Jim D.

I used passion fruit purée for mine (both to soften the gelatin and to make the syrup), and the marshmallows were delicious. Even when part of a two-layer bonbon, the passion fruit flavor came through beautifully and people really noticed it.

As I said, I may be missing something (we won't explore all the possible meanings of that statement). I was so unaccustomed to spraying under the substantial pressure of the Fuji that I didn't tamper with anything about the initial setup (including, obviously, the nut at the top of the spray gun). So, @lironp, please note this correction to my pros and cons of the Fuji. I will say, however, that screwing off the cap of the cup holding the cocoa butter does take longer than simply pulling off the cap of the cup on the Grex (or any airbrush). IMHO, the only way to get really fast coverage of a mold is with a spray gun. I have a cheap one that works well and is less complicated than the Fuji, and people (such as Melissa Coppel) like the SATA, but I think the Fuji is the best in terms of quality. Just be prepared to place more frequent orders with Chef Rubber (or your supplier of choice for colored cocoa butter).

Maybe I'm missing something, but I just tried that, and the hose coils around the cup as I unscrew the cap so that it's so tight the cap is nearly impossible to remove.

Liron, I have a Fuji Q4 system, though I haven't used it in a while (the Grex suits the quantity of my production better). There is no question the Fuji is faster, BUT there are a lot of issues to consider. Following the lead of others on eG, particularly @Kerry Beal, there is a standard setup (such as the TG75 cup) for use with chocolate. The recommended needle is the gold-colored 1.5 one. You also need the extra more flexible hose and the remote control to turn the Fuji on and off. Negative Issues: The TG75 cup is pressurized, meaning that every time you need to open the cup, you have to turn off the Fuji, remove a plastic hose from the cup, then replace that hose. It's not a difficult maneuver, but it is time-consuming. There is a lot of overspray, a major amount, and it's tough to clean that off a mold. Having switched to the Grex, I now use maybe 1/4 of the cocoa butter I used with the Fuji. I did gradients with the Fuji, but they aren't as good. It is quite possible that was due to the technique of the person doing the spraying, but the power of the Fuji is so strong that it's quite difficult to reduce coverage at the edge of the gradient (which, of course, is the whole purpose of a gradient). We had to do gradients in the Andrey Dubovik course some of us took a few years ago, and, if I recall correctly, Kerry wrote at that time about difficulty with the Fuji and gradients. Positives: There is no denying the speed of covering molds with the Fuji. Like you I have to reheat the Grex about every two molds (depending on the temp of the spraying area). With the Fuji, reheating is less often, maybe every four molds, but reheating is still necessary. You don't want to let the Fuji get to the point where the cocoa butter is solidifying because there is a lot more sprayer area to heat than with the Grex. The recommended Fuji cup holds much more than the largest Grex cup, so less frequent refilling. The Fuji may not do gradients perfectly, but it does make splattering fairly easy--you have to experiment with each color to get just the right size of drops, but it does work (a great disappointment with the Grex is that it does not do splattering).

The only solution I can think of is to seal the chocolates in plastic (per your comment on ziplock), but that defeats the purpose of your new case (I gather you are letting customers pick and choose the pieces they want--which is, of course, the ultimate way to sell decorated chocolates). Is there any way to add a dehumidifier to the case? If I recall correctly, @Kerry Beal wrote about this issue. How much more expensive were display cases with humidity control? I would think a fan would help a bit (though I have no knowledge about this), but I don't think much (aside from a dehumidifier) could counteract 70% humidity.

Mine is self-contained, battery operated. It is the Pawkit made by Meter Group. I think it is the least expensive meter one can buy (bearing in mind that "least expensive" is a relative term). If you wait a few more years, you can have mine...but I realize you need it now.

To underline what pastrygirl said, you want to avoid centers with nuts or anything that like that when using a guitar. I speak from experience--and needed pastrygirl's expert help and her video to repair the broken wire (not a task you want to perform more than once). I also second the idea of using nut pastes for the flavor (hazelnut praline paste is readily available commercially, you can make your own almond and pecan). When I'm making a piece with hazelnut, paired with another flavor, such as coffee or black currant, I use paste then add a toasted hazelnut on top. But the guitar is the only way to go if you want perfect squares or rectangles (or even triangles). I used a long chef's knife for years, and there is just no way to avoid smushing the squares or melting them with a hot knife or ending up with them distorted from the intended shape. I should add that a guitar handles crushed feuilletine without a problem, and that adds a great crispy, caramelly texture/taste.

I agree. TCF Sales is another source, and at a lower price (you do have to buy a minimum of 5 molds).

@no10 Chef Rubber's reply to you is crucial: Can you feel the scratches?

The baffle of the Chocovision machines (the large part that separates the bowl into two sections and holds the chocolate in the larger section so that it creates a pool--which is key for your purposes) is moderately difficult to clean. The crevice that holds the plastic scraper and the all-important thermostat requires some attention. Chocolate builds up in that crevice and requires some heat and effort to get it clean, but a brush comes with the device. Chocovision warns against using too much heat and soaking the baffle, but as long as the hot water is not above around 120F/49C (a temp which chocolate might reach when it is being melted), there is no danger to the thermostat. It is not particularly delicate. I dislike cleaning chocolate from anything (I have to be careful about chocolate going down the drain--I work in my home kitchen), but I can get a baffle with a lot of chocolate remaining on it clean in maybe five minutes. First I use paper towels to remove any leftover chocolate, then use the provided brush and a soapy sponge. The beeps are easy to follow--the first one occurs when the chocolate has reached its top temp (that beep tells you to add the seed), then again when it is time to remove the seed, then when the chocolate is in temper. All are programmable as far as temp goes. I strongly recommend premelting the chocolate. I put mine in a dehydrator overnight so that it is ready (at around 115F/46C) in the morning. That way I don't have to wait the long time it takes the chocolate to melt in the machine. So I pour in the melted chocolate, and since the machine is factory-set to melt to 108F/42C, it will beep immediately. Then I add some seed (a block is better than callets), wait for the machine to beep when it gets down to 90F/32C, take out the seed, wait for it to beep again when the chocolate is in temper (the machine comes with temps set but those are adjustable). When overtempering happens, you can raise the temp a degree or so and/or add some untempered chocolate to the rear portion of the bowl. I saw today that the Delta machines are out of stock at Chocovision; U.S. Amazon has one in stock, but at a higher price than Chocovision itself. Chocolatetemperingmachines.com has the Delta for US $2375 (same as Chocovision's price--the site offers free shipping but unfortunately only within the U.S.). The machines are currently on back-order on that site but are supposed to ship November 11. As I wrote previously, there are other models that holds less or more chocolate than the Delta. My solution to quantity is to put as much as will fit in the bowl at the beginning, then keep some melted but untempered chocolate nearby and add it as needed. The machine's thermostat is very accurate and adjusts to small heat changes within a minute or so. As you may be able to tell, I am a fan of the Delta, but, like everything in the chocolate world, it has its limitations and issues. I especially like that it is automated, and I can do other things while it is "doing its thing." Let me know if you have more questions. I've being using it for 7 years.

Yes, it does have those beeps, and the temps are adjustable.

Yes, I use the Chocovision Delta (they have several models handling various quantities of chocolate). As it appears you will be dipping chocolates rather than making shells, the motion of whatever machine you have does make a difference (as pastrygirl pointed out). The Chocovision machines are in constant motion, which does not make dipping especially difficult but does require some skill (they do have a feature that stops rotation for 90 seconds). The advantage is that they keep the chocolate in temper quite well (of course there is always the issue of overtempering, but that applies to whatever device you use). In the abstract, I would think a melter provides the best "environment" for dipping as there is no motion, but for me one issue with melters is that they require attention to the current state of the chocolate at all times. And they do require a larger amount of melted chocolate in the container so as to have the required depth for dipping; with the Chocovision machines, of course chocolate depth is still required, but the shape of the bowl by its very nature provides more with less chocolate.

Thanks for that suggestion. This is the one he told me he has: https://www.katom.com/042-GRS36I120QS.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwhaaKBhBcEiwA8acsHDWWNziX2YGbRCT1ZgESbvNe-mQGtfy4rmEJnCHedhmjV928DTO8JxoCXjwQAvD_BwE Do you recall if that is the one you saw?

I have continued to use the method described in this thread for cleaning colored cocoa butter from molds but am having further issues. As I stated previously, the warming tray I have gets quite warm, and I have compensated by laying towels between the surface and the molds. I takes quite a few towels to get the temp down to a safe level (which I would consider well below 90F). But in the last two batches, more bonbons than I care to think about came out with damage around the base and bits of CB staying in the mold. The spots are exactly where heat would have had an impact on the shell. So excess heat in rubbing off the CB came to mind. The second time I was very careful, swiping the mold for a few seconds, removing it for a few seconds, then swiping again. But the issue occurred again. Today I laid even more towels on the warming tray so that the surface temp on the top was around 85F or so. But that temp is not really high enough to get the CB off without much effort and time. I went back to another method I have used, and that is scraping the mold. Even done with the mold upside down, this is quite difficult and very messy--and it's difficult to get proper leverage to scrape well. When the procedure is done right side up, the scrapings go into the cavities. So it's back to the drawing board. The more (apparently) sensible way of cleaning the molds is to rub them immediately after spraying, so I tried that again. But in the time it takes to paint a mold thoroughly, the CB crystallizes and won't come off without lots of effort. Meanwhile the CB in the airbrush is cooling off. It's difficult enough to keep CB at the proper temp without being interrupted constantly. I suppose if I stopped to wipe a mold after each pass of the airbrush, the CB would come off, but the time spent seems really problematic. As luck would have it, Felchlin chocolate and AUI sponsored a two-hour video demo by Luis Amado a couple of weeks ago. He cleaned off CB with a warming tray. So I emailed him to ask the brand, and he told me. I checked with the company and was told the tray has a surface temp range between 80 and 180F. If that is true, it sounds like an improvement, but these trays aren't usually very accurate in maintaining temp. On the other hand, I would expect some level of quality as the cost is $555. So what do other people do to clean CB from molds? Any insights would be helpful.

I had not heard of that airbrush, and it looks impressive for the money. I can't account for the large difference on price except perhaps country of manufacture. The 0.8mm nozzle would be good. Two differences I can think of: The largest cup is 13cc. If the conversion to milliliters I found online is correct, that is fairly small (it's fine as long as you are spraying a mold or two, but you might get annoyed at having to refill it with more molds). Grex has a 50mL cup (which translates to 50cc). A second plus for Grex is their amazing customer service. The tech support people went beyond expectations to help me with setting up the compressor and airbrush connection (even did a setup and photographed it for me complete with labels on all the many parts and options). The Grex can handle up to 80psi, but you probably wouldn't need that (most people seem to spray between 30 and 60psi). If you go with the Yosoo airbrush, I think a review would be a helpful addition to this forum.

This is the thread with the most information on spraying molds. It is long, but it does contain the accumulated wisdom of eGullet people who do this sort of thing. The short answer is that under $100 will get you an airbrush (Badger and Paasche are two). I don't know of any airbrush that has a 1mm nozzle. To get that, as you discovered, you need to get a spray gun. They can be had for much less money but do require more air, thus a compressor with more capacity. I have a compressor with 4.6 gallon capacity. It's fine for an airbrush but struggles with a spray gun. It's the capacity that matters most. I have a Grex airbrush with a 0.7mm nozzle, and I like it, but it's well above $100. You will want a gravity-feed airbrush (or spray gun). So, long story short, you will have to make compromises: If you go with an inexpensive mini-spray gun, you will need a larger compressor, and you will definitely use more cocoa butter than with an airbrush. Or buy a more expensive airbrush (such as the Grex) and perhaps get away with your current compressor, although a 0.7 nozzle profits from a better compressor (Grex has details on this).

Yes, just yesterday I spoke to someone about the "rush-hour" traffic in Staunton. Here we put the phrase in quotation marks. So what are you still doing up there in the chaos?

Now I envy you being so close to AUI.

I meant I see no difference in qualitytaste. When Ponthier offers both an unsweetened and a sweetened version, I always buy the unsweetened one on the theory that a lot of sugar from other sources is added to whatever I am making.

@JonathanI am a huge Felchlin fan but have been, of course, skeptical about sugar-free chocolate. What do they use as a sweetener, and can it be tasted? The only sweetener I have ever tried (not in chocolate) that is not bad is sucralose (Splenda). But there are so many chemical roles that sugar plays in a confection that I am curious as to whether it is a crucial ingredient that can, in fact, be replaced.

I respect @Bentley's views on just about everything, but I started out using a siphon (first a Badger, then a Paasche). To me, the difference between a siphon-feed and a gravity-feed airbrush has been like night and day. I don't think the cost difference between the two types is much if anything.

That's an interesting question. As you can imagine, I obsessed over what had gone wrong. The bonbon had layers of strawberry PdF and lemon ganache. The pieces I left in a storage room (at 60F) were the ones that had the mold (not sure how long they were there). Those I had frozen had no trace. So there were not many that were affected, and no one at the retail outlet where they are sold reported a problem. But I freaked out and contacted anyone who had some of them. Nobody, for what it's worth, had noticed anything wrong. One customer said simply, "Oh, we've already eaten those, no problem." But it was a turning point for me, as you can well imagine. I now refrigerate or freeze (in sealed bags to minimize condensation) everything as soon as possible. And the retail outlet has been taught to keep some of the boxes I deliver in a freezer, others for immediate sale in a refrigerated case. As far as I am concerned, freezing is the way to go. I have never noticed any defect in a frozen and proper thawed bonbon--and no mold!

Perhaps there isn't a minimum for pickups. I would be surprised if there is a charge for in-person pickup. I cannot say enough positive about Felchlin chocolates. Once I tasted Maracaibo Clasificado, I was hooked. And Créole is the best milk I have tasted (thanks again, @pastrygirlfor that suggestion).

I have found that Aw readings differ from one batch to another, always within the same general range but different numbers. Of course that is not difficult to understand since measuring is an inexact science (at least when done by me). I followed Wybauw's recipe without any changes. No, I have never sent a sample for testing elsewhere. I am content with a reading below 0.80 (with a couple of exceptions--both Wybauw recipes too delicious to give up in spite of readings above 0.80). If the reading for a new recipe is too far above 0.80, I look for ways to change it to add some solids or eliminate some water or else I abandon it entirely. I have had one mold episode and have never forgotten the sight! Of all things it was in a pâte de fruit (one assumes all that sugar will protect it), so now I add a bit of sorbic acid to all PdFs. As for the meter, it is the least expensive one that I know of (if $2200+ can ever be called inexpensive), and I don't expect it to provide extreme accuracy. It is a model that many food inspectors commonly carry around with them and so has to endure some abuse. It does come with test vials of salt water, and so far the reading has been exactly what the vial says it is supposed to be. My kitchen inspector is impressed that I have the meter, and that counts for something, I suppose.

That question was discussed in this thread. I order my chocolate from AUI, and they carry Ponthier purées. I have been very pleased and see no difference between those and Boiron (same conclusion was reached in the thread to which I referred). One disadvantage is that AUI has a minimum order of 12 cartons, but the major advantage is that shipping is free (if I meet their minimum--which is hard NOT to do when buying chocolate!). The overnight shipping from Florida (the closest warehouses that carry other brands) is horrible. AUI also has great customer service. Some of the flavors I ordered recently were out of stock in the Maryland warehouse and so were sent from Florida. All were in the process of melting or were totally melted because an employee "pushed the wrong button for method of shipment." They told me to throw away the entire first shipment and sent another one in a day. I must add that it nearly killed me to throw away that first shipment. I was reasonably sure the purées were fine to eat but decided not to take any chances with customers. Because of having to meet the minimum, I experimented with flavors I had never had before, such as guava. Unfortunately it was out of stock for the replacement shipment, but I decided to taste the melted guava and loved it--and am still alive.