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Post by jwalter on Jan 18, 2019 9:09:54 GMT -5
I have been working on a product where i combine melted cocoa butter with cacao powder and some other components. I started noticing some products using cacao paste. I'm wondering if I basically created cocoa paste and if I might get the same results using a single product instead of the 2 that I listed?
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Post by Chip on Jan 18, 2019 10:14:56 GMT -5
Combining cocoa powder and cocoa butter makes cocoa liquor. Kind of. On a very basic level, raw or roasted nibs are really nothing more than cocoa butter and cocoa.
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Post by Ben on Jan 18, 2019 13:49:04 GMT -5
It appears that cocoa paste is basically produced by grinding nibs into a liquid. As Chip points out, this is usually called cocoa liquor. Mixing cocoa butter and cocoa powder makes a version of this, although it would be easy to make something with very different proportions than standard liquor/paste.
I haven't tried any of the cacao pastes available, but my guess is that they're going to be smoother than what you'd get by mixing cocoa powder and cocoa butter. If you want something smooth, you'll need to refine it somehow. The easiest is to use a stone grinder like is discussed on this site. But, if you're going to use a stone grinder, you'd probably end up with a better result if you just started from nibs rather than powder and butter.
What product are you making?
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Post by jwalter on Jan 19, 2019 13:25:41 GMT -5
That's kind of what I thought. I imagine there is a specific ratio of cocoa powder to cocoa butter in liquor? I believe I have read about that.
My product is a bar type of snack.
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Post by jwalter on Jan 19, 2019 13:58:57 GMT -5
I just found some info on the ratio. If I were looking to end up with a moderate level of 70% cacao solids at 40% cocoa butter.I'm currently using an unprocessed cocoa powder with 10% fat content at a ratio of 6g of powder and 5 grams of cocoa butter, it seems that Im pretty close to that 70/40 ratio, right? After factoring in the powder's fat content.
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Post by Sebastian on Jan 20, 2019 7:53:26 GMT -5
The regulations are actually a little fuzzy as to if this is legally acceptable or not. That notwithstanding - i'd say your result will be different than liquor you'd have originally started with, and - for me - this is a very, very expensive way of making chocolate liquor. But clearly you can physically recombine solids and fats to form a paste/liquor.
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Post by Chip on Jan 20, 2019 9:28:20 GMT -5
When you have cocoa powder, where is your source? Is it alkalized? I don't understand why you would want to combine cocoa butter and cocoa powder to try to recreated something that already exists whole within the nibs themselves. Also in the nibs you have other components that add slightly to the taste and final outcome. I personally feel you are losing the "essence" of the chocolate by trying to create something that occurs in nature. It would be like trying to combine a can of Hershey's Cocoa and some outsourced cocoa butter to create a wholesome chocolate. Fine for some, but to me, not the "real thing." This is just my opinion of course, and as my dear mother always said, "opinions are like belly buttons, everybody had one."
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Post by jwalter on Jan 21, 2019 14:22:34 GMT -5
I could def consider modifying the production to use cocoa liquor in place of the powder/butter that Im currently using. My concern would be with how I would melt the liquor. Right now the mfg just heats the butter in a large oven until it melts. The powder is blended with the other powders. With the liquor, would I need to heat it in a double boiler type of system and would it need to be tempered? thanks
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Post by Chip on Jan 21, 2019 14:31:02 GMT -5
You can get a Premier grinder and grind the nibs into liquor or you can get a melange and just process roasted nibs and sugar.
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Post by jwalter on Jan 21, 2019 16:48:37 GMT -5
I have those for hobby use. This product is manufactured by a copacker. They do not have that type of equipment and wouldnt be able to process it that way. I noticed when I search for cocoa paste, it looks like reg hard chocolate. I suppose it is, just without sugar or anything else added. I'd have to be able to melt it in order to switch to using it.
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Post by Ben on Jan 22, 2019 8:51:19 GMT -5
You mention that the manufacturer is already melting the butter in a large oven. They could do the same with liqour, but would need to use a low temperature.
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Post by jwalter on Feb 15, 2019 19:05:41 GMT -5
I just purchased a bag of organic chocolate paste(liquor) from a company on Amazon. I was curious because it says it is made from beans that are not roasted. Can that be true? I was under the assumption that you must roast the beans in order to 1. Coax out the chocolate flavor and 2. to sanitize them. Is this actually just 100% cacoa as in bakers chocolate?
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Post by Chip on Feb 15, 2019 19:55:19 GMT -5
People sell roasted and unroasted beans, nibs and liquor.
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