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Post by chachocolate on Sept 23, 2018 16:22:22 GMT -5
Hi! My name is Charlotte and I recently began making my own chocolate at home. I have been trying and trying to recreate/reverse engineer the taste of my favorite brand, but it keeps coming up short. Ive done the research on the internet and tried to do my own calculations based on the ingredients label for the past 5 months. But the taste always seem to come up different. Im hoping one of you chocolate masters on this board can help me solve this puzzle. I attached the label. Im trying to figure out the exact grams of cacao, sugar, and butter. The ingredients are simple: just organic cacao, coconut sugar, and cocoa butter The total bar is 60 grams. 70% Cacao Nutrition Facts Serving size: 1/2 bar (30g) Servings per container: 2 Total Fat: 13g Saturated fat: 8g trans fat: 0g Sugars 8g If anyone can solve this or point me in the right direction, that would be so awesome! Thanks for reading! Attachments:
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Post by Chip on Sept 23, 2018 16:43:25 GMT -5
Here's the rub: You don't know the source of the beans, or the cocoa butter or the sugar. To try to make an exact replica of someone else's chocolate you would have to source your ingredients from the same place.
For instance: if you are using beans from Viet Nam and they are using beans from Guatemala, it isn't going to taste the same. Sugar, not so much so, but unrefined vs. refined sugar also impacts the flavor of the chocolate. Coconut sugar vs cane sugar also impacts flavor. Same with the cocoa butter. If they are using deodorized cocoa butter and you aren't you're out of luck. If they are using raw cocoa butter and you aren't, then you still won't get it.
I would suggest that if you want to get the same chocolate that you call them and ask them their sources. If they won't tell you, then you will have to do a trial and error until you get as close to acceptable as you want.
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Post by chachocolate on Sept 23, 2018 17:38:58 GMT -5
Thanks Chip for the advice! I hear what you are saying about the different origins of ingredients, it makes total sense. I guess what I mean is, it doesn't have to be the exact same flavor as the original, because to be honest I want to experiment, like you said with different origins of ingredients to eventually make my own taste. Im just looking for a good starting point where I can eventually experiment. Ive read online that you can reverse engineer the ratio of the ingredients based on the nutritional label. It doesnt have to be 100% accurate, but just looking for a starting point.
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Post by Chip on Sept 23, 2018 17:42:16 GMT -5
I think the following is an excellent starting point for 70% dark:
600g nibs 300g sugar 100g cocoa butter
I have used that often and it is a very flavorful, but not overly dark or bitter taste.
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gap
Apprentice
Posts: 390
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Post by gap on Sept 26, 2018 2:46:55 GMT -5
OK, this is maths heavy so skip to the bottom if you just want the answer.
For reverse engineering:
13g of fat per serve of 30g bar = 13/30 = 43.33% fat Cocoa content = 70%. Only contains cocoa mass, cocoa butter and sugar (from the label)
ASSUMPTION!!! You need to assume the cocoa butter content of the cocoa beans used: I will assume 52%
Therefore Equation 1: 52% x CocoaBeanPercent + CocoaButterPercent = 43.33% Equation 2: CocoaBeanPercent + CocoaButterPercent = 70%
Re-write Equation 2: CocoaBeanPercent = 70% - CocoaButterPercent Sub 2 into 1: 52% x (70% - CocoaButterPercent) + CocoaButterPercent = 43.33% Solve for CocoaButterPercent: 36.4% - 0.52% x CocoaButterPercent + CocoaButterPercent = 43.33% Therefore: 0.48% x CocoaButterPercent = 6.933% Therefore, CocoaButterPercent = 14.44% Sub into Equation 2: CocoaBeanPercent + 14.44% = 70% Therefore, CocoaBeanPercent = 55.56%
So rounding the numbers, I would say the recipe is Cocoa Beans: 56% Cocoa Butter: 14% Sugar: 30%
The cocoa butter content = 14% + 52% x 56% = 43.12% (close enough to the original 43.33%)
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Jim B.
Novice
Newbie
Posts: 118
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Post by Jim B. on Aug 29, 2020 15:32:06 GMT -5
I love the math and the explanation but I have a little trouble with the original assumption: A 70% chocolate recipe would be 30% sugar - or am I missing something there? The label calls it 70% chocolate with only 8g sugar in a 30g serving; 30% of 30g would be 9g, no? 🤔🍫😋 Jim B
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Post by japenvape on Aug 5, 2021 11:02:20 GMT -5
My two cents, Labeling in the states is weird because the way you list the ingredients in something has to be done in the amount inside the food product, so going by that metric there's more coconut sugar than cocoa butter, and more cacao than sugar. In what proportions I'm not sure, and from what source I'm also not sure. You could get really close to the amount of fat and sugar and cacao but still have it taste and act radically different than the brand you've come to know and love. You also have to remember that they can mix up the beans to keep a consistent product, enough of this type of bean and this type and presto you have ACME brand/flavor, its not all just from a single harvest or farm.
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