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Post by joetlnf on Mar 18, 2017 14:21:22 GMT -5
I've been making a number of batches with Ecuador beans from Camino Verde and the viscosity is very high. The liquor and melanger heat up quickly and the stone wheels do not turn easily in the mix, even after a full day. As a consequence, the chocolate does not seem to refine quite as well as the other beans I've worked with. My melanger is the smaller tabletop Premier (for chocolate). Since I like the flavor, I will probably continue using these, but has anyone run into similar problems? What does this say about the bean? I might try lecithin for the next batch...
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Post by Sebastian on Mar 19, 2017 7:56:57 GMT -5
Either the beans are high in moisture, or low in fat. Only way to know for sure is to test them.
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Post by joetlnf on Mar 19, 2017 13:35:48 GMT -5
Thanks, Sebastian. If those are my only options, I'd have to guess moisture content, since a) I've also had trouble with milk chocolate I've made from these, and 2) the place where I buy also lists a min CB content of 49%.
So assuming moisture is the culprit, I do fully roast the beans and in one of my recipes i even do an alcohol soak followed by 24-hours in a food dehydrator. Still very thick. So it seems that the moisture is really trapped. Any suggestions for prepping these to help with moisture or is lecithin the way to go?
Thanks
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Post by lyndon on Mar 20, 2017 8:01:30 GMT -5
How long are you leaving them to rest after they come out of the oven? I tend to leave mine overnight
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Post by joetlnf on Mar 20, 2017 12:08:01 GMT -5
Lyndon: I wait at least a day after roast before refining, often longer.
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Post by Ben on Mar 20, 2017 13:46:27 GMT -5
I believe that the Camino Verde cacao is pretty well known to be relatively low in cocoa butter. Everyone that I've spoken to that has used them has mentioned the thickness.
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Post by joetlnf on Mar 20, 2017 15:49:13 GMT -5
Ben, is the low CB content inferred from the high viscosity or is it measured directly? I ask because of the difficulty I also see with milk chocolate - it does run more smoothly, but still quite thick... with a larger refiner, I suppose this doesn't pose as much of a problem.
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Post by Ben on Mar 20, 2017 17:53:26 GMT -5
I believe that it has been measured.
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Post by Sebastian on Mar 20, 2017 18:41:21 GMT -5
Thanks, Sebastian. If those are my only options, I'd have to guess moisture content, since a) I've also had trouble with milk chocolate I've made from these, and 2) the place where I buy also lists a min CB content of 49%. So assuming moisture is the culprit, I do fully roast the beans and in one of my recipes i even do an alcohol soak followed by 24-hours in a food dehydrator. Still very thick. So it seems that the moisture is really trapped. Any suggestions for prepping these to help with moisture or is lecithin the way to go? Thanks Your options are going to be: 1) Live with it 2) find alternate beans that you are satisfied with 3) add lecithin 4) add cocoa butter or milk fat I'd encourage you to test your beans to know what problem it is you are solving - otherwise you're just guessing at the solution. If you want to send me your raw cocoa beans and your roasted nibs, i can test them for you to see what their moisture is. I don't have a way to easily test fat, so you'd need to solve that one on your own. EDIT: also, you should do a cut test on 50 of your raw beans, and report back how many of them look purple inside. That'll help me better understand the nature of your issue.
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Post by joetlnf on Mar 21, 2017 1:58:55 GMT -5
Thanks, Sebastian. Since I'm pretty new to chocolate and it remains a hobby for me, my question is more out of curiosity than a pressing need to find a solution, though I do worry a bit about the well-being of the melanger. Thus, I don't want to trouble you with doing any analysis, however, if you're really curious I'd be happy to send some your way...you did also hint at underfermentation being a factor, so that is sure to kill the next hour of my night FYI: I get the beans from Meridian and they list a CB content of 49-52% for it on their website. I'll drop them a note and see what they think. They also sell cocoa butter from this bean (it is the only CB they sell), so it would seem inefficient if the CB content is unusually low.
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Post by Sebastian on Mar 21, 2017 6:56:06 GMT -5
I'm not curious, i already know the answer
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Post by joetlnf on Mar 21, 2017 16:20:52 GMT -5
Hahah...ok, well I guess that will save me some postage Tell you what I'll do. I'll measure moisture of some beans before and after roast using the method described in ISO 2291:1980 and post here when I have some results. Might take a week or so for me to get around to it
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Post by siaogfoods on Apr 26, 2017 16:57:49 GMT -5
Where are you all based? I work for a company here in Ecuador called AOG Foods we produce chocolate and cocoa derivatives Esmeraldas has many varieties in the Camino Verde area, some good points made above lecithin and adding cocoa butter will work no more than 5% of the batch for the lecithin, if you would like information on our products and arrange for some samples to be sent out you can contact me at simon.kendrick@aogfoods.ca We have over 70 bean types and are always experimenting with new types all the time, our beans are cleaned and are sorted into sizes they are then put through the gravity table before they are bagged, all this ensures you will one have a consistent grade and also an even roasting, I shall look forward to hearing from you all regards Simon
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