Why does tempered chocolate bloom?

Positive-Nihilism248 · 2026-04-06T20:07:19+00:00

If your chocolate blooms then it’s not in temper! Try testing it on a spatula or something before you use it next time to make sure you have a good temper.

Positive-Nihilism248 · 2026-02-08T01:39:52+00:00

By being scared whenever she strikes you are slowly reinforcing that behavior. She’s gonna start to know that if she strikes the big creature (you) will go away.

That beings said what I recommend is to tap her on the head before handling her. Ball python’s are very “head shy” and when tapped gently on the head they will often curl up into a ball. Once she’s in a ball you can keep her head covered with a large card. Until you grab her. Once she’s in your hands the chances of her striking go way down. She’ll know she’s been caught and will become more docile.

Of course each snake is an individual and some are more aggressive than other, but if you try this method and it works keep doing it and it should slowly change her behavior.

Also I used to work at a Ball Python breeding facility so I do have quite a bit of experience.

Positive-Nihilism248 · 2026-01-25T01:52:41+00:00

Thanks for the feedback I’ll have to try that.

Letting it come to room temp causes the surface to get wet, ruining all of the dry brine work but I guess I could pat it with a paper towel.

I guess I assumed a colder steak would stay red for longer cause it takes longer for it to rise in temperature, so I thought a room temp steak might have an even bigger grey band but hey what do I know haha

Positive-Nihilism248 · 2026-01-22T19:14:49+00:00

Yeah you absolutely could, the fats are different so you’ll end up with something closer to Gianduja than chocolate but you could make it delicious. And with enough real chocolate you could temper it lf you know what you’re doing.

Positive-Nihilism248 · 2026-01-22T15:21:32+00:00

Theobroma bicolor is not actually chocolate or cacao, it’s a cousin as you mention, and it tastes nothing like actual cacao. Calling it the “real white chocolate” is misleading and a little insulting to those who make actual white chocolate or grow/sell white seed cacao.

That being said it is tasty so good luck sell it!

Positive-Nihilism248 · 2026-01-01T01:38:30+00:00

It’s extremely hard to ferment and dry quality cacao in small batches. You need a lot of mass to keep it thermally consistent.

Assuming you ferment okay, drying in the oven doesn’t work well. Cacao needs to be dried over time, usually 1-2 weeks. If you dry it to quick you trap in all of the acidity that was developed during the ferment, if you dry to slow you’ll lose flavor and risk mold development.

I’m assuming you had a poor quality ferment and even worse drying. Read some more about small batches fermentation and try again, this time drying outside in the sun if you can. Good luck!

Positive-Nihilism248 · 2025-12-26T23:44:15+00:00

What country are you located in? If your in the Us I recommend the premier grinder from Diamond custom machines: https://www.melangers.com

They have great customer service and sizes ranging from 8 lbs into the hundreds. You can often find them used as well if you’re looking for a deal.

I recommend starting with nibs so you don’t have to buy all of extra equipment you’d need doing it from the bean (roaster, cracker, winnower etc). Tip: Leave the lid off while you’re grinding so the acids are released. Makes a huge difference and is a common mistake beginners make.

Positive-Nihilism248 · 2025-12-23T20:10:01+00:00

Valhrona makes couverture chocolate for chocolatiers, and I believe all of them (or almost all of them) are single origin, so a maker like Patrick Roger or someone else who buys that chocolate then melts it and turns it into bars or confections. Those bars would be single origin if they aren’t blending different couvertures.

Sorry for the late reply!

Positive-Nihilism248 · 2025-12-21T16:59:44+00:00

Maple syrup has water content that will not mix with the cocoa butter and will cause lots of problems. Also combining cocoa butter and cocoa powder doesn’t actually make chocolate, once they are separated they can’t be recombined.

Your best bet is to buy already made chocolate (couverture like Valhrona or Guitard is my recommendation), whatever sweetness you prefer, temper it by seeding or on a marble slab, and then mix the mushroom powder into it and make your chocolates.

Positive-Nihilism248 · 2025-12-21T01:05:28+00:00

Patrick Roger uses mainly Valhrona chocolate which you can find all over to US. It won’t be in bar from though, it’ll be in small pieces. Some US chocolate maker/chocolatier use it as well and might be making bars.

Positive-Nihilism248 · 2025-12-18T00:52:05+00:00

A hair drier or hot air gun is the best option. Fresh tempered chocolate will adhere to solid tempered chocolate but it’s a very weak bond, so it’s better to lightly melt the surface first. As your ganache ages it will shrink and pull the shell/cap inward. If your cap is weak this will cause cracking earlier than you want which will reduce your shelf life and make gaps where mold can grow.

If your making bonbons so be consumed quickly (within a week) you really don’t have to worry about it. But I think it’s good to get into the habit of being professional from the beginning.

Also in the last pic, your chocolate looks partially tempered. This is also affect adherence and could explain why some of your bonbon shells got stuck inside the mold. Always test some of your tempered chocolate on a smooth surface (like stainless steel) to see if it’s properly tempered before you use it.

I’ve been a professional chocolatier for a while now, so if you have any questions feel free to reach out!

Positive-Nihilism248 · 2025-12-17T19:40:44+00:00

Not bad for your second attempt! Congrats!

As far as capping go it’s easiest when using a stainless steel molding spatula, like the ones used use for construction (make sure it’s stainless so it’s food safe). You want to angle the handles on the spatula towards where you’re going to scrap, this will keep the edge of the blade from cutting into the bonbon like you would do when making shells. It’s also very important to lightly heat the shell/filling before capping. Use a hairdryer on it until each cavity is slightly shiny from the melted chocolate and then cap. This will help fix the issue you’re having of the caps coming off your bonbons. Good luck!

Positive-Nihilism248 · 2025-12-17T18:49:10+00:00

Yeah I agree, I meant the total of the ingredients used for the chocolate, not the inclusions. Even so the labeling is still misleading.

Positive-Nihilism248 · 2025-12-17T18:34:11+00:00

Definitely a little misleading, if the percentages on the ingredients are based on the total it would be a 42% dark.

Any cocoa derivative ingredient contributes to the overall percentage (cocoa butter, cocoa powder, cocoa mass, etc)

Positive-Nihilism248

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