notes on flavor

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Permalink Reply by ChocoFiles on June 4, 2008 at 5:37pm

Brady,

Your notes are Excellent and very helpful! Good job!!

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Permalink Reply by Brady on June 5, 2008 at 11:04pm

Theobroma- Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad someone read it. If you have anything to add or change, please post it and I'll update the document. I wanted to add to my original post that there are actually three ideas I find useful when trying to understand flavors and experiences. 1. the inherent regional characteristics of cacao 2. harvesting and post harvesting practices (found in the notes I posted) 3. styles of the individual chocolate maker. It's #3 that I didn't mention in my original post. As I'm sure you are aware, many chocolate makers have a trademark flavor that you can identify in any one of their bars and say this is Pralus, or this is Amedei, no matter which bar you pick up. We may be starting another database here that tries to examine the styles of individual makers and interpret that style in some way. I think it will be difficult to do but worth the effort. Most companies aren't going to give away too many secrets though. Brady

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Permalink Reply by ChocoFiles on June 6, 2008 at 5:12pm

Brady,

I'd like to comment on part of what you said, "3. styles of the individual chocolate maker. ...As I'm sure you are aware, many chocolate makers have a trademark flavor that you can identify in any one of their bars and say this is Pralus, or this is Amedei, no matter which bar you pick up."

This is exactly along the lines of my interest. I'm mainly on here because I'm on a quest. Simply put-- I'm looking for the chocolates that I like best. Gathering information about the style of each maker would help further this objective. I already do it in my head, with reference to the notes in my database, anyway. I think that a great start would be a simple table similar to the one you've already done. Just put the maker in the left column and note common characteristics in the right column. We'd want to know if the company is Bean-to-bar or a Fondeur.

In fact, if I had the notes I could easily track this in my own Access database. I just don't have the expertise or the depth of experience to make authoritative statements so I leave that to others with more credentials.

To get the ball rolling I'm going to start another thread on this very topic...
So start posting any notes and observations at "Chocolate Maker Trademark styles".

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Permalink Reply by ChocoFiles on June 7, 2008 at 1:02pm

Brady,

I just found an article about this topic called "Five Facets of Fine Chocolate". This seems to be pretty much the same thing that you were saying, only expanded a little. It makes sense to me. Your point 3 would be their "Chocolatier's Technical Expertise". I'm going to study it more and learn what I can.

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Permalink Reply by ChocoFiles on June 7, 2008 at 1:00pm

post deleted by Theo B

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Permalink Reply by Clay Gordon on June 6, 2008 at 9:08am

Brady:

At the moment, I don't know that there is an easy way. I will take a look at the file and experiment with a few tools. I think that what needs to happen is to edit the document in an HTML/Rich Text editor, then cut and paste the code. As I say, I will experiment.

:: Clay

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Permalink Reply by Brady on June 9, 2008 at 10:48pm

Theo Broma

Thanks for the link to FCIA. I hadn't seen their site before last week. I hear now that they will be at the Fancy Food Show in NY this month.

Brady

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Permalink Reply by Hans on June 12, 2008 at 2:15pm

Hey Brady,

I just read your guide, and I thought it was really good. Have you checked out the book Cocoa (4th edition) by Wood and Lass? It has lots of useful information, especially about the varieties and differences between artificial drying methods, which affect chocolate flavor in a number of ways.

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Permalink Reply by Brady on June 14, 2008 at 10:41pm

Hans: Thanks for the book recommendation. I've have seen this book online while doing other searches but never actually used it. I looked it up today and it is available at two libraries near me. I hope to have it in my hands in the next week.

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Permalink Reply by Clay Gordon on October 23, 2008 at 8:28am

Here is a collection of aromas found in wines and the chemicals that contribute to the flavors - and why.

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Permalink Reply by Clay Gordon on October 23, 2008 at 9:17am

I also added a laundry list of pyrazines and flavor chemicals that contribute to burnt sugar, caramel, and maple notes in a related post in the NerdZone group.

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Permalink Reply by Eric G on January 19, 2010 at 4:23pm

I am working in Vinces, Ecuador and am having problems with high acidity in the licor samples I am making. While searching for info i have found in Samanthas post that:

Acetic acid is produced by bacteria belonging to the Acetobacteraceae family. These bacteria dominate the second (aerobic) phase of fermentation. Acetic acid production peaks about 72 hours after fermentation begins [5], and it has been noted that diffusion of acetic acid through the whole bean is slow [6].

However, it's quite common for Criollo cocoa beans to be fermented for less than 72 hours - sometimes for only 48 hours. Hence, a short fermentation time typically produces less acidic beans than a longer fermentation. (A short fermentation also has major implications relating to taste and flavour development, as mentioned under the "mild flavour" heading above).


However Ive also found in Brady's attachment that:


Acidity (overly) • Short fermentation
• Cocoa grown from highly acidic soils.

So, one post says short fermentation period=overly acidic
while the other says a short fermentation time typically produces less acidic beans than a longer fermentation.
If anyone can help clarify, or suggest other possible causes of, and solutions to highly acidic licor I'd greatly appreciate it.
Cheers,
Eric

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