New crops are in…..
Brazil is fantastic and I can hardly wait to go back.
I’m off to Brazil for a Wild Rumpus
I have made a hazelnut paste in my melanger.
Reviewing the basics of tempering
The first is Ecuador Esmeraldas 2017/18 Direct Trade.
Wild Harvest Bolivia is in.
I made my first batch of milk chocolate using you nibs from Bolivia. I liked the flavor overall, but found that the flavor was more interesting about 8 hours
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.”
I wanted to know what recommendations you have for making more soft chocolates.
Just a few updates
I have heard about caramelized white chocolate and it sounds like an easy thing to accomplish at home. Have you tried this, and if so what procedure do you recommend?
There's a new interview by Victoria Cooksey where Alchemist John opines on all things bean to bar. Check it out.
When I winnow my roasted beans, I find I end up with broadly three groups of material. Obviously a) The nib and B) The husks.
We're asking for help from the chocolate community. Please take a few minutes to read this and if you can help spread the word, and help our cause we'd be eternally grateful.
In the picture attached, I have arranged cacao beans: large, medium, and small.
It feels like this year is picking up speed already and it is barely out of January and my list of things I want to share is growing.
Roasting Seminar
Let's start off with the next Profile Roasting Seminar. It is March 19, 2018 and is an in depth, hands on seminar on profile drum roasting. You don't have to be professional chocolate maker to attend. There are 12 available spaces open. Wouldn't you love to learn on this beauty?
In May I will be attending and offering another Roasting Seminar in Sao Paulo Brazil, May 6 during a Bean to Bar festival. More information to follow should to want to come down.
Free Shipping
I am trying out a limited free shipping offer. It is actually the same one I offered back during the holidays and I am trying it out for February. If it turns out to be relatively hassle free on both sides (yours and mine) then they may stay around. Here are the details:
I know Amazon can do this thing all the time and everyone expects its but as a small business owner I can't. For me it's kind of a big deal. Here is what I CAN do. If you fill any USPS Flat rate package with cocoa beans, cocoa nibs or Brewing cocoa, I'll pick up the shipping in the USA.
That means:
- 8 lbs into a USPS Medium Flat Rate Box
- 12 lbs into a USPS Large Flat Rate Box
Here are the codes. If you click the link in each one you don't even have to remember the code (assuming you know how much you want to order), it will be automatically applied (aren't we getting fancy!) to your cart and checkout if you fulfill the requirements.
USPS Medium Flat Rate Box 8 lbs. 8lbsfreeshipping or this link
USPS Large Flat Rate Box 12 lbs. 12lbsfreeshipping or this link.
A few details.
- This is for the Retail Store only.
- You can use them as many times as you like.
- The 2 lb Flat rate envelopes are not included this go around.
- I cannot get the Testing and Evaluation beans to work due to technical details of the price coding. Sorry.
- In a few select cases you may find you can put less than the amount into your boxes (7 lbs into a Medium box for instance) and the code will work. Please do me the honor and courtesy of going with the spirit of the offer and filling the box and not gaming the system. I would really appreciate it. Thanks.
- Please don't include anything except cocoa beans, cocoa nibs or brewing cocoa (in any combination) in the order.
- A couple new beans should be up later in the week. Also, the ultra cinnamon spice/fruit cake Direct Trade Nigeria is nearly gone, and I don't expect the next crop to have the same profile, so get it before it is gone. Just look at that chocolate level!
Other Stuff
Finally, this is a shameless plug for our new turnkey-you-only-need-a-melanger Chocolate Making kits. The feedback has been heartwarming and universally positive one them. There is time enough if you want to make one a Valentine's Day Gift.
I have been going over your Excel spreadsheet formulator, and the formulator depends on using cocoa liqueur, not nibs. Also, I would also like to use Allulose instead of granulated sugar. Is there a way to "tweak" the formulator to: