Thought of the Day

“Patience is also a form of action. —Auguste Rodin”

When using the Champion Juicer to initially grind your cocoa nibs, expect to lose 6 oz. That is how much is retained in the empty spaces of the juicer. To minimize the impact of that waste, try and grind at least 2 lbs of nibs (more is even better) and don’t spend extra time super winnowing your nibs. With a little husk present, that 6 oz can be husk instead of liquour.

“Innocence lost is a sad but unavoidable fact of life – enjoy it while you have it because you will not appreciated until it is gone. – Unknown”

If you want to save a little time refining, pregrind your sugar into a powder with a standard blender. 2 minutes in the blender will take 2-3 hours off your refining time.

“Moderation in all things – including moderation – Alchemist John”

When making liqueur or tempering chocolate, make sure the house is warm and comfortable.

Thought of the Day

“We’ve got heaps and heaps of what we sow”

I like using the Champion Juicer for 2 reasons, and they can be summarized as “the right tool for the right job”.

1) It filters out any remaining husk that you did not remove from winnowing, and there is always some.

2) It keeps you from overworking the Santha Melanger. It will grind nibs, but just barely and only in small, slow additions.

Thought of the Day

If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun. —Katharine Hepburn

Try pre-heating or melting all your ingredients in a warm (150 F) before mixing them together in the Melanger for refining. It all goes together much nicer and the chocolate doesn’t try and solidify instantly.

Thought of the Day

It ain’t what they call you, it’s what you answer to. —W.C. Fields

Let cocoa beans rest for a few hours after roasting before cracking and winnowing them. When fresh and hot, they are soft and the husk does not separate well from the nib.

Thought of the Day

The toughest thing about being a success is that you’ve got to keep on being a success. —Irving Berlin

Not all cocoa beans smell like “brownies” when they are at the end of the roast. Some (like Madagascar) simply stop smelling as sharp and acidic. The chocolate aroma develops later.

Thoughts of the Day

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered. —Nelson Mandela

There are three reasons we roast cocoa beans. To drive off moisture, to create the flavor and aroma of “chocolate” and to destroy any bacteria that might be present. Keep these things in mind whenever you roast.

"Simplicity is Complexity Resolved"

Ok, you have seen that one before, but I am going to use it as my springboard for a new idea. In addition to the general Thought of the day, I am going to take the time and space to also pass on a bit of information about chocolate making that I have learned over the past few years. In many cases, the information is already on the site. In some cases, it is just clarifing an issue. In all cases it is something that I know that I don’t necessarily think about but that turns chocolate making from Complex to Simple. Let’s start at the begining shall we.

Chocolate in it’s purest form is made from ground up cocoa beans and sugar, refined to your taste. You can add many many things, but these are the only two things that are absolutely required.

Thought of the Day

I have rather wanted to do this for some time. In a very direct sense, it will not have anything to do with chocolate, but in an indirect sense it will have everything to do with chocolate.

Mostly, I enjoy reading these, thinking about them, chewing on them and seeing what new ideas are born.

So, I present you with what I hope will be the first is a new tradition.

“People are only as good as their last thought” – His Holiness, The Dali Ruzz