"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."

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Spectra 11 Melanger

June 6th, 2011

The new Spectra 11 review is now up. And they are now available.  Here’s a shot of the new internals:

Filed under: What's new & Updates, Grinding | 2 Comments »

New Melanger warranty policy

November 29th, 2010

New Melanger Policy
This is for the Santha Melanger, that I modified for use some 7 years ago, and carried no warranty at that time.  A couple years ago, a limited short warranty was added.  This is now a pretty standard 1 year warranty for the contiguous 48 USA states.  The others and international are warrantied […]

Filed under: What's new & Updates, Grinding | No Comments »

Hickory Smoked Bacon Chocolate

May 14th, 2008

Did I get your attention? Ok, the new Papua New Guinea isn’t quite like that, but it is the first thing I thought of when smelling the freshly roasted nibs after winnowing. Go check out the full review.
We are also taking orders for the Spectra 20 and Spectra 40 Grinders. Please read […]

Filed under: Products, Cocoa Beans, What's new & Updates, Grinding | 1 Comment »

Chocolate Making 101

March 20th, 2008

My dear partner Penelope put this together, noting that so far there is not one single page outlining the entire chocolate making procedure start to finish.  Well, now there is.
Chocolate Making at Home 101
It won’t give you everything you need in detail (hence the ‘101′) but gives a great overview.  For all the detailed […]

Filed under: Products, Cocoa Beans, Roasting, Refining & Conching, Grinding, Cracking & Winnowing, Alchemist's Musings, Tempering | 8 Comments »

Melangers and Shipping

March 7th, 2008

The new Melangers are in and all back orders have been filled. Also, all the larger units (Spectra 20 and 40) have been sold. There will be more in around May. If you would like to reserve a unit (or more), please contact me via email. The Spectra 20 is $1000 […]

Filed under: Products, What's new & Updates, Grinding, Alchemist's Musings | 4 Comments »

12th Night, tortes and the aztecs

January 7th, 2008

How’s that for a title?
I celebrated 12th night last night (secular form actually) and for dessert I prepared a fresh Tabasco (bean of course) based flourless torte - just to die for.   I thought I would share both parts.
69% Dark Tabasco chocolate - 6.25 lbs
5 lbs of Tabasco cocoa
5 oz  Natural cocoa butter
30 oz […]

Filed under: Products, Cocoa Beans, Roasting, Refining & Conching, What's new & Updates, Grinding, Cracking & Winnowing, Alchemist's Musings | 3 Comments »

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