Tabletop Chocolate Factory(spectrum.ieee.org)
spectrum.ieee.org
Tabletop Chocolate Factory
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-entrepreneur-home-media-streaming-miniaturizing-chocolate-factory
37 comments
Hi Peter - This is Nate, the founder of CocoTerra. I just stumbled onto this thread and wanted to answer your questions. The first big difference has to do with efficiency of the grinding and refining process using a ball mill. The stone systems are not very efficient (they only process ingredients at the intersection of the stone cylinder and the bottom platform - a line). It can take many, many hours or even a few days to make chocolate that way. Also, it can take 45 mins to pour the ingredients into a melangeur while you can pour the ingredients into the CocoTerra maker in about 30 seconds. The 250g is the equivalent of about 3-4 bars of bean-to-bar chocolate which we thought was a good amount for a dinner party or for someone's weekly consumption. These ~1/2 lb batches also allow users to get creative and make custom batches with all sorts of different flavorings, inclusions and designs. 2kg of chocolate is a pretty significant commitment. The goal/hope is to simplify the chocolate making process so more people can experience it and create chocolate that is unique and fun.
The ball mill is normal in commercial chocolate production, it scales more efficiently than other methods. Not sure I'd want to clean one in my own kitchen though. The commercial units are plumbed for sanitization and flushing out.
There's a lot of work involved in chocolate production. It's not complicated, mostly tedious and particular, and requires either specialized equipment or sustained physical effort. The best source of information I know is Chocolate Alchemy's old school website ( https://chocolatealchemy.com/ ). I was active in the same homeroasting circles he was at the time he took an interest in chocolate, and it was a really fascinating process to watch unfold.
If you're curious, don't let the full bean-to-bar process scare you away. It's easy to rough out something pasty that's entirely unlike a chocolate bar with a mortar and pestle and not a ton of work, and that can work well in cooking or brewed up in a hot drink. Oven roasted cacao, peeled and smashed into nibs can be infinely nicer than store bought. Anyway, the whole conching, melanging, and tempering process is optional if you just want to experiment.
There's a lot of work involved in chocolate production. It's not complicated, mostly tedious and particular, and requires either specialized equipment or sustained physical effort. The best source of information I know is Chocolate Alchemy's old school website ( https://chocolatealchemy.com/ ). I was active in the same homeroasting circles he was at the time he took an interest in chocolate, and it was a really fascinating process to watch unfold.
If you're curious, don't let the full bean-to-bar process scare you away. It's easy to rough out something pasty that's entirely unlike a chocolate bar with a mortar and pestle and not a ton of work, and that can work well in cooking or brewed up in a hot drink. Oven roasted cacao, peeled and smashed into nibs can be infinely nicer than store bought. Anyway, the whole conching, melanging, and tempering process is optional if you just want to experiment.
Yes, Chocolate Alchemy is a wonderful resource for anyone who wants to learn how to make chocolate. To answer your questions about cleaning the CocoTerra machine...
There are only two parts of the machine that require cleaning: the mold ring and the processing chamber. The mold ring can be rinsed in the sink with warm water or simply put in the dishwasher. Our goal is to make the chamber dishwasher safe as well. But even without using a dishwasher, the processing chamber is easy to clean. You simply flush warm water through the chamber while swirling around the processing media (the balls) to clean the system. The balls on the inside of the chamber will clean the interior surface of the chamber, while the water comes out the opening in the bottom taking the remnant chocolate with it. The outside lip of the chamber can be cleaned with a small brush. The entire process takes a couple minutes.
100% agree that people shouldn't be scare to try.
There are only two parts of the machine that require cleaning: the mold ring and the processing chamber. The mold ring can be rinsed in the sink with warm water or simply put in the dishwasher. Our goal is to make the chamber dishwasher safe as well. But even without using a dishwasher, the processing chamber is easy to clean. You simply flush warm water through the chamber while swirling around the processing media (the balls) to clean the system. The balls on the inside of the chamber will clean the interior surface of the chamber, while the water comes out the opening in the bottom taking the remnant chocolate with it. The outside lip of the chamber can be cleaned with a small brush. The entire process takes a couple minutes.
100% agree that people shouldn't be scare to try.
"Ball mill" in the kitchen... Nah, that's not going to be unsociable loud or anything. Neat idea and i wish him luck but geez this is specialized machinery and useful for what else? Its the "Turnip twaddler" or bread machine, a thing to fill cabinet space and never actually perform its intended function.
> It[‘]s the… bread machine, a thing to fill cabinet space and never actually perform its intended function.
A book that might change your mind about Bread Machines:
The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook: A Master Baker's 300 Favorite Recipes for Perfect-Every-Time Bread From Every Kind of Machine, by Beth Hensperger (2000)
https://www.quartoknows.com/books/9781558321564/the-bread-lo...
A book that might change your mind about Bread Machines:
The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook: A Master Baker's 300 Favorite Recipes for Perfect-Every-Time Bread From Every Kind of Machine, by Beth Hensperger (2000)
https://www.quartoknows.com/books/9781558321564/the-bread-lo...
We hope that people will use it to make a variety of delicious treats... it starts with personalized chocolate from particular origins, with desired flavors and inclusions (low sugar, vegan, Keto, etc.). But we've also made the most delicious hazelnut chocolate spread as well as coffee bars (think edible coffee). More to come... We hope and expect people to get creative!
Upvoted for the Bloom County reference.
I really want him to succeed, but I think coffee is about the "sexiness". You hand-grind the beans, get a beautiful french press on your counter that declares you are a coffee connoisseur, and then savor the end result.
His idea is like making ice-cream; you've got a monstrosity on your counter which you ignore until it's done. You also don't use it often.
But then you don't have the same ability to add flavors and mess around like you do when making ice cream.
His idea is like making ice-cream; you've got a monstrosity on your counter which you ignore until it's done. You also don't use it often.
But then you don't have the same ability to add flavors and mess around like you do when making ice cream.
Hi Max - Thanks for the good wishes. I wanted to clarify that one of the major benefits of the CocoTerra machine is that you CAN fully customize the chocolate. You can choose the type (white, milk, dark, % cocoa), choose the origin (cocoa beans from different farms taste completely different - much like coffee or wine), choose different roast profiles (much like coffee), use different sugars (cane, palm, allulose, etc.) add different flavorings (spices and oils) and add different inclusions (nuts, raisins, puffs, etc.). On top of that, you can decorate the chocolate (using transfer sheets) and we plan to support different mold designs. I hope that people will learn to savor their chocolate too!!
Hmmm, don't suppose the machine will have an api (or even accessible electronics port), so the IT and/or electronics types can really go to town with it?
There isn't a port, but there is an app with a recipe system that allows you to control the hardware. You can either use a guided recipe creation mode or you can dive into expert mode which lets you set most all the of recipe making parameters so people can got to town.
Does this have much of a market? I mean coffee is about the beans and the machine/method used to make it, and doing it yourself can be a quick and enjoyable experience.
Isn't chocolate more about the flavours added and manufacturing process (although the upper end does talk about the source of the beans) - having a favourite bar or tasting different bars from different skilled artisanal producers.
Isn't chocolate more about the flavours added and manufacturing process (although the upper end does talk about the source of the beans) - having a favourite bar or tasting different bars from different skilled artisanal producers.
There will always be a market for an expensive bulky kitchen gadget that takes up space in a cupboard and only comes out twice a year!
I would sacrifice that cupboard space for one, although it would need to be a little cheaper. I’m sure competitors will come out with their own versions.
I would sacrifice that cupboard space for one, although it would need to be a little cheaper. I’m sure competitors will come out with their own versions.
Thanks for the support, Sam. We hope to give you more than a couple reasons to pull it out of the cabinet!
Regarding price, the initial CocoTerra release is priced in the range of other new, breakthrough appliances. We expect that there will be a variety of price points over time, as we expand our product line and ramp our volumes.
Hopefully, we can make you into a chocolate maker.
Regarding price, the initial CocoTerra release is priced in the range of other new, breakthrough appliances. We expect that there will be a variety of price points over time, as we expand our product line and ramp our volumes.
Hopefully, we can make you into a chocolate maker.
>an expensive bulky kitchen gadget that takes up space in a cupboard and only comes out twice a year!
Looking at you, every Dutch person and their deep fryer.
Looking at you, every Dutch person and their deep fryer.
Definitely. My friend has a toaster that only toast hotdog sausages and rolls, and he loves it.
No. Chocolate is also very much about the beans and finding the roast that best brings out the flavors in them, then figuring out what the best use for them is; a blend, a single origin bar, milk chocolate, chocolate with something else or a flavor added?
Like coffee, the best chocolate does not need flavors added to it, although that can certainly be fun.
source - I was a chocolate maker for a small, high quality chocolate company in the US.
Like coffee, the best chocolate does not need flavors added to it, although that can certainly be fun.
source - I was a chocolate maker for a small, high quality chocolate company in the US.
Seems to me its all the breadth of beer with funkier, faster fermentation; and more opportunities to involve technology.
So few other home uses for that kind of grinding and milling machinery, tho. I'm trying to think up anything else this could be turned to, and coming up with soaps, fireworks and flash powders, inks, paints, and pigments. Nothing food grade or wider niche.
Home-made Brazil and cashew nut butters, maybe? now worse cleaning than chocolate, surely.
So few other home uses for that kind of grinding and milling machinery, tho. I'm trying to think up anything else this could be turned to, and coming up with soaps, fireworks and flash powders, inks, paints, and pigments. Nothing food grade or wider niche.
Home-made Brazil and cashew nut butters, maybe? now worse cleaning than chocolate, surely.
I flirted with the idea of getting a melanger for making peanut butter and tahini at home, but my blender hasn't burned out yet (yay blendtec) so I haven't needed to explore this with any urgency. If anyone can recommend a way to make home nut butters and tahini with less heat than a blender I'd love to know.
I've made peanut butter with my pestle and mortar. It didn't take long, but I was making small quantities.
This looks really promising.
I'm someone who's interested in making chocolate for the product, not the process. I know there are people who like the process of tempering (e.g. tabling), pouring it into fancy moulds and decorating something like a praline but I'm not one of them.
The existing process I have to follow is a pain. I use the "vaccination method" for tempering chocolate. I have to measure out 2/3rds of the chocolate, heat it to ~50C, then mix in the remaining chocolate and leave it until it cools to ~28C, then heat it back up to ~32C. After that I have to pour it into the moulds and let it cool overnight. The whole process takes several hours and I have to spend a lot of time monitoring the chocolate's temperature. It's not like a slow cooker or oven that I can just turn on and leave until the time is up.
I also have to source couverture. I'm have the privilege to be in one of the best places on earth to do that (Switzerland, I live within easy cycling distance of Lindt HQ) but there's clearly a wide spectrum of what you can do with the flavour of the chocolate itself and I have no control over it.
This product would make the process "set and forget" and give me more control over the flavour of the chocolate, so I have to say I'm all for it.
My main remaining question was about cleaning but the FAQ [0] makes it sound pretty straightforward.
If only they shipped internationally.
[0]: https://www.cocoterra.com/frequently-asked-questions/
I'm someone who's interested in making chocolate for the product, not the process. I know there are people who like the process of tempering (e.g. tabling), pouring it into fancy moulds and decorating something like a praline but I'm not one of them.
The existing process I have to follow is a pain. I use the "vaccination method" for tempering chocolate. I have to measure out 2/3rds of the chocolate, heat it to ~50C, then mix in the remaining chocolate and leave it until it cools to ~28C, then heat it back up to ~32C. After that I have to pour it into the moulds and let it cool overnight. The whole process takes several hours and I have to spend a lot of time monitoring the chocolate's temperature. It's not like a slow cooker or oven that I can just turn on and leave until the time is up.
I also have to source couverture. I'm have the privilege to be in one of the best places on earth to do that (Switzerland, I live within easy cycling distance of Lindt HQ) but there's clearly a wide spectrum of what you can do with the flavour of the chocolate itself and I have no control over it.
This product would make the process "set and forget" and give me more control over the flavour of the chocolate, so I have to say I'm all for it.
My main remaining question was about cleaning but the FAQ [0] makes it sound pretty straightforward.
If only they shipped internationally.
[0]: https://www.cocoterra.com/frequently-asked-questions/
Ugh, that FAQ has clearly deceptive marketing bullshit in it. eg:
But you're welcome to re-melt the chocolate afterwards however you like.
Just like any other chocolate.
When there's one marketing lie, it's probably not the only one. :(
Can I use my own molds with CocoTerra?
Yes! You can easily re-melt the chocolate from the CocoTerra machine
and pour it into your own molds.
But you're welcome to re-melt the chocolate afterwards however you like.
Just like any other chocolate.
When there's one marketing lie, it's probably not the only one. :(
The ring molds look quite awkward too…
I’m not sure that qualifies as a lie. If you stop reading after the ‘Yes!’ maybe you’d misinterpret it, but the following sentence is crystal clear.
It's not a lie, yes, but it does rather undermine the entire point of the machine if you have to re-temper outside of it to use a standard shaped mold.
Since the chocolate comes out of the machine tempered, you can pretty easily use the seeding method to maintain temper when melting for other molds. This is much easier than wild crystallization which is required when starting with a fully untempered batch.
Hi Justin. We appreciate your criticism. It's not intended to be a "lie" but rather an explanation of how people can use existing molds if they have them. You are correct that you can't fit a third party mold onto the CocoTerra machine, but you can either pour the chocolate while still liquid into your own molds or remelt. Many people don't know whether or not you can remelt the chocolate while also maintaining temper. We'll take a look at the language in the FAQ. Thank you.
No worries, hopefully it all works out well. :)
Then the issue becomes sourcing the beans. But I can see that becoming more available, as well as information about how to best use them, just like hops, grains, malts, and yeasts at brewery supply shops. And that will certainly give you more control over the taste of the chocolate.
A source of quality ingredients from around the globe is essential to experiencing the variety of flavors you can get from the native cocoa bean. We plan to work with craft chocolate makers, specialty importers, and farmers/co-ops to supply a variety of nib options. Of course, if you find your own source of ingredients, that works too.
Could someone explain how it's better than say, a regular indian wet grinder?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-F8zL3Ufi4
Instead of a what I feel is a "unitasker", you now have a tool that can use for multiple items.
====
Off topic, but i love Alex's step by step discovery of a cooking process. This video is part of the make chocolate at home series.
For the whole playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLURsDaOr8hWWGebP8AGmA...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-F8zL3Ufi4
Instead of a what I feel is a "unitasker", you now have a tool that can use for multiple items.
====
Off topic, but i love Alex's step by step discovery of a cooking process. This video is part of the make chocolate at home series.
For the whole playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLURsDaOr8hWWGebP8AGmA...
When Naomi Wu does a video review of it I will feel my life to be complete
https://youtube.com/c/SexyCyborg
https://youtube.com/c/SexyCyborg
Get out more.
This image [1], computer screen on device with logo + bag of cocoa with same logo, reminds me of juicero.
[1] https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/cocoterra.jpg?id=270...
[1] https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/cocoterra.jpg?id=270...
I don't understand the appeal of this. Chocolate profiles are mostly made in the roasting stage, which this doesn't do.
I briefly got into home roasting coffee, and quickly learned that commercially available coffee from boutique roasters was way better than I could do. I suspect this will be similar.
I briefly got into home roasting coffee, and quickly learned that commercially available coffee from boutique roasters was way better than I could do. I suspect this will be similar.
Agreed. Because roasting is such an important step, we leave that to the professionals much like in the coffee industry. This way, people can select different origins with different roast profiles for different recipes and end up with a variety of premium chocolate flavors. And much like coffee, if you decide that you want to roast your own beans, you can use your coffee roaster and come up with your own roast profile to experiment with flavor development.
The yield is quite low (250g) when you consider you can easily get 2kg out of a Premier Wonder machine for around $300. Yes, you'll have to temper the chocolate yourself, but these days you can do that really easily with a water bath and some cocoa butter (the 'silk' method).