I've added in a small new feature to the Retail and Wholesale shops - Order status. It's on the left side at the bottom. In some ways, it won't give you a lot more than you already have via email, but is kind of handy when emails get mis-placed. Basically, just put in your order number (making certain you are in the right section - Retail order numbers won't work on the Wholesale side) and the email address you order with and you can see the basics of your order. Right now if you order is closed, you won't see anything - it will act like it can't find your order, and that is due to be changed, but if there is more information you'd like to see, input is welcomed and appreciated. Also, there will be two new beans in soon. Yet another one from the Dominican Republic. "La Red" that is organic, beautifully prepared, with lemon and tamarind. After that will be a much less smokey Papua New Guinea.
Well, to be accurate, I should really say cocoa grown in the USA. I have a small amount of cocoa from Hawaii. Specifically from Waialua estate on Oahu. It's a tiny bean (see below) with a bold chocolate flavor. Big chocolate flavor, dark notes, macadamia nut, soft lemon. Check out the whole review. Also, you won't find it wholesale. If you have an interest (they come in tiny 75 lb bags), drop me a note, and we can talk about individual cases. If there is enough interest, I'll bring more in.
On other fronts, my prototype cracker is working well. I've had to make some minor adjustments in the top feeder. I had to do some minor redesign as it was not working well with certain beans with a moderate preparation (PNG and the Conacado for instance). I know many people are very anxious about both the cracker and the winnower, but design, research and inventing isn't a fast or linear path. Or when it is, it's very expensive. Just to give you a flavor of what I've done when I brought in the first design of the cracker.
Total failure. It would not feed the beans. I made a 30 degree change in articulate to the rollers, and it fed. From hand testing it, I calculated how fast it fed, and worked out the gear ratios needed for optimal feed rate to the winnower when coupled to the Champion. 10 days later I had those gears and it was installed.
It worked great...for some beans. Anything with hint of odd prep would not feed. Days later I had a modification designed for the feeder - the difference of 3/16". 30 days later I had the part in hand. I installed it and yippee, it feed everything...too fast. The previous ratios didn't work I articulated the feed angle 6 degrees - much better. Now nearly everything feeds and at a better rate. But still too fast for the winnow.
New gear ratio calculations were performed. Parts ordered. They are here and I am waiting for time to install. Will that work? Probably. For sure? Who knows. It's an iterative process. I'll be sure to let you know. And although it doesn't show much, here is the current set up in my lab. This week I hope to add a 2nd set of gears.
I find it interesting how new ideas form, evolve, etc. I was putting together a batch of milk chocolate this morning, and really didn't have much time. OK, and I was a bit lazy because I didn't have liqueur - only nibs. So I proceeded to melt the cocoa butter I would be using, and thinking about how I often have to add heat to the Melanger when grinding nibs directly, I tossed the nibs directly into the melting cocoa butter. Knowing I would not have time to bring the sugar and milk powder up to temperature before I left, I took the butter/nib mixture up to 210 F - yes, that hot. Into the Melanger it went. In went the sugar and milk powder, and it was off and running. 117 F and flowing perfect with no chance of setting up because it was too cool.
Speed Chocolate.
Now, where this leads me to is wondering if you could 'roast' your nibs by heating them in hot cocoa butter. I noticed as I heated the butter/nib mixture to past 212 F (for just an instance), they started to spit, indicating water was being driven off. Would deep fried nibs make a good chocolate? Certainly not viable for a dark chocolate, but it has possibilities for milk chocolate. I'm going to try this and report back.
And in other news, I will have some "American" cocoa later this month. Hawaiian cocoa. Being American grown and all, it's going to be pricey, and I won't have a lot, but I thought it worth offering. It's a nice, fresh, mild cocoa.