The flavor of cherry comes charging out of the gate with the cherry liquor Kirsch right on its heels.

Is 'Behmor' impossible to adjust temperature in any profiles?
I read your articles of Behmor and all I could see was the 'Power(%)' of heat and time.
Not exact temperature.
So it looks as if I can roast beans with fixed profiles only.
Because I like to roast with flexible (manual?) temperature and time running.

Can you have too much of a good thing?  With these three new beans that brings your choices for Peru to 7.  That's just crazy but I have no control when it come to passing up good beans.  And all of them are certified Organic.

I use a Chocovision Delta to temper chocolate and have two questions:

(1) In using the seeding method (with tempered chocolate from the bag or from a bar of the same chocolate), I learned that it doesn't take very much seed for the chocolate to test as in temper--not the 30% or so that many (most?) people recommend.

I'm interested in buying your winnower but I am going to use the crankandstein instead of the champion to crack my beans. I noticed your winnower is connected to a champion. For lack of better words, what are my options here?

I have tried making a milk chocolate with coconut milk powder but it is really soft and it is driving me crazy.  I want the flavor really strong so I used 35% coconut power but it won’t set up.  Should I use less cocoa butter?  I put in about 8 oz to a two pound batch.  I’ve even tried tempering it and it stays soft. 

It looks like you ended up with the perfect storm of a recipe to just not behave in a cooperative fashion.  You both have too much fat in the recipe and too much of it is coconut oil.    Let’s see if we can get you a good coconut milk chocolate recipe that is still strongly flavored.

Have you seen any stone grinders (of similar size) with more metal than plastic in the center bearing shaft?    We are trying to shy away from as much plastic as possible. The Delrin (= polyformaldehyde) does not seem so friendly either. 

 There is nothing unfriendly about Delrin.  The poly makes ALL the difference. 

Under no circumstances should you buy what is being called a Melanger from BuyIndianKitchen.com
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A Question and Answer about Profile Roasting

If you are reading this, Phase 1 is begun.  Please, look around (many of the Recipes have been reworked), kick the tires, and let me know what you think.  Especially if you can't find something or find a dead link.  For now, there isn't a whole lot new.  It's just reorganized a bit.

John (the Alchemist)

Level: Novice

Reading time: 8 minutes

I want to make drinking chocolate.  Can you give me a recipe?

 

I’ve touched on parts of this in the past but now is a good time to bring all the options together.

The last day we will be shipping is Friday December 23. And hopefully if you need anything by that Sunday (December 25 – Christmas) you will have ordered well in advance.

 I have learned that some makers (myself included) are lightly baking (in the oven at ~170F) their sugar on a baking sheet before it goes into the melanger.  The idea being that the higher temperature of the sugar will maintain the liquor at a higher temperature allowing you to feed the sugar into the melanger more quickly.  I have however

Level: Apprentice

Reading time: 8 minutes

I have been making a batch of chocolate, but I am unable to lower the acidity taste (vinegar like) that i sense on my chocolate. i have been trying to find a solution, and nothing so far. Maybe you can help me lower that acidity taste I have. The mix is 65% cocoa and 35% sugar so far and no powdered milk.

Ask The Alchemist #182, Question: I got a Behmor (exciting new toy!!!) just did a roast of 500g beans on 400/P2 and they have come out black? Is that normal for drum roasting as I have never had this in the oven and worried that I have burnt them??

Today is just a small laundry list of announcements, some of which I would like your opinions on. There is no Ask the Alchemist because my queue is empty. 

Ask The Alchemist #181, Question: Have you ever tried tempering chocolate with a Sous Vide? 

Let’s start off with saying this bean ranks in my top 10 favorites ever.  It has virtually everything I love about chocolate rolled into one. Just look how it pegs the chocolate category in the spider graph!  And sweet.  And fruity. And nutty.  The flavors just keep coming and coming.

Yeah, I’m that impressed.