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Post by eldredge on Mar 20, 2011 1:13:57 GMT -5
I am sure this has been asked many times over and I see the hoow to start posts over and over. My question is, are there any good quick start guides for making your first batch. I see this one chocolatealchemy.com/chocolate-making-at-home-101/ but that is it. I have done a lot of reading for months and have been reading thesis papers on technique. But I see nothing that says: Step 1) if you have less than $100.00 to spend, this is what you can do and what you can expect. Step 2) if you have less than $500.00 to spend, this is what you can do and what you can expect. Step 3) if you have less than $2000.00 to spend, this is what you can do and what you can expect. Etc. It would be nice if there was a tried and true quick start guide written for people to have a good experience with their first batch. It may not be perfect, but enough to get them going. And part of that guide may be to start with pre-made cocoa liquor and pre-made cocoa butter that you can buy at this tried and true web site xyz and is part number xyz. Obviously the next quick start guide would be buy beans or nibs from this site and then do this. By taking a pragmatic approach given tried and true simple steps (yes I know there is a lot to it, but I think it could be make simple to follow step by step) we could help people get their feet wet in a safe way and let them have fun with it. Just food for thought, no pun intended.
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Post by sharkman on Mar 20, 2011 22:44:53 GMT -5
Aloha! Tried -many times; and true results-eventually! If you want to make the chocolate most of the folks at this site are making or shooting for ; you will need most of the equipment that the Alchemists sells, to accomplish that goal. You're going to need beans and a grinder. How you decide to roast ,crack,winnow and make the liquor is up to you. We have all been dealing with that question and this forum has answered most of those questions for me. Like many others,my hobby has turned into a small business. My advice: start small and grow as you go! Listen to experience and over time give some of your own! Sharkman
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Post by ChocolateFish on Mar 21, 2011 2:57:52 GMT -5
Well...
-Under $100
Coffee grinder (blade), blender and food processor (presuming you already have at least two of these) buy cocoa nibs from Alchemist or locally. Make crude chocolate that tastes okay
- Under $500
Buy second hand Santha/ new smaller or similar grinder, spend time modifying and replacing, buy nibs or roast beans and hand made winnower, expect very good chocolate. Suitable for friends + family.
- Under $2000
Full equipment. Santha, winnower, roaster (oven), tempering machine, cocoa beans, molds and refrigiration. Very good chocolate, suitable for everyone and tasty.
Hope this helps... When I have time will post more detailed one
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Post by eldredge on Mar 21, 2011 9:54:04 GMT -5
I am willing to write the guides, since they do not yet exist. But I hope everyone on this board will help contribute to them.. What I am thinking right now for the basics is:
1) Less than $100.00 USD - Buy NIBs - Buy cocoa butter - Use blender, food processor, juicer - Do X, Y, Z
2) Less than $500.00 USD - Buy Beans from ...... - Roast in Oven by doing ...... - Crack and winnow by hand by following this video ........ - Buy XYZ grinder - Buy XYZ Santha - Do X, Y ,Z
3) Less than $2000.00 USD - Buy Beans from ...... - Buy small roaster from ......... - Crack and winnow by hand by following this video ....... - Buy XYZ grinder - Buy XYZ Santha - Do X, Y , Z
Now in regards to the roasting side of things. I have read a lot of conflicting information about that. There seems to be a lot of disagreement about how hot and how long they should be roasted. In some of the official threads people talk about roasting at X degrees F for Y time. However, in the anti-microbial thread, there seems to be a lot of disagreement about how hot and how long. Can anyone speak to that?
Please comment on my list above and I will keep working through it.
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Post by oaxacalote on Mar 21, 2011 18:24:24 GMT -5
Roasting will vary greatly with bean type, batch size, and characteristics of the roaster. To dial in a roast and make comparisons, you need to use the same batch size in the same roaster and accurately track temperature (ambient and/or surface). many of the discrepancies you see discussed here are the consequence of comparing apples and oranges.
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Post by cocoaffee on Apr 5, 2011 14:19:53 GMT -5
Any one can help me on what actual equipment I may need to start my hobby - chocolate making thats is from bean to bar. (my budget is tight) This is what I have got at hand - Have got my own grown cocoa beans from Jamaica, - I have a roaster which I use for roasting coffee - a balmor - I will use hairdryer for winnowing
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Post by Alchemist on Apr 6, 2011 22:09:46 GMT -5
Hey, great thread, and your wish is my command. It's officially on the 'to do' list.
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nat
Neophyte
Posts: 19
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Post by nat on Apr 24, 2011 5:24:02 GMT -5
You can easily start with an oven, a food processor (for bean cracking and grinding), a coffee grinder, and a hair dryer. I made chocolate for a year with just these tools and everyone loved it, till I finally got my first Santha. You'll need a sturdy food processor that can run for hours without blowing out, and you will still get quite coarse chocolate even if you start out grinding the liquor in a juicer or coffee grinder since blades are not quite the right motion you need to grind the particle size down completely. But some people like grainy chocolate and find it "rustic". You can go with that angle. If you have a few hundred, definitely get a juicer and/or a Santha or Cocoatown first. Those will improve the quality of your chocolate immensely. -Nat ____________________ Nat Bletter, PhD Chocolate R&D Madre Chocolate madrechocolate.com
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Post by cocoaffee on May 3, 2011 14:25:55 GMT -5
Thanks nat ,i have tried this and still trying results not very good but promising . Am just waiting for my santha am sure it will all be fine. OTHER S - want to open internet shop / online how do i go about with this ? any web hosting advice/ recommandation for a starter like me - how long and what would I do to get my first client? any experince to share on how to go about with this is much welcome . Thanks all
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Post by feedme on May 3, 2011 19:56:47 GMT -5
have you tried www.wix.com you can try it out for free and it's super easy to do yourself.
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Post by cocoaffee on May 5, 2011 15:10:22 GMT -5
Ok I will .Thanks
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