ATA #2 - How do you evaluate cocoa beans?

[@cottonclarksa]

I appreciate your honesty when a chocolate batch goes bad. It's OK to admit something not working out. It's a Thomas Edison moment where he said, "I haven't failed; I just discovered a way that didn't work." It puts you one step closer to a more positive answer. Thank you for your honesty in this video!

[@HowToMakeChocolateAtHome]

I wholeheartedly agree with that statement. I have learned more from my failures than my successes. That said, where did I say a chocolate batch went bad? The honey badger chocolate was not a bad batch but a bad bean that was rejected.

[@jacobdmurphy]

John, I thought the video was excellent. Especially taking us through each and every note on the chart. A suggestion would be to create a lookup/example chart for each of the different notes and post on the website. Having examples of what acidity really tastes like (for example, lemon juice) would help to explain it to those of us who were raised on the great American palette: salty and sugary.

[@HowToMakeChocolateAtHome]

Thanks for the suggestion. I have trouble believing someone doesn't know what acidity tastes like but I get your point. I've certainly had people not get that earthy or leathery are not bad things. One of the big things I guess it should be important to realize in that later case is that I only will off a bean that isn't defective. If I say it tastes earthy I by default don't mean it in a negative way. If it were truly negative I would be writing it up and offering it. I would have passed on the bean.

[@barefootchocolatini]

Your videos are great. Good information, sense of humor and explanation of how things work. A more detailed tasting video would be awesome to see and learn from. Like how to teach others what profiles taste and smell like and how to identify them for a first timer and a pro. For n00bs, sometimes all the flavors taste the same and it is harder to distinguish between mushroomy and earthy. Or sour and bready. Anyway, loving your videos! Thank you for all that you do!

[@gaylebu5359]

I’m curious... Is making chocolate the only way to evaluate a bean? Since there are so many steps involved in the production process, what happens if someone messes up during the production process? For example, it might be an excellent bean but the way it was fermented, roasted and cinched will affect the flavor. So if the maker does a poor job, the beans can’t be blamed for that.So at what point do we know that a bean is not of excellent quality because of the process versus it being a poor bean?

[@HowToMakeChocolateAtHome]

That is a great question and you are absolutely correct. For me, yes, it is the only way to evaluate a bean. But this is also why I use a standard roasting and refining protocol so that my only variable is the fermentation/drying/type. If you are a new maker then you are at the mercy of the supplier and your own lack of skills. This is why a good place to start is with raw and roasted bean and try to match the two to further your consistency skills.

[@boryspolon]

John, I appreciate this video, but for those of us at origin, if I go to a warehouse at a farm, I don't have the luxury of making a batch of chocolate and letting it rest. How do I make a quick evaluation of fermented, dried beans on location.

[@HowToMakeChocolateAtHome]

That is a time a cut test can be a useful tool. But that just scratches the surface of quality and doesn't equate really at all with the flavor of chocolate that you can make. I personally could not make a snap decision on a farm. I would not call making a batch of chocolate luxury but a necessity. I get your point though. I don't have a solid answer for you.

[@davidtruskinoff6174]

Your first rating on the chart, "chocolate"...are you thinking "chocolate-y taste" or is it more an overall "where do I rate this chocolate as a whole?" Thanks, as always.

[@HowToMakeChocolateAtHome]

It is the chocolate taste. For instance chocolate made with unfermented and/or unroasted cocoa would probably rate a 0-1.

[@puneetgupta9584]

I would love to know can we able to use 2 or 3 years cacao beans to make chocolate?

[@HowToMakeChocolateAtHome]

I don't understand your question.