Chocolate looks grainy

[mmoorree]

Any idea of what this is and how it happened? I made 70% dark chocolate and stored it in a dried steel container in the kitchen cabinet. Once during conching the temperature rose to 55°C but at the time of completion (72hours) it was perfectly refined and had amazing texture and taste. RH didn't go beyond 55% - 60%. Temperature between 28°C to 38°C during the entire refining/ conching process. I tasted today and it was grainy as if the sugars have come together. Please advice.

[pastrygirl]

looks like cocoa butter

 

did you temper the chocolate before storage?

[mmoorree]

No, I didn't. This is untempered chocolate.

 

Is this because this is not tempered?

Edited December 6, 2022 by mmoorree (log)

[Kerry Beal]

May require tempering a few times to rehabilitate it. I have learned that from a couple of bean to bar manufacturers that age untempered.

[mmoorree]

If i am understanding it correctly this is a tempering issue and nothing else, right?

[Kerry Beal]

Essentially, it is a problem of the cocoa butter having separated from the mass.

Edited December 6, 2022 by Kerry Beal (log)

[mmoorree]

5 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

Essentially, it is a problem of the cocoa butter having separated from the mass.

Please advice, how am I supposed to solve this issue? Will tempering sort out this problem or there's something else I am supposed to do.