 off the total.  Again, first come first serve.  If the code doesn't work, someone got to it before you.

New arrivals and other musings

The new cocoa beans from Madagascar and Ghana from Kuapa Kokoo have arrived and are available. At nearly the same time we have run out of the two lots of Conacado. I hope if you wanted to try the difference in each lot you got your chance and that it was illuminating how fermentation can affect the flavor profile. I have also decided to (temporarily) discontinue carrying the deodorized cocoa butter. The prices have just gone through the roof. If you or need a source, please let me know and I will be happy to offer it again, but over all, it simply did hold a candle to the Natural cocoa butter sales (like 20:1). Similarly, the next set of 2 oz bar molds will be a small test. Their price is about to go radically up. I am not sure why the supplier decide this mold would TRIPLE in price, but it has. They will be about $10 for the hobby grade and nearly $20 for the Professional grade. They are one of my favorite molds, but I will let sales dictate if they are kept around.

As for musing, I have a batch of Conacado (yes, I kept the last few pounds) milk chocolate going. I have been experimenting with using the Melanger to do all the grinding work. What I have found is if you melt the cocoa butter for your recipe (about 20% in this case) and start it in the Melanger, you can add all the well winnowed nibs (about, about 2 pounds) with nary a problem. They all went in within one minute are were all ground within about 20 minutes (not smooth, just flowing). A far cry from direct grinding them in small handfuls over the space of an hour. The flow was so vigorous that I went ahead and added the milk powder in immediately to keep the butter/nib mixture from spinning right out of the bowl! And here is something I want to look into some more. I happen to taste the sugarless mixture while scraping down the sides of the melanger. I was pleasantly surprised about how good it tasted. I know there is natural sugar in milk (lactose at about 42% dry weight), but even so. I can see now my next batch will be a sugarless milk chocolate experiment.

Finally, were have DVD's by the Chocolate Doctor back in stock.  We were out of stock of volumes 2 & 3 for a while.

Refurbished Behmors and new beans

I have a number of refurbished Behmors now available.   The are $210 (normally $300) and come with a full warranty. Also, we should have a couple new beans in next week.  The wildly fruity Organic Madagascar and some beautiful and deep toned Fair Trade Ghana from Kuapo Kokoo coop.

Hickory Smoked Bacon Chocolate

Did I get your attention? Ok, the new Papua New Guinea isn't quite like that, but it is the first thing I thought of when smelling the freshly roasted nibs after winnowing. Go check out the full review.We are also taking orders for the Spectra 20 and Spectra 40 Grinders. Please read about the Warranty before ordering. They should be in early next month. Your order will reserve you one but we will not charge your credit card until they ship. And please note, the Spectra 40 is 250 lbs and takes a freight deliverable address.

Finally, we now are offering a complete list of Spare Parts for the Alchemist's Stone Melanger. And we have had machined a set of metal hub and cap for the Melanger for those that want one that can handle heat and more pressure.

     

New Label and New Products

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 stay in business (like there was really any question) and simply wanted a new and sharper look. For a while you will see both labels as we work out logistics. For now, they will be on the new products. With that in mind, we have 3 new products. Two types of milk powder (Goat and Soy) and an Organic/Fair Trade Cane sugar. The Goat Milk Powder is a whole milk powder and from Meyenburg. The Soy Milk Powder is "Better than Milk". The Cane Sugar is from Wholesome Sweeteners. It is considered unrefined because refined and organic don't seem to play well together, but it has a very neutral flavor. I also have a very limited supply (about 20) of some very heavy duty commercial molds. They are what I am calling "Aztec" molds. 72 cavity 0.2 oz trapezoidal shapes. When they are gone, they are gone.

Finally, look for a couple new beans next month. A piquant and smoky Papua New Guinea and some Fair Trade Ghana again. And maybe (don't hold your breath, but do cross your fingers) some more Ocumare from Venezuela.

Chocolate Making 101

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 information follow the links under Alchemist's Notebook to the right.

New Origin and Water FAQ

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 Chocolate FAQ gives a bit more detail. Also, we have a new cocoa bean in and with it comes a new origin. We now have a full bodied, peppery, Fair trade certified bean (very important here) from the Ivory Coast. That's right - the infamous Ivory Coast. I refused to even taste Ivory Coast samples without a guarantee of the conditions of the harvest (meaning the workers). Being Fair Trade takes care of that. With that in place, this is a great time to taste a new origin and some different flavors. Go check out the Review.

Melangers are in

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 information about the Spectra 20's and 40's this weekend.

Update:

Both lots (2033 and 2404) of Dominican Republic Conacado are now available also, plus a small special where you can order a 1lb of each at a discount.

The tangy and umami laden Mexican Tabasco is back in stock.

New Items soon

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 some larger units - Spectra 20's and 40's that are capable of 20 and 40 lbs of chocolate. The 40's are already all sold, but there will be a few 20's available.  Those I AM taking pre-orders on.  With shipping (in the USA) they will be $1000.  You won't currently find them on the site - if you have an interest in them, send me an email and we will get your name on one. Also coming back is the Tabasco cocoa beans.  Demand was greater than anticipated, and we sold out quickly.  Look for them this weekend.

On a similar note, the Dominican Republic "Conacado" will be back with a twist.  We have two lots you can choose from.  The original lot from a few months ago was 2033.  We have that one, plus a new one that I found to have a little more chocolate flavor.  There is only a little, so if you want to see side by side what difference fermentation can make, now is your chance.  It is rather a rare opportunity.

Oh, and it is not an item, but some people have been asking about profiles for the Behmor for something less than 2-2 1/2 lbs.  After a little experimenting, the following works pretty well for 1 lb.  Set it for 1 lb, P5, and add the maximum amount of time.  This will stretch out the profile.  Start the roast and then reduce the time to 16 minutes.  This will pull the total roasting time back without affecting the shape of the profile. It is still a little faster than 2 lbs, but not bad.  If they smell done or start popping before 16 minutes, by all means stop the roast.  But overall I think you will find it does pretty well.