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"It is dark as the AlChemist walks along the corridor, rough stone under his feet, air warmed from well smoldering hearth fires stirring his cowl. He opens a hewn timber door, worn smooth at the threshold over years of use. He breaths deeply the comforting smells of this laboratory. Hints of wood and smoke linger in the air from the last time he roasted raw materials for his elixirs. Another smell, heady and almost intoxicating, brings a smile to his face as he remembers the smell wafting up as he was last grinding his pastes and powders. He looks about. Everything is in place. The roasting drum is cool in the hearth. The mortars and pestles are laid out neat and tidy, only a small amount of deep brown paste marring their finish. The cracking mill is sitting ready, waiting for the next batch to be crushed fresh out of the roaster. It is time to begin his magic, his devotion, his passion, his Alchemy, yet again. He prepares himself for the work ahead. The roasting, the cracking, the winnowing, the grinding, the mixing. The transformation of base materials into something more than they were. The transformation of cocoa beans to chocolate, the work of Chocolate Alchemy."
2466080 visits and counting.
I’ve added an additional variation to the Venezuelan Sampler Packs - there is now a 4 lb version, giving you a full pound of each bean to experience, and it’s discounted 30% off the base price. Almost every week I get asked if milk chocolate can be made with fresh milk and I always […]
Filed under: Products, Roasting, What's new & Updates, Cracking & Winnowing | No Comments »
As most people know, I’ve been working on a winnower for some time now. Well, so has someone else, and it is rather exciting. At least I am excited. It is a very elegant design. It’s based on the principal of a cyclone dust collector.
You can see it in action at Brooklyn Cacao .
Now there […]
Filed under: Cracking & Winnowing | 10 Comments »
But maybe we could consider it the calm before the storm. It’s taken me a bit to get my bearing here in the new locale. Many of you have commented that I have not put much up new, or talked a lot. Well, my plan is to change that, and get things moving and shaking […]
Filed under: Products, Cocoa Beans, What's new & Updates, Cracking & Winnowing, Alchemist's Musings | 1 Comment »
It’s a day for announcements Just a lot of things to cover.
I’ll start off with that we have a new bean in, that we have not had in some time. The Co-op has really stepped up consistency, so whereas before, this cocoa bean had a good flavor, you had to work a bit for it. […]
Filed under: Cocoa Beans, Roasting, What's new & Updates, Cracking & Winnowing | 1 Comment »
OK, you say that they have always been available. Well, true and not true. I have always offered them up to 5 lbs and never as wholesale. That now changes. There are Wholesale Nibs now available. Consider it a test run. Partly, do they sell, or inversely, if they do, can I keep up.
Why am […]
Filed under: Products, Cocoa Beans, What's new & Updates, Cracking & Winnowing, Alchemist's Musings | 2 Comments »
We are just about out of the delicate and soft Peru. No, I don’t know if any more will be coming in any time soon. So, if you have not tried it and have been thinking about it, now is the time. It probably will not be around next week.
The same is true with the […]
Filed under: Products, Cocoa Beans, What's new & Updates, Cracking & Winnowing | 1 Comment »
