Roasted beans and customer accounts

A little while ago I acquired an antique roaster.  It's in the process of being refinished, but in the meantime is completely functional.  As a result, all cocoa beans are now available as Roasted.  The odd 35 lb option is because that is the capacity of the roaster.  Right now I don't have an option for roasted nibs as it's just to cumbersome and creates too many loop holes in the store, but I will do roasted nibs if you take the initiative and ask.  Anything 10 lbs and under (total order) I'll do for free as a courtesy.  Over that and it's $1/lb and I'll contact you after the order is in to settle up. Also, I've very please to announce there are now Customer Accounts.  Chocolate Alchemy is coming into the 20th century.  You can look up old orders, the current status of orders, adjust your information, etc.  Please be aware though, and I know it can be confusing, there are TWO sets of customer accounts - one for Retail and one for Wholesale.  I recommend making your user name and password the same if you use both stores, but be aware, there are completely un-connected.

Right now the customer accounts are in beta mode, meaning there may be glitches here and there.  If you find one, please let me know about it.  Likewise, if you would like to see a particular feature, let me know and I will pass it along to the developer.

Finally, I've spent the last week testing out a new model of Melanger from Spectra (formally Santha, but the Melangers are officially being offered by Spectra) - the Spectra 11.  Photos and a review will follow, but briefly, I like it and give it two thumbs up.   It's basically a redesign of the bowl and how it attaches to the motor.  Over the last couple years there have been some shaft bearing issues - leaks basically.  This new design seems to over come this issue by removing the whole bearing.  A semi permanent (it unscrews) shaft now runs directly from the flywheel, through a delrin hub, and and then screws down, covering the shaft, effectively eliminating two weak spots and protects another.  And they have put the lid back to riding on top of the top tension nut (the way it was years ago), so you no longer have to worry about condensation.  It will be retailing for about $40 more and should be available in a couple weeks.

New Cocoa beans

The new crop of Papua New Guinea is in, and is a kinder, gentler crop this year.  If you have been put off in the past by the aggressive smoke this new crop is much slighter in smoke, and instead highlights more of the origin itself - piquant acidity, good chocolate and hints of leather.  And because I simply could not pass it up, here is a third cocoa bean from the Dominican Republic.  La Red.  It's organic, has a beautiful preparation and is very forgiving so is great for a starter bean.

Order Status

I've added in a small new feature to the Retail and Wholesale shops - Order status.  It's on the left side at the bottom.  In some ways, it won't give you a lot more than you already have via email, but is kind of handy when emails get mis-placed.  Basically, just put in your order number (making certain you are in the right section - Retail order numbers won't work on the Wholesale side) and the email address you order with and you can see the basics of your order.  Right now if you order is closed, you won't see anything - it will act like it can't find your order, and that is due to be changed, but if there is more information you'd like to see, input is welcomed and appreciated. Also, there will be two new beans in soon.  Yet another one from the Dominican Republic.  "La Red" that is organic, beautifully prepared, with lemon and tamarind.  After that will be a much less smokey Papua New Guinea.

All American Chocolate - Cocoa from Hawaii

Well, to be accurate, I should really say cocoa grown in the USA.   I have a small amount of cocoa from Hawaii.  Specifically from Waialua estate on Oahu.  It's a tiny bean (see below) with a bold chocolate flavor.  Big chocolate flavor, dark notes, macadamia nut, soft lemon.  Check out the whole review.  Also, you won't find it wholesale.  If you have an interest (they come in tiny 75 lb bags), drop me a note, and we can talk about individual cases.  If there is enough interest, I'll bring more in.

On other fronts, my prototype cracker is working well.  I've had to make some minor adjustments in the top feeder.  I had to do some minor redesign as it was not working well with certain beans with a moderate preparation (PNG and the Conacado for instance).  I know many people are very anxious about both the cracker and the winnower, but design, research and inventing isn't a fast or linear path.  Or when it is, it's very expensive.  Just to give you a flavor of what I've done when I brought in the first design of the cracker.

Total failure.  It would not feed the beans.  I made a 30 degree change in articulate to the rollers, and it fed.  From hand testing it, I calculated how fast it fed, and worked out the gear ratios needed for optimal feed rate to the winnower when coupled to the Champion.  10 days later I had those gears and it was installed.

It worked great...for some beans.  Anything with hint of odd prep would not feed.  Days later I had a modification designed for the feeder - the difference of 3/16".  30 days later I had the part in hand.  I installed it and yippee, it feed everything...too fast.  The previous ratios didn't work  I articulated the feed angle 6 degrees - much better.  Now nearly everything feeds and at a better rate.  But still too fast for the winnow.

New gear ratio calculations were performed.  Parts ordered.  They are here and I am waiting for time to install.  Will that work?  Probably.  For sure?  Who knows.  It's an iterative process.  I'll be sure to let you know.  And although it doesn't show much, here is the current set up in my lab.  This week I hope to add a 2nd set of gears.

Speed Chocolate or is that deep fried Chocolate?

I find it interesting how new ideas form, evolve, etc. I was putting together a batch of milk chocolate this morning, and really didn't have much time.  OK, and I was a bit lazy because I didn't have liqueur - only nibs.  So I proceeded to melt the cocoa butter I would be using, and thinking about how I often have to add heat to the Melanger when grinding nibs directly, I tossed the nibs directly into the melting cocoa butter.  Knowing I would not have time to bring the sugar and milk powder up to temperature before I left, I took the butter/nib mixture up to 210 F - yes, that hot.  Into the Melanger it went.  In went the sugar and milk powder, and it was off and running.  117 F and flowing perfect with no chance of setting up because it was too cool.

Speed Chocolate.

Now, where this leads me to is wondering if you could 'roast' your nibs by heating them in hot cocoa butter.  I noticed as I heated the butter/nib mixture to past 212 F (for just an instance), they started to spit, indicating water was being driven off.  Would deep fried nibs make a good chocolate?  Certainly not viable for a dark chocolate, but it has possibilities for milk chocolate.  I'm going to try this and report back.

And in other news, I will have some "American" cocoa later this month.  Hawaiian cocoa.  Being American grown and all, it's going to be pricey, and I won't have a lot, but I thought it worth offering.  It's a nice, fresh, mild cocoa.

Venezuelan Criollo

Edit:  In addition to the Patanemo I put up yesterday, the 2nd Criollo, Mantuano, is also now available.  Enjoy my friends. Also, as you know, I don't traditionally push any products here.  And really this is no exception, as really I'm just passing along a product that I love.  Whole cocoa beans wrapped in three layers of chocolate - Dark, milk and white.  It is so much more than the whole.  If you are looking for something really special for the holidays, you have just enough time to get some ordered I think.  Cocoa Puro Kakawa chocolate covered Cocoa beans. ___________ I have a beautiful Patanemo (I love how that rolls off the tongue) Criollo in from Venezuela.  Delicate hints of gardenia and apple.  I only have a single bag, so check it out and don't let it pass you by if you want to try it.

Ocumare pre-orders

I am putting together part of a container of Ocumare.  If you have a need of wholesale quantities, anywhere from one bag to...as much as you want, email me.  I will be offering a 10% discount for pre-orders for anything over a bag.In addition, there is the option of adding in some other Venezuelan beans (Carenero for instance) that if you would like to pre-order some, those could come along for the same discount. Just email me at Alchemist at Chocolate Alchemy dot com.    No spaces...you know the routine.

Nazario Risek

**Note**  For the last week, the wrong review has been up for Nazario Risek - An older Carenero Superior review got put in and I discovered it morning.  So, if you looked before, please have another look.  It is not too unlike Carenero in many ways, but it is not the same bean.....wondering that no one mentioned it....The new cocoa bean from the Dominican Republic is in.  It is from Nazario Risek and is Fair Trade and Organic.  It's a bit more evenly prepped than Conacado and likewise a little less acidic and more earthy.

Odds and ends

The drawings of the newest (and hopefully final) version of the deluxe cracker have been sent to the shop for quoting and production.  Maybe I'll get some quick photos up to show it off. There is a new bean from the Dominican Republic in.  It will be up and available over the weekend.  It has a richness, and umami not unlike Carenero Superior, and quite a bit different than Conacado.

And just something to consider - Unsweetened Milk chocolate.  I made some the other day as a special request (yes I do take and fulfill some special requests) and it was surprisingly good.  The lactose from the milk powder is quite a bit of sugar actually and it was interesting.

On the other side of that, I am always getting questions about chocolate made from cocoa powder and cocoa butter.  Is it possible?  Of course.  Do I recommend?  Of course not.  Why?  Well, I tried a batch from the best cocoa powder I could find (a couple really, one being Dagoba) and the final chocolate left a lot to be desired.  Cooked (like boiled milk) was the main impression I was left with.  The cocoa powder was just to processed.  The other was a 'raw' cocoa powder (although it was roasted - don't ask me why it was labeled raw) and it was just down right disgusting.

Look for the new Dominican in a day or so.

A chocolate lover's cocoa. Venezuelan - Sur del Lago

Sur del Lago I was blown away by the complexity of luscious nature of this cocoa.  Balance, soft fruit, toffee and just plain (if you can call it plain) chocolate!  I only have  a few bags of this, but am thrilled I get to share it with you.  That puts the Venezuelan offerings back up to four (and they are all diverse but great in their own way).  With this one, I am making the Venezuelan Sampler pack  available again, and for those who are keeping track, yes, that means the Rio Caribe F1 is also available again.

Cocoa bean stock update

As you may have seen, most of the Venezuelan varieties have been moving very quickly.  We are out of Rio Caribe F1 and Carenero Superior.  Wholesale stock of Ocumare is gone (along with the F1 and Carenero).  The good news is that more of the Rio Caribe F1 is on it's way, along with a wonderfully luscious Sur de Lago.  More Ocumare will be in around the middle of October.  If you want or need any larger (thinking full bags) let me know and I will make sure it is there for you. That's it for now.

Triple header Macro

OK, this one may or may not be fair, but I swear it is cocoa bean and homemade chocolate related.  And something I've been meaning to address for some time.  So, give it a go, and I'll use it a spring board a little later.

New Cocoa beans and butter

I have some interesting offerings coming up.  A selection of various Ghana and Indonesian cocoa that I had the opportunity to share with you.  I am still working out how I am going to offer it.  Maybe as micro lots.  Maybe some as blends.  Stay tuned. And as far as opportunities go, the same thing happened with 3 lots of cocoa butter.  Look for the standard Cocoa butter, plus two new deodorized ones.  The first deodorized one is similar to what I currently have, and has a touch of color and aroma (just a little mind you).  The new one is much paler and odorless.  Perfect for those that want just oil added to their chocolate without ANYTHING to change the flavor.  Both are organic.  I've wondered for some time what the deodorization process is - it is washing with hot water.  No chemicals, charcoal, solvents or the like.  Just water.  Nice.  Look for those by Monday. The winnower continues to proceed.  I found that my cracking (and lack of near perfect consistency) was inhibiting the consistency I wanted in the winnower.  So I've been working on a new deluxe Cracker.  Versions 1 and 2 are past and the beta cracker is being machine as we speak.  Once it's here, I'll incorporate it into the winnower and move forward.

I have been offering Roasted Cocoa beans for the last couple months on a weekly basis and it has gone pretty well, and I've not fallen behind.  With that in mind, I will be making all beans available as roasted in the very near future. And finally, it's been a rough year as you all know.  Shipping has suffered from only being able to ship once a week.  My plan is to get back to 48-72 hour turnaround.

New 25 lb discounts

As promised, I have restructured the 25 lb discount for whole beans.  Across the board, I've cut the existing prices almost 40% from the base price and only about 20% higher than the price for whole bags.  For instance, that takes 25 lbs of Ivory Coast from  $11.30/lb  to $6.94/lb if you get 25 lbs.  So far, this is only valid for whole, unroasted beans, the key being that they take very little handling, thus overhead, from me.  As before, if you are interested in them as nibs, those are in place, and if you are thinking about roasted, please drop me an email to inquire more. And these new prices are in the Wholesale side. I will be updating the Retail side also, but wanted to get these into place.

11 variety/origins available

With the addition of a new origin (Costa Rica), and the return of one (Ecuador), that puts the total number of varieties available to a new high for Chocolate Alchemy.  Sure, not as many as available as coffee, but not insignificant either.  The Costa Rican   is from the Umpala region, and has a nice soft elegance to it and is both Fair trade and Organic.  The Ecuador is also Organic (but not Fair trade certified on a technicality as it doesn't come from a co-op)  and has a nice balance of delicate fruit, nut and savoriness. With this many cocoa bean varieties in house, I have started the minor project of updating my cocoa bean info page.  It's long overdue and this gives me the perfect opportunity.  Here's a quick look at the kind of thing that will go in.  "Break" or the color associated with the unroasted beans and how it relates to their varieties, i.e. Forastero, Trinitario or Criollo.

Even more beans

The reviews for the Rio Caribe F1 and Rio Caribe F2 are now up.  In addition, I've added a special Venezuelan Sampler Pack for while these four varieties last.  And lest that not be enough, two more new beans arrived late last week.  A mild, slightly earthy Trinitario from Costa Rica (which is both Fair Trade and Organic from the Upala Coop) and a more earthy, and peppery Ecuador. Those reviews should be up very soon. In addition, all of the new Venezuelan is also available as full bags over in the Wholesale side.  And for any of our northern Canadian friends, those full bags, and other larger production amounts will very soon be available also.  I just about have all the customs and export paperwork in line. Stay tuned.

Venezuelan beans in - including Ocumare

It's been a few years since I have had this particular variety in.  When Venezuelan cocoa became very popular a few years, there suddenly seemed to be more  cocoa from this region being sold than being produced, and some (aside from being down right back) bore a striking resemblance to mediocre Colombian cocoa - I'll let you draw your own conclusions... Suffice it to say, I am thrilled to have, not one, not two, not even three varieties of Venezuelan cocoa in, but FOUR new varieties.  Ocumare, Carenero Superior, Rio Caribe F1 (think BIG plumy red Zinfandel) and Rio Caribe F2 (an 'underfermented' 'raw' bean that is surprisingly good).   They are all coming in today, but I only have the pages complete for the first two - patience please - there is plenty to go around, and I want to do something a little special with the remaining two.

In the mean time, you may see me begin to refer to a term "break".  This is nothing more than the color of the unroasted bean when you crack or 'break' it open.  The lighter that break, the GENERAL trend there is to more Criollo. Forastero is rather dark, often purple or deep brown. A good solid, middle of the road Trinatario (think Dominican Republic or Panama) are a mid to dark brown. A cocoa bean with heavier Criollo in its breeding will be a lighter brown, and real Criollo (especially Porcelano) can be down right pale brown with the finished chocolate looking almost like milk chocolate.  Photos will soon follow....

Stay tuned....

Yes, it's been a bit quiet here

But maybe we could consider it the calm before the storm.  It's taken me a bit to get my bearing here in the new locale.  Many of you have commented that I have not put much up new, or talked a lot.  Well, my plan is to change that, and get things moving and shaking here again. So, before that, I have a few quick, but pertinent announcements.

1)  I will be out of town this weekend (April 15-17) so 'weekend' orders will be delayed going out for an extra couple of days.  And likewise, I will not be around to answer e-mails.  But they will all be answered once I am back.

2)  I will be changing my shipping times back 3-4 day turn around times.  Thank you for all your patience.  I've not liked shipping only once a week, but I did what I had to do to keep things going.

3)  As sort of a gentle lead in, or transition, most of you know I lost my life partner to cancer last year. A dear friend is doing a Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society.  I would officially like those of you so inclined, please donate in memory of Penelope, or of course, anyone else that was been affected by cancer.  Her name is Susan Roland, and you can see here page and donate Here.  It may say she has reached her financial goal - it's in error, so if you see that, please do not let that dissuade you from donating.  Anything of course helps, and thank you.

4) New beans - Finally, finally, finally, I will be getting in some Venezuelan -  And not just Ocumare.  If all goes right, there will be a plumy red wine like Rio Caribe, a succulent Carenero Superior and possibly even two others that I am going to keep under wraps right now.

5) Winnower - it is coming along.  I have the beta unit about 1/2 built and hope to test it out within the next month, AND have a new design that I want to try out - but I will keep on the first on until it is done.

6)  Finally, although it isn't plastered all over the site, and honestly, may even be a little hard to tell, I am here to help you succeed.  If you are thinking of going into a small cottage industry chocolate endeavor, and can't quite pull the logistics together, please ask me how I can help (specifics would be helpful).  Do you want/need large amounts of roasted beans, nibs - full pallets of of beans or single bags on a regular basis?  These are variations I can help with.  Just ask. That's it for now

Happy chocolate making everyone.

A few changes and new items.

It's a day for announcements   Just a lot of things to cover. I'll start off with that we have a new bean in, that we have not had in some time.  The Co-op has really stepped up consistency, so whereas before, this cocoa bean had a good flavor, you had to work a bit for it.  Now, you get nice flavor (soft blackberry, malt and biscuit), it's easy to work with also.  Go check out the new review for the Dominican Republic from Conacado Co-op. I have been wanting to do this next item for some time.  I am venturing into Roasted beans with the assistance of a semi local roaster.   There will be a just a select few for a while, plus a weekly roasting schedule for those that don't want or need 10 lbs.  Just order ahead and they will go out as their week comes around.  And as a small bonus, the  Don Homero that I ran out of a month back or so, will be available until it runs out.  If this goes well, I will cycle all of the cocoa bean stock to roasted availability. I have the next version of the Winnow designed up, and will get parts in the next couple weeks.  After that, it goes to a local shop for beta versions.  A couple months still, but coming up and making progress. And finally, a minor note.  I have reduced (pretty drastically) the Sampler pack prices.  Somehow the prices were a hold over from when beans were more expensive.

Nibs now available

OK, you say that they have always been available.  Well, true and not true.  I have always offered them up to 5 lbs and never as wholesale.  That now changes.  There are Wholesale Nibs now available.  Consider it a test run.  Partly, do they sell, or inversely, if they do, can I keep up. Why am I offering them now?  Well, I have the feeder on my prototype winnower (don't worry beta testers, i have not forgotten you - life just because .....challenging) and I it is currently doing over 2 kg/min.  The best run today (out of 180 lbs of beans in two hours) was 13 lbs of beans in 4.5 mins at a recovery of 80.7%.  Damn fine.

Also, please do read about the pricing.  At first glance they look a bit more expensive than you might expect.  Remember the work involved and that 20% husk is being removed.  Read it over.

And some stock updates.  Sadly, the Carenero Superior fell though.  Sorry all who were as excited as I.  Someone got to it before i could and took the lot.  The new crop of Papua New Guinea should be in this week, and it is a kinder, gentler (for hickory smoked bacon cocoa) cocoa.  A little more depth of flavor than last year.  Also, the Don Homero from Ecuador is also gone.  I hope those that wanted to try it, did try it.  It was unique.  Hopefully it comes around again.  And finally, I just want to pitch the Tanzanian.  I know it doesn't winnow well (even with the new winnower and feeder) but it is really worth the trouble of roasting it yourself.  Check the review out.  There are no signs of the webs mentioned, that I might just take that out of the review.

That's it for now.