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Post by rffairchild on Mar 10, 2007 12:24:53 GMT -5
I have been roasting coffee for a couple of years, so I decided to try cocoa beans. After all, the two go quite well together. When I mentioned this at work, I was given a zip lock bag full of cocoa beans. I get the impression that the person who gave them to me might have had them for a few years now. How can I tell if they are still good? How can I tell if they are already roasted? They are very dry. The husk peels away easy enough and the bean within easily cracks into nibs. The interior color is that of a French roast without the shiny gloss of a French roast. BTW - Awesome web site. I have learned a lot just reading the threads, but couldn't seem to find a general FAQ that would answer my questions. Thanks in advance, Robert
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Post by sharkman on Mar 12, 2007 4:02:59 GMT -5
Aloha My experience with the roasted cocao bean is tha t the skin comes off easily and they have a "certain chocolaty" smell in the bag. fermented are a bit sharper smelling {due to acetic acid from fermentation. Usually roasted beans are browner and fermented have a more purplish hue on the forastero. Not sure on the criollo; cause I've never had any of those. Hope this helps some Sharkman
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Post by seneca on Jul 6, 2007 10:52:01 GMT -5
If you can easily peel the husk then odds are very good that you're looking at a roasted seed. Dried fermented cacao will definitely have a telltale vinegary smell, and the seed husk will still be quite tight against the nib. When you get started, keep in mind (as I'm sure you've gleaned from other posts on this site) that your cacao roasts will be at a different (much lower) temperature and much slower pace than your coffee roasts likely are...
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