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Post by Ben on Sept 16, 2013 14:23:45 GMT -5
Yes, you can add the nibs directly to the Premier. The Premier is just a different melanger, so would be doing the same job as the Santha. It doesn't really replace the Champion step so much as skip it, though.
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Post by lyndon on Sept 18, 2013 6:48:47 GMT -5
Max, I melt the butter and add it at the same time as the nibs, else the grinder struggles. Also handy to keep a hair dryer around if you have not preheated your granite.
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Post by max3732 on Oct 8, 2013 10:41:53 GMT -5
I was planning on making the chocolate without cocoa butter.
So should I heat the nibs in the microwave or oven until hot and also heat the bowl of the Premier with a hair dryer until it's just warm?
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Post by Adrian on Nov 29, 2013 18:11:45 GMT -5
I don't bother with heating the bowl of the Premier, as I find that it doesn't need it. Just don't pour all of the nibs in at once. I wouldn't put the nibs in the microwave, I just grind soon after roasting. Some folks suggest letting them rest for a day after roasting, but I have yet to try that. After about half an hour, I add the sugar.
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Post by reikigreg on Dec 21, 2013 21:30:48 GMT -5
Hi, I'm interested to start stone grinding. I haven't purchased a stone grinder yet, but I'm curious about the Premier Wonder Grinder, since it is the cheapest, and can be purchased inside canada. I'm also a raw foodist, so I want the temp kept under 118 degrees ( I know people do with the spectra 11, keep a fan on it while grinding to keep it under that temp) Also if anyone knows how long the Premier can last, if its being used somewhat regularly for making nut butters and chocolate? Thank you for reading my post, and any help you can pass along Greg
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Post by kevin on Dec 22, 2013 9:13:43 GMT -5
I am using the Premier. So far so good. I do not know how long it will last. It has taken everything I have given it so far without any problems. It works and I am hoping it will last a long time. I have not measured the temperature. It definitely gets warm. I do not know if it goes above 118 degrees or not. But there are threads on this site that talk about raw chocolate. Almost anyone who knows like Brad here says raw is just a marketing scam and close to impossible. I read on another site the same thing: www.c-spot.com/editorials/the-raw-truth/Good luck and tell us how it goes.
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Post by reikigreg on Dec 22, 2013 11:55:45 GMT -5
Thanks Kevin, That's helpful for me, I'm going to check out this link too. I will definitely post some updates as I go.
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Post by leekohlbradley on Mar 28, 2014 23:21:44 GMT -5
Thinking of buying a Premier Wonder. I'm not in the US, and live closer to India. I was wondering if anyone had bought through what appears to be the official manufacturer's site? sspremieronline.com/ Cheaper and they claim to ship worldwide. Not sure if it's legit though.
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mark
Neophyte
Posts: 17
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Post by mark on Aug 18, 2014 12:02:41 GMT -5
I'm a little late on this conversation, but I've been using and abusing this grinder for about eight months. I'm just now getting to where I can make a decent chocolate with it, which has nothing to do with the quality of this machine. I have modified the bowl and lid a bit to improve conching. You can see a photo here: hopefarmhonduras.org/upload/image/100_6376.JPGThe insulation is temporary, but the premise is to raise the temperature of the chocolate and try to force some air circulation. The result is very good compared to inadequately conched chocolate. Don't add any cocoa butter until you've conched and can taste a good chocolate. The cocoa butter will impede conching by dropping the temperature. In reqards to the previous discussion about pre-grinding. Sure, you can add nibs directly to the grinder, but that probably adds more work on your part. I have a Cuisinart food processor that I use to liquefy the nibs before adding to the grinder. The food processor liquefies about 8 ounces of nibs in around 5 minutes.
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Post by lyndon on Aug 18, 2014 14:43:07 GMT -5
Interesting modifications mark, how much does the temperature increase by with the cardboard? I presume one funnel "scoops" in air and the other ejects it? I would think the ejection one is not required as the central hole is fairly large?
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mark
Neophyte
Posts: 17
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Post by mark on Aug 21, 2014 17:00:07 GMT -5
Hi Lyndon,
I was getting 63C with a 70% mix of chocolate liqueur and 30% sugar. The pvc fittings are just 1/2", it's what I had on hand, but seems to do the trick. I wish I had some way to monitor air intake and outflow, but I have no idea how to do that. This modification worked very well with a cocoa I had roasted to 135C, seems to have ejected all the sour flavor after about 12 hours of conche. I compared it to a previous 135C roast batch which was in the grinder longer, but lower temp in grinder. The previous batch was very sour. However, when I tried 130C roast, 12 hours was not adequate. Going to try again, but will probably stick to a 135C roast as the results were very good. We're having a tasting here tonight to get some unbiased opinion.
Thanks, Mark C.
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Post by achocalypse on Aug 22, 2014 17:21:05 GMT -5
Hello, I bought this grinder on Amazon and during the second batch it began to crackle and wobble. We were putting clean nibs in slowly as I have done with the Santha and two different Cocoatown small melangers (12SL most recently). Once the batch was done I noticed that the plastic disc located under the drum had come unscrewed. I tried to re-install it but as soon as a tiny amount of stress is exerted the plastic axis turns freely independent of the drum. For the life of me I can find no technical support available on the Internet. Is anyone aware whether this exists? I would much rather fix this than send it back, but I guess that would be the next possible option.
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mark
Neophyte
Posts: 17
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Post by mark on Aug 23, 2014 11:17:12 GMT -5
I think my bowl was made differently than yours. The plastic axis did come loose after seven months of abuse, but I just jammed it back down and it has stayed. There is some glue or something at the bottom that holds it in place.
Keep in mind that the Premier was never intended for chocolate. If you have a Champion juicer and don't mind spending some time grinding down the nibs that way, it will take a lot of stress off of your Premier. I use a food processor to liquefy the nibs before putting them in the grinder, mainly because I don't like cleaning the Champion and don't want to buy another $40 blade.
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Post by lilypa on Aug 24, 2014 5:46:34 GMT -5
Mark,
How long does it take for you to liquify nibs in your food processor for your typical batch size?
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Post by lyndon on Aug 24, 2014 13:36:57 GMT -5
This happened to mine too achocalypse, I started a new thread about repairs for the grinder, but I have only just ordered the glue today. Finding a food safe glue was the tricky part, but I am either going to go with standard super glue or I am told Gorilla Glue is also food safe once set. I'm just not sure which one is going to hold best.
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