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Post by timwilde on Mar 6, 2014 18:22:35 GMT -5
I've been reading around and found that most artisan chocolatiers tend to stick with single bean varieties for all their chocolates - I may have missed a few as they've become rather popular lately. I'm just curious if there's any particular reason for this or if it's just personal preference. Little background: I got into the chocolate making as a hobby mostly so I can help out my baking and holiday candy making ingredients; so I have total control over 100% of the ingredients. That being said, I've found some beans tend to bring out subtle flavors from others and make them less subtle. An excellent example of this (personal taste here) is Equador Nacional (only label I have from my source) and the Venezuela Mantuano Criollo bean from the site here. In a 70/30 or 75/25 ratio range (equador/venezuela criollo) The boldness of the Equador brings a more natural/expected chocolate flavor while the Criollo notes bring a fruity/creamy flavor to the finished bar with a very nice balance. Based on this happy stumble, it seems odd to me to limit chocolate to just a single origin of beans. I'd imagine there are countless other pairings that may complement eachother quite nicely; while finding many others that may contradict eachother or overpower in bad ways. Just looking for some feedback.
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Post by Sebastian on Mar 7, 2014 6:09:35 GMT -5
What's better, a red car or a blue car? All depends on personal preference and what your target is. Vintners sometimes use single grape types, and sometimes blend. Single origin labeling can be as much about marketing as about flavor. I've had some truly awful single origins, and some truly wonderful blends - and vice versa. I'm afraid there is no 'right' answer
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Post by timwilde on Mar 7, 2014 13:04:17 GMT -5
Cool that's what I thought, just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything.
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Post by Adrian on Mar 27, 2014 11:20:23 GMT -5
I would suggest to mix small amounts and see what flavors you get, but I would do it with a particular end result in mind. I made a small batch that has way too much acidity. Rather than putting it back in to the grinder, I'm gonna hold onto it, and use it to brighten up a dull batch, or use it where I need more acidity. It would probably be a good lesson in manipulating and balancing flavors.
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