RW Carlson's Page

"So Tom, suppose you had some beans that were too fruity, which has sometimes happened to me. They probably weren't fermented well. In your experience would a light wash get rid of a little bit of the acidity?"

"From a theoretical point of view washing the beans with water after fermentation is complete shouldn't effect the taste. When the fermentation is complete, the pulp has no more functional use. If, however, the beans are washed before…"

"Actually I'm not sure what the originator of this thread was asking or suggesting. Usually when people ask me about raw chocolate they are not concerned about the potential microbiological health hazard, but rather are interested in the…"

"Yes, you can make bars without roasting the beans. You just don't get a lot of the flavors (most?). Tempering depends on having enough cacao butter, and if it's a raw liquor, it has plenty of butter. Mixing raw chocolate with regular…"

"One last thought. Are you sure than you conched it enough in your melangeur? I have found that I have a hard time telling if the texture is smooth enough or not straight from the melangeur. There have been times when I thought the chocolate was…"