Chocolate Alchemy: The Home Chocolate Maker

[A Patric]

Dear All,

As some of you may know from a recent thread I started, I am interested in making my own chocolate, from bean to bar. As some of you also might know, this isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. However, it isn't impossible. In fact there is a new (only a week old) online forum devoted to making chocolate at home: "Chocolate Alchemy," and I, being a member, have written an introduction for that forum. I would like to post it below for two reasons.

1) It may remind you of yourself in some way, and if this is so, then that might attract you to come and visit the forum here: The Chocolate Alchemy Forum, and/or the related siteThe Chocolate Alchemy Site and it might open up conversation in this eGullet thread about home chocolate making.

2) There are some useful resources scattered about in my introduction that may also be of interest to those who want to know more about chocolate production from the planting of the Theobroma Cacao tree to the aging of the chocolate bar.

If you have any questions about chocolate making after reading the below intro., and/or looking at the various resources mentioned below, then please feel free to ask in this eGullet thread. I am by no means an expert, but maybe I can give you a general idea about something.

My introduction:

Dear all,

My love of chocolate has existed since I was a child, yet it is only since living in Lyon, France for a year, in ‘03-‘04 that I finally came to appreciate “dark” chocolate.  It started with Valrhona, Bernachon, Dufoux and Rich’Art.  Upon returning from France I found the website Chocosphere and had access to all kinds of chocolates that I had never even heard of before.  Luckily, at this time, I also came across a website called SeventyPercent.com Chocolate Reviews

This site helped me to figure out what I liked in a chocolate and narrow down the many offerings of Chocosphere  to an affordable few.

Some chocolates that made it into this first order were some by Amedei and Domori.  After trying their chocolates I realized that whatever I had been eating before in terms of dark chocolate was, to put it mildly, deficient compared to their products.  Because of this realization, and the fact that one .88 ounce Domori bar of my favorite “Puertomar” costs almost $4 USD, I started to wonder if it would be possible for me to make my own chocolate to supplement my love for Domori, etc.

This thought eventually led me to searching for information online and the discovery of Mr. John Nanci’s Chocolate Alchemy Site.  However, when I first discovered John’s site, it was in its pre-Santha form and I decided that maybe it was not really feasible to make my own chocolate after all.

However, let  no one tell Mr. Nanci that he can’t do something when he has his mind set on it because upon checking back to the site about a year later I noted some substantial changes.  The most substantial change, of course, was John’s discovery of the wet/dry grinder, and his discovery that Santha’s version worked quite well for chocolate refining.

It was at that moment that I started trying to figure out how to spend the money on all the other materials required for chocolate alchemy (about $400-600).  Gradually I worked out how to purchase the equipment that I needed, and in the meantime John worked out a deal with the Santha company to have continuous running and cooled Santhas made at the factory itself.  Everything sounded about as perfect as it could get.  The time was right, and now here I am with both feet firmly in the chocolate vat.

I still really don’t know much, but after discovering a number of books/websites due to the wonderful advice on this forum and after reading John’s tips on his site, I am finally beginning to understand the chocolate making process.

For those who are interested, the books/websites I am referring to are:

For Chocolate Making:

The Science of Chocolate Making by S. Beckett

Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use by S. Beckett

Cocoa, Chocolate, and Confectionery: Science and Technology by Bernard W. Minifie

Chocolate Alchemy

Wayne’s This and That: The Chocolate Pages

For Cocoa Growing Information:

The Chocolate Tree: A Natural History of Cacao by Allen M. Young

Cocoa Growing

Basically I am here to learn.  In being here to learn, I will also share what I think I have learned, and this will hopefully lead to a better understanding of chocolate making for me and hopefully for others too.  I don’t have a problem with being corrected or questioned as this is all part of the learning process.  All I care about is learning how to make the best chocolate possible, the goal of any Chocolate Alchemist.  Hopefully I will achieve my goal.

I hope to see you all around and to learn a little about your path to becoming a Chocolate Alchemist too. 

As I mentioned, if you have any questions about chocolate making, I can try to answer some things, but I am by no means an expert yet. Be ready for a lot of "I am not quite sure"s.

Sincerely,

Alan

Edited February 8, 2006 by A Patric (log)

[John DePaula]

Good luck! We will all certainly be keeping an eye on your progress!

[A Patric]

Good luck!  We will all certainly be keeping an eye on your progress! 

←

Thank you. It will probably be progress like a snail for a while, but you know what they say about "slow and steady."

Alan

[A Patric]

Dear all,

As an afterthought, I am going to be making a four lb. batch of 65% chocolate starting today. It will take a few days, but I am wondering if anyone would be interested in a demo-type-thing. It wouldn't be a demo in the sense that it won't be showing the perfect way to do it, but only will be showing how I am doing it. It may give some other people ideas though, and this would be good.

Is there any interest in me documenting the process with words and photos?

Sincerely,

Alan

Edited February 8, 2006 by A Patric (log)

[John DePaula]

Absolutely! Are you kidding?!? I think any dedicated chocophile would love to see the process as a DEMO thread. I do hope that you have an assistant to take the pix, though, since it's a bit difficult to manage a camera and work at the same time.

Good luck; we're all looking forward to it.

[Patrick S]

Do you really have to ask, Alan? I would love to see the process you're using.

[fatmat]

absolutely, go for it!!! best of luck. I look forward to seeing your results.

[Tweety69bird]

I'd love to see how you make chocolate too! Please endulge us.

[A Patric]

Dear all,

Alright, will do.

Tonight I roast the beans, tomorrow is the refining/conching, and Friday is the tempering and molding. Saturday the tablets will be de-molded, so I imagine that I will get the demo up Monday or Tuesday.

Luckily I do have someone who can take photos. Let's hope this person can take GOOD photos though.

I'll try to document every little step.

Sincerely,

Alan

Edited February 8, 2006 by A Patric (log)

[duckduck]

This is sssooooo very cool. Of course we'd love to see photos.

[A Patric]

Roasting completed. I wish I could transfer smell through the internet.

Alan

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

Where's John Waters when you need him?

I'm very much looking forward to this demo Alan!

[A Patric]

Where's John Waters when you need him?

I'm very much looking forward to this demo Alan!

←

Well, I wouldn't even be doing one if it weren't for some of the help that you gave me, so you have you to thank for it.

Alan

[alligande]

Looking forward to it, I found the website a few days ago and was facinated, this is perfect timing.

[A Patric]

Hello all,

The chocolate is in the Santha wet/dry mixer right now, having already been processed with the Champion. The Santha looks like a small "melangeur," which is what the French discovered for mixing, refining, and conching chocolate all at once. It is built the same too, with heavy black granite rollers and a black granite bed on bottom that spins pulling chocolate between the two. The photos are turning out well so far, so you'll see what I mean soon.

I'm writing up part of the demo now.

Sincerely,

Alan

[A Patric]

Dear all,

The chocolate is now at 7 hours of refining. All the photos are turning out very well.

I'll update one more time when the refining is done for the night. I don't know how long it will be (my tongue will be the judge of that), but I am guessing 9-11 hours or so.

Sincerely,

Alan

[A Patric]

So it took a little longer than I anticipated:

15 hours

But all is well, and off to bed I go.

Tomorrow is tempering and mold filling day, and the last day of active chocolate making.

I'll keep you updated,

Alan

[A Patric]

Dear all,

The demo is basically done. The chocolate is made and molded in 4 ounce bar form. I am waiting until tomorrow for one more photo, and then I'll post everything.

The demo is pretty darn long, and there are a lot of photos (all but one of which are even in focus), so hopefully everyone will like it.

Sincerely,

Alan

[John DePaula]

Dear all,

The demo is basically done.  The chocolate is made and molded in 4 ounce bar form.  I am waiting until tomorrow for one more photo, and then I'll post everything.

The demo is pretty darn long, and there are a lot of photos (all but one of which are even in focus), so hopefully everyone will like it.

Sincerely,

Alan

←

Thanks very much, Alan. We know it's a lot of work to put together a demo and we really appreciate it. Following with interest,