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Post by cheebs on Aug 20, 2008 11:02:09 GMT -5
Hello everybody! Greetings from sunny/rainy Guatemala. Long time lurker, first-time poster!
I came across this unit as I was searching for a non-Chocovision-style tempering machine. As just about everyone else here has experienced, the Chocovisions can't properly temper homemade chocolate. They just don't gow low enough.
From what I read about the ACMC unit, and after talking to the manufacturer, this would seem like a good alternative for us, as it has user-controllable upper and lower temperatures. No silly timed cycles or anything like that, just the necessary basics.
Also, the capacity of 6 lbs falls right in the middle of the little Revolations (too little) and the big ones (too much!). Pricewise it does the same as well. ($790 shipped on ebay, auth dealer)
For now I have no choice but to temper my homemade choc by hand, and even the turbo tempering can get old after a while. Plus, this thing stirs the chocolate, taking away at least for me the biggest pain of hand tempering.
I'd love to hear if anyone here has used this. As I'm not sure about this forum's policy on link posting I'll wait until someone confirms if it's ok or not to link to the manufacturer.
Cheers
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Post by seneca on Aug 20, 2008 21:35:22 GMT -5
Haven't tried it, but for what it's worth I've been tempering 3-5kg batches with a Revolation for quite a while now with almost 100% success. I've had to find the right curves for the various origins I'm working with, but with a bit of tweaking on the high and low set points, no problem at all.
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Post by Brad on Aug 24, 2008 0:01:22 GMT -5
I have three types of tempering machines.
Started with the Revolation. Hate it. It's REALLY noisy, slow, and does not stir the chocolate enough. I always got streaks.
Bought 2 ACMC Table Top Tempering machines for my shop. They have been in use 24/7 for the past 3 weeks, and LOVE them. They are quiet, accurate temperature, and have had ZERO problems tempering the chocolate with them. As things get busier, I will most likely buy two more for hand dipping.
I also purchased two Savage 50lb semi automatic tempering machines. They are great as well. The guillotine spout makes bar molding a breeze, and what's even nicer about them, is that they have a temperature alarm on them. Once I hit within 0.5 degrees of my target temperature, an alarm sounds. Another bonus is that they have lids, so the chocolate stays encased in warm air, thereby preventing the cold air in the shop from taking the surface chocolate out of temper. They are also a BIG asset to the shop. However they're expensive, and require water input and a drain as they are both water jacketed. I do about 150 90gram bars every 30 minutes, and do not need to scrape the molds. I just pour the chocolate in, and bang them out. Super clean Super easy.
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Post by cheebs on Aug 24, 2008 9:17:06 GMT -5
I have three types of tempering machines. Started with the Revolation. Hate it. It's REALLY noisy, slow, and does not stir the chocolate enough. I always got streaks. Bought 2 ACMC Table Top Tempering machines for my shop. They have been in use 24/7 for the past 3 weeks, and LOVE them. They are quiet, accurate temperature, and have had ZERO problems tempering the chocolate with them. As things get busier, I will most likely buy two more for hand dipping. I also purchased two Savage 50lb semi automatic tempering machines. They are great as well. The guillotine spout makes bar molding a breeze, and what's even nicer about them, is that they have a temperature alarm on them. Once I hit within 0.5 degrees of my target temperature, an alarm sounds. Another bonus is that they have lids, so the chocolate stays encased in warm air, thereby preventing the cold air in the shop from taking the surface chocolate out of temper. They are also a BIG asset to the shop. However they're expensive, and require water input and a drain as they are both water jacketed. I do about 150 90gram bars every 30 minutes, and do not need to scrape the molds. I just pour the chocolate in, and bang them out. Super clean Super easy. Thanks, brad, that was just the type of input I was looking for. I as well don't at all enjoy the racket the Rev makes. I finally was able to temper a batch of my chocolate on it, by sort of "tricking" it into not reaching the full 120 degrees. (thanks for the hair dryer tip) I then seeded the batch and THEN added another bit of 93 degree chocolate. For the first time, no streaks! And this on chocolate that contained no added cocoa butter. I had been holding off on the ACMC purchase until I had some feedback, what better than from someone with a retail outlet. BTW, congrats on the opening of your shop, been following your progress through the threads here, and was very pleased to read you had finally opened the shop to such good results and reviews. I just sold my very first batch of bonbons yesterday, and it was a great feeling.
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Post by Brad on Aug 30, 2008 3:27:08 GMT -5
Glad I could help, and congratulations as well on your first sale!
This month (opening month) I have processed 392 orders, and every one of them was just as rewarding as the first. Watching the expressions on people's faces as they taste my chocolate and confections and to know that I've brightened so many people's days - even if for just a moment - is a fabulous feeling.
Best of luck in your venture, and cheers to making people smile!
Brad.
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Post by noojeenumnums on Dec 16, 2009 1:36:12 GMT -5
I have a couple ACMC's as well as 3 Chocovision machines (currently have one ACMC for sale in Australia if anyone is interested!) - I find them all good for different reasons. The Rev 2 is great because you can make a small batch (say 3 polycarbonate moulds worth). really quickly with no fuss and easy clean-up. The big Chocovision machine is great when you're really needing to pump out a lot. Down side is it takes quite a long time to temper because of its large capacity, and loses its temper fairly easily. The ACMC is in between the two and is easy to adjust temperatures at any time. I think all keep the chocolate moving pretty well. I use all of them at different time and sometimes have a couple going at once.
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Post by beanless on Jan 2, 2010 14:02:12 GMT -5
Hi noojeenumnums! Do you still have the ACMC machine for sale, if so how much? Thanks
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Post by itsallaroundyou on Jan 5, 2010 15:24:30 GMT -5
Haven't tried it, but for what it's worth I've been tempering 3-5kg batches with a Revolation for quite a while now with almost 100% success. I've had to find the right curves for the various origins I'm working with, but with a bit of tweaking on the high and low set points, no problem at all. are you tempering chocolate made from scratch (i.e., no seed chocolate)? if so, did you have to tweak anything to get lower than 80F or does the temp range available satisfy your tempering needs? (Based on batch size, I assume you're using a x3210 or delta model, but correct me if i'm wrong) thanks, mike
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Post by beanless on Jun 17, 2010 21:00:29 GMT -5
Just purchased a used ACMC temperer and in my rush to use it have overfilled it!! Now as it rotates I get too much chocolate building up on one side that it threatens to overflow if I don't turn it off and remove the blade so both sides can even up. I was thinking about drilling some holes in the blade to increase the capacity - just wondering if anyone has tried this? Any thoughts greatly appreciated.
Cheers Ali
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Post by redstar on Jun 18, 2010 2:36:17 GMT -5
I find that the back half only fills up when the front half is at capacity so it shouldn't be a problem. The only time I've had a problem is when the tempered chocolate dries and builds up on the side of the baffle and then chocolate can try and climb over it and out the bowl. That's only a problem when I get sidetracked and aren't paying attention. Not sure I'd want to be drilling holes - ruins the "scraping" action and I don't think it's necessary.
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Post by Brad on Jul 2, 2010 1:05:59 GMT -5
I have 6 ACMC tempering machines, and in answer to your question, YES you can drill holes in the plastic baffle, and allow chocolate to circulate on both sides.
Side Note: The transmissions have failed in EVERY SINGLE machine, TWICE. On Monday I will be sending ACMC no less than 7 motors and transmissions for warranty repair/replacement. Having used them now every day for almost 2 years, I would question their reliability as a commercial grade product.
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Post by beanless on Jul 4, 2010 16:31:35 GMT -5
Thanks guys
Duffy - I will get a spare scraper in case it fails. Also great to see the launch of your chocolate, hope all is going well.
Brad - I was thinking of drilling the holes close to the top so when I'm tempering a small batch hopefully it will keep the chocolate all on one side - any thoughts? Also thanks for the tip on the transmissions.
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Post by Brad on Jul 4, 2010 20:14:03 GMT -5
I believe that ACMC now offers a baffle with slots in it, called the "Holy Baffle". I could be wrong though.
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Post by cheebs on Jul 4, 2010 21:32:16 GMT -5
I believe that ACMC now offers a baffle with slots in it, called the "Holy Baffle". I could be wrong though. Could be Chocovision... saw a few posts to that effect on Chocolate Life. I just bought a spare baffle and will be drilling it this week to experiment with. Re. the transmission, even though I don't use mine all day every day, it sounds pretty close to failure anyway. Keeping a close eye on it, thanks for the reminder. Edit: Wow, almost 2 years since the original post! How time flies when you're having fun!
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Post by handmadeby2moms on Mar 25, 2013 20:52:34 GMT -5
Hi Brad, I'm really new to all this and just got an ACMC table top. I can't figure out how to temper my chocolate with it. I've been doing it on the stovetop. I'm starting with cacao butter and powder. I bring the temp up to 118. I add in some tempered chocolate. Bring the temp down to 84. Bring it back up to 88 to pour. Am I doing something wrong? Thanks for any help! Julie I have three types of tempering machines. Started with the Revolation. Hate it. It's REALLY noisy, slow, and does not stir the chocolate enough. I always got streaks. Bought 2 ACMC Table Top Tempering machines for my shop. They have been in use 24/7 for the past 3 weeks, and LOVE them. They are quiet, accurate temperature, and have had ZERO problems tempering the chocolate with them. As things get busier, I will most likely buy two more for hand dipping. I also purchased two Savage 50lb semi automatic tempering machines. They are great as well. The guillotine spout makes bar molding a breeze, and what's even nicer about them, is that they have a temperature alarm on them. Once I hit within 0.5 degrees of my target temperature, an alarm sounds. Another bonus is that they have lids, so the chocolate stays encased in warm air, thereby preventing the cold air in the shop from taking the surface chocolate out of temper. They are also a BIG asset to the shop. However they're expensive, and require water input and a drain as they are both water jacketed. I do about 150 90gram bars every 30 minutes, and do not need to scrape the molds. I just pour the chocolate in, and bang them out. Super clean Super easy. Thanks, brad, that was just the type of input I was looking for. I as well don't at all enjoy the racket the Rev makes. I finally was able to temper a batch of my chocolate on it, by sort of "tricking" it into not reaching the full 120 degrees. (thanks for the hair dryer tip) I then seeded the batch and THEN added another bit of 93 degree chocolate. For the first time, no streaks! And this on chocolate that contained no added cocoa butter. I had been holding off on the ACMC purchase until I had some feedback, what better than from someone with a retail outlet. BTW, congrats on the opening of your shop, been following your progress through the threads here, and was very pleased to read you had finally opened the shop to such good results and reviews. I just sold my very first batch of bonbons yesterday, and it was a great feeling.
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