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Selecting Chocolate for bonbons/confections

MECO

By MECO
in Pastry & Baking

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MECO

MECO

Posted
Posted

Hi!

 

I'm relatively new to making chocolate confections. I purchased my first batch of couverture a month or so ago and had success with it (I had been using baking chocolate previously). I'm now looking to buy more ingredients and I'm at a crossroads on what to purchase as far as quality.

I see many professional chocolatiers using Callebaut chocolate and that's decently affordable. I'm curious what the returns are like on going for more expensive/single origin brands like Valrhona, etc. These can be upwards of 40-50USD a pound, which I wouldn't mind for a special occasion, but is quite pricey to work with on a regular basis. Would using these in a filled confection be akin to using high end scotch in a mixed drink? Are there other applications for buying these more high end chocolates in bulk? I'm curious to hear anyone else's experience with these kinds of things and how much of a difference grade of chocolate makes in the finished product.

Here are some chocolates I've made recently, just to give you an idea of the kind of confection I'm going for:

 

image.thumb.jpeg.d2217da4779d3cb2eff32f76b285188e.jpeg

 

image.thumb.png.3dcc3f9a706973fd4a61d78deb976d8b.pngimage.thumb.png.f2998ab7bd2229ec6e5b47dbef3f9f6b.png

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RWood

RWood

Posted
Posted

I've recently used IRCA Sinfonia that I got at Pastry Depot in Atlanta.  It was much better priced than Valrhona for sure.  It ranges from $86-140ish for 11lbs.  And Chef Rubber has had Felchlin for really good prices.  I got 4.4 lb bags for $34.  I've used Callebaut as well, it's usually fairly well priced, but it has gone up quite a bit lately. I think too it basically comes down to what you like the taste of.  I love Valrhona, and would use the Manjari and Opalys with no problem at all, but their prices are nuts.  I can't justify the price, and there are plenty of others that are good that are more affordable.

  • Like 1
Alex

Alex

Posted
Posted

@MECO Have you discovered this topic? It's only a few hours' drive from you, I think.

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power.  -Robert G. Ingersoll, lawyer and orator

 

Patriotism is often an arbitrary veneration of real estate above principles. -George Jean Nathan, author and editor

 

A sense of humor is a measurement of the extent to which you realize that we are trapped in a world almost totally devoid of reason. Laughter is how we express the anxiety we feel at this knowledge.

-Dave Barry, humorist 

MECO

MECO

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
1 hour ago, Kerry Beal said:

Welcome @MECO

 

Not sure how easy Belcolade is for you to get where you are - but I find it well priced, good flavour and easy to work with due to viscosity. 

I appreciate the recommendation! They do look pretty tasty. Viscosity/fluidity isn't something I've worked with a ton just because of lack of experience, but I have been playing with how long I leave chocolate in the molds when I shell them to kind of modulate thickness. 

MECO

MECO

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
1 hour ago, RWood said:

I've recently used IRCA Sinfonia that I got at Pastry Depot in Atlanta.  It was much better priced than Valrhona for sure.  It ranges from $86-140ish for 11lbs.  And Chef Rubber has had Felchlin for really good prices.  I got 4.4 lb bags for $34.  I've used Callebaut as well, it's usually fairly well priced, but it has gone up quite a bit lately. I think too it basically comes down to what you like the taste of.  I love Valrhona, and would use the Manjari and Opalys with no problem at all, but their prices are nuts.  I can't justify the price, and there are plenty of others that are good that are more affordable.

Yeah! Sinfonia and Felchin were two I had seen from chef rubber that I was curious about (I get my paints from there already and I live in texas, so shipping isn't bad). It sounds like I just need more reps tasting different types and finding what works.

MECO

MECO

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
24 minutes ago, Alex said:

@MECO Have you discovered this topic? It's only a few hours' drive from you, I think.

That's very lucky, I'll check it out, thank you :)

  • Like 1
pastrygirl

pastrygirl

Posted
Posted
18 hours ago, RWood said:

And Chef Rubber has had Felchlin for really good prices.  I got 4.4 lb bags for $34.

 

They had been carrying a wide variety of Felchlin then had a clearance sale & now have a much more limited selection.  I'd gotten some Sao Palme 60% & 43% plus some Edelweiss at way better prices than AUI, now those aren't listed.  Sorry, not sorry for buying it all ;)

 

Worldwide Chocolate also carries Felchlin and will break cases but prices aren't great, even wholesale is higher than AUI.

 

@MECO  are you starting a business or are you sticking to small volumes for friends/family?

 

RWood

RWood

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, pastrygirl said:

 

They had been carrying a wide variety of Felchlin then had a clearance sale & now have a much more limited selection.  I'd gotten some Sao Palme 60% & 43% plus some Edelweiss at way better prices than AUI, now those aren't listed.  Sorry, not sorry for buying it all ;)

 

Worldwide Chocolate also carries Felchlin and will break cases but prices aren't great, even wholesale is higher than AUI.

 

@MECO  are you starting a business or are you sticking to small volumes for friends/family?

 

Yeah, I bought five bags of milk chocolate, probably should have gotten more. Not sure if they will keep having these prices, but I check every so often.

Jim D.

Jim D.

Posted
Posted

I hadn't looked at Chef Rubber's selection of Felchlin for a while and was surprised at how little they now carry.  I wonder what happened.  @MECO, if you can get some Felchlin, I highly recommend it.  The Maracaibo Criolait milk is good, as is the Bolivian milk.  And for caramel white, I now use Bionda.  If you set up an account with the nearest AUI and can use enough chocolate amounting to their minimum charge (which these days is not difficult to do), they do have the full Felchlin selection.  

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www.santiagochocolates.com

MECO

MECO

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
On 2/18/2025 at 1:23 PM, pastrygirl said:

 

They had been carrying a wide variety of Felchlin then had a clearance sale & now have a much more limited selection.  I'd gotten some Sao Palme 60% & 43% plus some Edelweiss at way better prices than AUI, now those aren't listed.  Sorry, not sorry for buying it all ;)

 

Worldwide Chocolate also carries Felchlin and will break cases but prices aren't great, even wholesale is higher than AUI.

 

@MECO  are you starting a business or are you sticking to small volumes for friends/family?

 

The latter! I don't think I have the savvy or time for a business right now. Usually using a pound or two at a time

MECO

MECO

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

I made some more with the callebaut I got in just to use the rest of the molds I painted last weekend, they came out nice!

 

image.thumb.png.a75d5c901ed747670a04affeff099f5d.png

  • Like 1
MECO

MECO

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
On 2/18/2025 at 4:09 PM, Jim D. said:

I hadn't looked at Chef Rubber's selection of Felchlin for a while and was surprised at how little they now carry.  I wonder what happened.  @MECO, if you can get some Felchlin, I highly recommend it.  The Maracaibo Criolait milk is good, as is the Bolivian milk.  And for caramel white, I now use Bionda.  If you set up an account with the nearest AUI and can use enough chocolate amounting to their minimum charge (which these days is not difficult to do), they do have the full Felchlin selection.  

thanks! chef rubber sent me a free brick with a large order of supplies I placed a while back and it was great, they're definitely on my radar to try again soon

pastrygirl

pastrygirl

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, MECO said:

The latter! I don't think I have the savvy or time for a business right now. Usually using a pound or two at a time

 

 

Oh yeah, you had mentioned that in your intro post. 

 

Also check out Caputo's and Worldwide Chocolate, they have pretty decent prices for retail and even re-pack some items into one pound bags.

 

https://caputos.com/chocolate/

https://worldwidechocolate.com/

 

 

 

 

Saltychoc

Saltychoc

Posted
Posted

My main chocolate supplier was recently acquired by a larger company and now my rep has come back to me with some updated prices. The Boiron 1kg tub prices are eye watering now.

 

50.44/kg for Ivoire. 152/bag. That is 40 more a bag than a couple of months ago. Other suppliers are much worse. L'epiceire has it listed at 98.80/bag but, unfortunately, out of stock. I emailed him to see when/if it might be back.

 

Is anyone paying less than this for Ivoire or a similar white chocolate right now? And - is there another white chocolate of similar quality I should try? I don't like how milky some other brands are.

 

By the way - they still have 9 cases of Oplays in stock. It's basically the same price as the Ivoire. 444 for the case.

Saltychoc

Saltychoc

Posted
Posted

@pastrygirl thanks! I am looking into it. I've had a hard time finding Felchin from a regular supplier around here, everything needs to be shipped. But even with the shipping it would be a better price.

Jim D.

Jim D.

Posted
Posted

@Saltychoc, I don't know where you are located.  If you are in the U.S., you can find the nearest AUI, and they will ship Felchlin (and everything else they carry) free if you buy a minimum--and these days reaching that minimum doesn't take much effort.  A few years back, Felchlin was carried by many outlets (Chocosphere being one), but then they decided to go with AUI exclusively.  After a while, they opened up to a few more dealers, such as Chef Rubber and World Wide Chocolate.  The price for a 6kg box of Maracaibo Clasificado dark, however, is over $100 more at World Wide Chocolate than at AUI.  If you set up an account with AUI, they (at least this is the case with my rep) will ship you samples of Felchlin couvertures.  

  • Like 1

www.santiagochocolates.com

JeanneCake

JeanneCake

Posted
Posted

And, at AUI you can get small discounts if you spend $750 (6%) or $1200 (I think this is 10%); ask when you set up an account what category you need to be in to qualify. 

 

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pastrygirl

pastrygirl

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, JeanneCake said:

And, at AUI you can get small discounts if you spend $750 (6%) or $1200 (I think this is 10%); ask when you set up an account what category you need to be in to qualify. 

 

IIRC, that's the 'bakery' discount, I think there's a 'chocolatier' discount as well but it's not as good so convince them you're a bakery if you can :)

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  • 2 weeks later...
GRiker

GRiker

Posted
Posted

I use Guittard most of the time. I'm just starting a cottage business after just making for friends for a few years.  I used to live close to the Guittard factory so I was easy to get. Now I just live close to a distribution warehouse, (Dallas) so that works for me.  For now I'm pretty happy with Guittard.  It's easily available and priced reasonably.  

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www.RikerChocolates.com

Cottage Business: Handcrafted Chocolates for Gifting

  • 2 weeks later...
JeanneCake

JeanneCake

Posted
Posted

I am hunting for Guittard's White Satin Ribbons to make modeling chocolate with and I cannot find it here (New England) anywhere.  Is that distribution center in Dallas only do will calls or would they ship?

Saltychoc

Saltychoc

Posted
Posted (edited)

@JeanneCake What quantity are you looking for?

 

World wide chocolate is in Brentwood, NH - they do have it and you may be able to pick it up, depends which side of Boston you are on if that drive makes sense. They also ship, not the best prices though. L'epicerie in Warwick, RI might be able to order if for you but probably only the largest size. They do have long lead times and communication can be.. sparse.

Edited by Saltychoc
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