The Chocolate Life

Discover Chocolate and Live La Vida Cocoa!

Samantha Madell Female
Australia
Share 

Samantha Madell's Friends

Samantha Madell's Groups

 

Samantha Madell's Page

Latest Activity

Andrea: thanks for chiming in. Theo brominum: there are effective forms of sterilization other than heat sterilization. For example, UV sterilization is a common and effective one. You also asked: "What i'm interested in is in clinical studies t...
Brad, your latest post is extremely condescending, and I guess most people wouldn't bother responding, but since you want to keep going, I'm happy to oblige ... For your information, I "got it" a long time ago. In fact, just to make sure that I ...
And Brad - in the spirit of "sharing information" ... In your questioning of the Xocai rep over on the Chocolate Alchemy forum (linked in my previous post), you asked: "Which chocolate makers actually use cocoa powder to make chocolate? This is ...
Brad, I think I do at least my fair share of providing valuable information on this forum. And you know what? I wouldn't bother if it wasn't for the many people who've written to thank me for the information I provide. I know that my bluntness r...
Samantha Madell is now friends with Caline Jarudi, vilasr raghavan, Andrea and 6on Wednesday
Brad, In another thread on this forum you wrote that you "wouldn't touch raw chocolate with a 10 foot pole" because cacao "comes from third world countries, and in those countries salmonella and ecoli are rampant." You seem to regard the 3rd wor...
Brad, I handle a lot of raw cocoa, so the issues you raise are of particular interest to me. Here is some information for your inquiring mind ... Firstly, a lot of this ground has already been covered pretty extensively in the following threads:...
Brad wrote: "I'm sure there's also discrimination and sexism (there always will be to some degree), but I can't personally attest to seeing any." I was wondering how long it would take for a man to say that he's never witnessed sexism. I think i...

Profile Information

Dark, Milk, White?
Dark, Milk, White
Most memorable chocolate experience:
My first cocoa pod: Sri Lanka, 2004
My favorite chocolate is:
Tava, of course!

Samantha Madell's Photos

Samantha Madell's Blog

Samantha Madell

Ancient humans + Theobroma cacao + wild yeasts = alcohol!

(This blog post follows on from my earlier post, Fermentation 101).

In 2007, a team of archaeologists unearthed strong evidence that "humans began exploiting cacao beans for alcohol before they started using them to make chocolate" [1].

In the Ulua Valley in Honduras, these archaeologists discovered traces of theobromine in pottery vessels used for alcoholic drinks. The vessels date back to at least 1,100BC, pu… Continue

Posted on May 14, 2009 at 8:30pm — 1 Comment

Samantha Madell

Antioxidants, flavonoids, flavanols, tannins, and ORAC units ... what does it all mean?

In this blog post, I'm attempting to untangle the fairly complex terminology relating to the subject of chocolate and health. To this end, I've put together a diagram, which is part flowchart, part glossary (scroll down to view).

But here's some basic information and terminology to get started with:

Free radicals
When it comes to maintaining good health, free radicals are bad news. A free radical is an unstable and highly reactive molecule that contains an unpaired electron. Free radica… Continue

Posted on April 21, 2009 at 4:00am — 7 Comments

Samantha Madell

Cocoa Fermentation 101

Prior to being dried, cacao seeds (or "cocoa beans") are fermented ... or, more accurately, the fruity pulp which envelops the beans is fermented.

The fermentation process liquefies the pulp, allowing it to drain away. This reduction in pulp assists the drying process. But most importantly, cocoa fermentation triggers an array of chemical changes within the bean. These chemical changes are vital to the development of the complex (and much-loved) flavour known as "chocolate".

Prior to fermentat… Continue

Posted on February 20, 2009 at 10:30pm — 10 Comments

Samantha Madell

Response to interview with Timothy Childs on BoingBoing TV

I recently watched the first BoingBoing TV episode featuring Timothy Childs of TCHO chocolate. Clay posted the video here.

The video shows Timothy Childs talking about cocoa botany (among other things). It was quite entertaining to watch, but Childs really needs to check his facts!

Given that The Chocolate Life is a haven for chocolate nerds, I thought it was worth responding here in detail to some of the… Continue

Posted on October 2, 2008 at 8:07pm — 3 Comments

Comment Wall (2 comments)

You need to be a member of The Chocolate Life to add comments!

Join this social network

At 6:07am on November 2, 2008, Zev said…
Hi,
We are currently working out how to set up our factory and really liked the design of your winnower. Would you mind to please post photos from some other views of your setup, i.e. top and side views. thanks so much.

Zev
At 8:37am on August 12, 2008, Clay Gordon said…
Sam:

Welcome to TheChocolateLife all the way from Oz. I am looking forward to hearing how the business (TAVA) has grown since we last saw each other in Ecuador in 2005. Please say Hi to Langdon.
 
 

About

Clay Gordon Clay Gordon created this social network on Ning.

Create your own social network!

Member Marketplace

Aequare logo

COCOA BEANS at GREAT PRICES.
More than a dozen varieties of cocoa beans from Venezuela, Ecuador, Madagascar, and more. Organic selections, too.

Share TheChocolateLife

Add a Little bit of TheChocolateLife to your site or blog!


Bookmark and Share

Follow Clay on Twitter
@chocophile
@thChocolateLife
@oohYumTV

Additional Options
 

© 2009   Created by Clay Gordon on Ning.   Create Your Own Social Network

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Privacy  |  Terms of Service