de-scenting chocolate

[ellencho]

So I'm not sure how many of you outside of PA are familiar with Wilbur buds, but they're a local teardrop shaped chocolate made by Wilbur Chocolate (duh). I recently bought a lb from a local sundries store called the Head Nut that sells among other things spices, candies, dried fruit, baking ingredients, etc. While it does make for a pleasant shopping experience, it doesn't really do much to enhance the flavor of chocolate and my wilbur buds taste like the store smells.

Does anyone have experience with de-scenting chocolate of unpleasant odors? This is really some delicious chocolate and it's a shame that I might have to trash a whole bag just because the store that sells them doesn't properly store their products.

[Art]

Well, it is the cocoa butter that has absorbed the smell. Since it is a fat, it is prone to absorbing oders. I think the best solution is for you to take the bag back and exchange it for some of the spices that now permeate your chocolate.

There are techniques that you can use to descent cocoa butter but that of course has your cocoa solids (as in the parts of the cocoa bean that are not cocoa butter) removed. While I haven't experimented with descenting cocoa butter, I suspect that if you did you would lose a lot of your flavor components of your chocolate. Futhermore, you would lose your chocolate's temper somewhere along the way, no doubt.

All in all, while I suspect it may be possible to achieve, it is probably more work than the bag is worth and the results may not be to your liking.

However, I suspect if there is a way to de-scent ice-cream and other fat containing foods, then it may work. And perhaps there is a technique I'm not familiar with however, I still think your best bet is to go trade in your bag and perhaps it will help communicate to the store that chocolate along with other fat containing foods should not be stored near items that have strong odors.

-Art

[Sugarella]

In a large tupperware container, place your loose chocolate then on top of that place a small open container of new baking soda, so the soda isn't touching the chocolate. Make sure the buds aren't packed in tight; you want there to be enough room in there for air to circulate. Then seal the whole thing up tight with the lid for 24 hours.

I've had some success removing very bad odors from things this way and it does work pretty well, but if the odors have permeated all the way through the buds and aren't just attached to the surface area of fat in the chocolate I doubt anything could save that, and in that case I'd definitely take the chocolate back.

But try that for a day first and see if it works...... only thing I can think of....

[John DePaula]

It's not being stored properly. Take it back and never buy chocolate there again.

[Sebastian]

You're not going to be able to de-scent it, not w/o destroying it anyway. I agree with JDP - exchange it, but perhaps this is an opportunity to educate whichever store you're obtaining them from - you wouldn't believe how many people i routinely come across that have no idea regarding the things we consider the most elementary of principles...

[joiei]

I will third what John DePaula said. I would look for a good chocolatier or at least order on line the chocolates you need for your cooking and baking needs. The candle lady apparently has no idea what they are doing.

[scott123]

The same thing happened to me the last time I bought cocoa butter. Since the store was so far away I ended up throwing it out.