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Post by zooza on Jul 29, 2022 19:18:29 GMT -5
Whenever i make a batch i end up getting quite astringent flavours in my chocolate. when i look online general advise it to conch with little to no explanation of how to do that beyond "run it in a melanger and hope for the best" its also possible im making a mistake in a different part of the process. currently im using nibs from chocolate alchemy and buying them pre roasted to save alot of time. i use a premier wonder grinder and the general process of making chocolate is as follows: 1) add in about .5 lb of melted cocoa butter to the machine 2) slowly add in 2 lb of nibs 3) run for about 4-5 hours until the nib/butter mix is smooth or smooth enough 4) add 1 lb of sugar. 5) run until this is completely smooth, usually takes about 10-12 hours 6) horrible fail at tempering a few times the most recent batch clocked in at around 20 hours in the grinder. given i'm using the premier grinder i don't have much i can do for conching, and i cant tell exactly what i should or can change to make a difference. my most recent batch was this chocolatealchemy.myshopify.com/collections/cocoa-nibs/products/alchemists-chocolate-blend-3-the-big-o which is meant to be low astringency.
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Post by mark on Jul 31, 2022 20:03:02 GMT -5
Hi Zooza
I have no experience with that melangeur but I'd suggest you see how the refining time impacts the flavour of your chocolate. Make two or three identical batches with different refining time, e.g. 24, 48 and 72 hours. You'll see that the flavours will vary considerably and you may prefer the chocolate from one of the longer refining times. There's not necessarily a right or wrong here, it's sometimes just a matter of taste, like with a lighter or darker roast in coffee.
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Post by zooza on Aug 1, 2022 2:15:04 GMT -5
Thanks mark ill try that!
two questions 1) is do i add sugar before or after refining? ive seen references to sugar will lock in the flavour. but the sugar is important for the flavour is my palate cant handle 100% cocoa. 2) by refining, i assume i want it not grinding? or do i want to keep grinding it for all that time?
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Post by Thomas on Aug 1, 2022 16:13:49 GMT -5
I've used the Premier grinder for many batches in the past but I have a larger machine now. I looked at my notes and most of my batches in the Premier were run for 24 to 48 hours, but also has some at 72 hours. Part of that was due to my work schedule but 20 hours is a short run in my opinion. Keep in mind that the melanger run time does not always equate to better tasting chocolate. I always had tension on my stoned when the machine was running to maintain a higher temperature in the chocolate mixture. My thought was that the higher temp would help remove the volatile compounds. I added my sugar after the nibs had been ground into chocolate liquor but not fully refined. Remember, the sugar has to be refined too. I personally could never tell a difference in my chocolate making based on when the sugar was added.
As Mark stated, experiment with longer runs.
Hope this helps.
-Thomas
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Post by zooza on Aug 1, 2022 17:38:50 GMT -5
thanks this is super helpful!
so for my next few batchs ill stick to my normal timeline for adding sugar, but grind for alot longer, and taste test it periodically to see what happens!
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Post by mark on Aug 1, 2022 21:09:24 GMT -5
Yeah in my opinion that statement about the sugar locking in the flavour is a red herring. Like Thomas I tried adding sugar at varying times and I never noticed any difference. I add the sugar to the melangeur quite early, once the nibs are liquefied. Good luck with your experiments.
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Post by Ben on Aug 3, 2022 7:38:13 GMT -5
I think high astringency points to an issue with the bean fermentation and you're unlikely to make it much better through refining in a stone grinder. You should be able to find some discussion about this on these forums (I think I remember Sebastian weighing in on it once or twice). Also, I found this page on the main CA site that discusses this: chocolatealchemy.com/blog/2018/1/11/ask-the-alchemist-235A relevant excerpt from that page:
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Post by Sebastian on Aug 18, 2022 14:13:39 GMT -5
The short version is: "sometimes" (depending on what's causing it in the first place).
The long version is much, much longer, and would likely require about an hour of typing to introduce it. Probably not going to do that. Much better to focus on influencing fermentation.
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