Effect of sugar, cocoa particles, and lecithin on cocoa butter crystallization in seeded and non-seeded chocolate.
Read More
Understanding the structure of chocolate looks at the various crystal structures of cocoa butter, and a look at a type of pre-crystallization process to help in tempering.
Read More
Testing two pre-crystallization tempering methods. One conventional and one using Bvi cocoa butter seed in order to see their impact on product quality and storage.
Read More
An overview of the flow (rheology) and textural qualities of chocolate, as well as the impact various processes have on chocolate texture properties. Written by Afoakwa, Paterson, and Fowler.
Read More
The impact of both pod storage time and roasting time on the browning index and colour of fermented cacao beans.
Read More
An analysis of various dark chocolates made with the same cacao, but with various treatments applied during the process. The aroma profile of these chocolates were altered according to how long the pods were stored before fermentation, and the temperature at which the cacao was roasted.
Read More
A study contrasting the CocoaTown melanger and Stephan mixer as an alternative to the 3-roll refiner and ELK’olino conche for small scale bean to bar chocolate makers.
Read More
A scientific explanation for what a chocolate ganache is composed of, what defines it, and the difference between a emulsified and split ganache.
Read More
Raw chocolate versus traditional roasted chocolate. Raw chocolate is a growing sector within the chocolate industry, and often boasts high levels of antioxidants, higher than traditional roasted chocolate. However, we often don’t get a chance to see actual hard evidence of the levels of antioxidants in such foods. Zyzelewicz et al. analyzed how various roasting techniques changed the levels of polyphenols within raw versus roasted cacao beans.
Read More
Chocolate from Peru! Chocolate from Indonesia! Which one is better quality? Or does it really determine quality at all? Learn what origin has to do with your chocolate, and what it doesn't.
Read More
Chocolate Maker versus Chocolatier. What's the difference? Don't they both make chocolate? Not quite. Learn the differences, the grey area, and why it matters to you.
Read More
Understanding the percentage on dark chocolate bars is straight forward, but it may get confusing when we see more than just two ingredients on our chocolate bar: cocoa bean and sugar. As well, high percentage chocolate bars are often associated with quality, but is percentage a factor of quality?
Read More
Dark fine chocolate will contain aromas other than chocolate. Just as fine wine and coffee can be described with containing notes of cherry, wood, or roasted almond, fine dark chocolate can be explained in the same way. Where does this flavour come from? It's not added to the chocolate, its contained within the cacao seed, and is created and maintained through quality processing.
Read More
"What is the best chocolate?" I get asked that question often. It may seem like a simple question like that should have some sort of straight forward answer. Is it a brand? A nationality? Percentage? Or maybe it's variety or terroir of where the cacao tree grew. The answer is, good chocolate is none of those, and it's all of those and more. Not the answer you were hoping for? Let's begin to unpack...
Read More
Fine chocolate is making headway in today's market. You may see fine chocolate popping up in high end supermarkets, boutique shops, and local high end food retailers. Terms such as "fine", "craft", "artisan", and mostly "bean to bar" are being thrown around, without people understanding what they mean. Generally, they are all terms used to describe the growing phenomenon of bean to bar chocolate. But what is bean to bar chocolate in the first place?
Read More