Another Great video on brewing cocoa. Have a few questions.

1. I am embarking on cacao for weight loss and all the health benefits. I was told that if your roast or heat the cocoa beans they lose a lot of phytonutrients. I live in India and my cocoa beans are thoroughly sun dried and the skins are easy to remove. Do I still need to roast them.

In the roasting seminar I just attended a week back, I was amazed at how much math and science can be used in determining/developing what are generally considered "artistic" qualities (like in roasting/flavor development). Out of curiosity, what basic math/science skills should I brush up on that will make the biggest impact on my ability to produce the highest grade chocolate and make it a replicable process? Do I need high grade chemistry and calculus? Or is there some other basics that will get me close but still give me an edge over people who are mostly winging it?

My question is whether you have experienced more intense flavors by starting with a high temperature and then coming down.  As well, why did you choose 232F as the end of the development phase.

I am a long time coffee roaster and know it is important to cool coffee as fast as possible.  How quickly do I have to cool my cocoa beans?  I’m worried they going to over roast if I don’t get them cool in a couple minutes, especially in the Behmor roaster.

Before we jump into the NINE (9) new beans, I want to let everyone know that the dates are set for the next in depth, full day, Drum Roasting Profile Seminar.  Spots (limited to 10 each) are starting to fill up.

We have a few slots open still and if you want to come and can fit it in your schedule we are trying to toss a little balm and love your way as an "I'm sorry" with $50 off.

I’m having some roasting trouble and would love to hear your opinion if you get a chance to respond. I’m using a Klarstein air fryer (1400w) to roast 1 kg of beans at a time. 

Today I am combining a few recent email exchanges.  I hope you find it helpful.

I really love your spider charts.  Where do you get them and how do I get the flavors you show?  My roasted beans never taste like that.

We have a new bean in from Costa Rica, hailing from the Upala region.

“My goal is simple,” he once said. “It is complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all.” He spent much of his career searching for a way to reconcile Einstein’s theory of relativity with quantum physics and produce a “Theory of Everything.”

In the picture attached, I have arranged cacao beans: large, medium, and small.

I have some of Criollo beans that have the most intense apple smell but no matter how light I roast it I can’t keep it in the chocolate.  How do I keep that flavor in my chocolate?

  I've been reluctant to grind for a long time because I thought most volatiles were driven off in first 12 hrs and

I’ve read all your posts about profile roasting but I’m still not sure where to start.  Can you give me just a basic profile that will work for all beans?

I have recently had the chance to experiment with a very powerful 10 tray combo/convection oven. I was really excited about all the features but the results I have got so far have been disastrous! So I would be really grateful for your thoughts on resolving this mystery.

I have been roasting the Belize Maya Mountain beans in 2lb batches in my home oven. So far I have tried two different profiles: