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Post by krizzstroganof on Feb 13, 2020 5:13:19 GMT -5
Hi, I've been trying to read a lot about roasting cocoa beans and there seems to be some common believes but also some difference to what people think makes good chocolate. If all the conditions would be perfect I guess questions like this wouldn't exist but there is always something you need to consider, like money, space etc. I have never been making chocolate before and I need to invest in the equipment to make it. The big struggle for me is the roaster, since living in Europe its very hard to get the Behmor roaster (maybe available soon they say?). I don't have to much money but I don't want to be cheap, finding out later that I need to buy another roaster. Of course if I want to scaling up but not to make better chocolate and at the moment I'm doing this for fun and not as a business. Some people think that a convection oven doesn't make as great chocolate as the coffee roaster. But from my stand point living in Europe, money, etc, a convection oven seems to be a good choice (a lot of people saying they make great chocolate with it). So please is there someone out there knowing a convection oven in the price range up to 1000 euros that would be super for roasting cocoa? It needs to be a free standing table top version, not meaning it has to be small tho. Also what do you think about this oven: steba.com/product/baking/compact-bake-ovens/grill-and-bake-oven-kb-41/?lang=enBest regards, Christoffer
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Post by Chip on Feb 13, 2020 9:27:56 GMT -5
krizzstroganof, There is a lot of good chocolate being made out there using regular ovens and convection ovens. Don't let that stop you from trying to roast and go "bean to bar." Just search this forum and other forums as well as as the internet in general and you will get a lot of advice on how to do it. Good luck!!
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Post by mark on Feb 13, 2020 21:07:29 GMT -5
For where you are at, it's definitely possible to start roasting using a convection oven. Like Chip said, there are a lot of great chocolate makers who use convection ovens. There are good reasons for drum roasting, but it appears you've probably already read about that (which is great, research is critical). If your budget is 1000 Euros you might be able to order a Behmor from Australia. I reckon the cost in AUD plus shipping would add up to less then 1000 Euros. Another option you might consider is to get a second hand meat rotisserie (e.g. the ones they use for roasting chicken) and make a drum for that. I know in the USA those can be found for quite affordable prices.
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Post by cacaosublime on Mar 3, 2020 7:49:11 GMT -5
I'm from Europe, I use the Molino health fryer. Is around 100-200€, has a rotating drum in it. Pretty much comparable to the Gourmia that John sells. Although, based on my experience, I wouldn't recommend taking readings with an IR thermometer every few minutes. I get better roasts by having it closed the whole time (less astringent)
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Post by krizzstroganof on Mar 11, 2020 5:30:04 GMT -5
Thanks for all the answers! I finally bought this: steba.com/product/baking/compact-bake-ovens/grill-and-bake-oven-kb-41/?lang=enSteba makes a drum fitting the oven. With this model it is possible to have the heat on from the top and the bottom while the convection is on as the drum rotates from the rotisserie mode. Now I just need to find a way to get my temperature readings. I did my first roast yesterday, and my reading with the IR thermometer didn't make sense. The chocolate is now in the refiner and taste good BUT I would like to get as accurate numbers as possible to get the most out of the beans and later be able to reproduce the result. Anyway, super excited about the first batch of chocolate even if theres a lot to learn from it...
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