Cocao nibs questions

[Squatchy]

Hi

I have read so many people have been unhappy using coco powder because of the mess that I decided to use nibs instead. I used 1 lb in a 5 gallon batch of Wraithwildes Chocolate acerglynn. I used 1/3 lb in primary then added the balance when I was very near the end of fermentation. It doesn't taste as much chocolaty as it does like nuts.

I wonder if I need more? Will the flavor fade away as it ages or will it move to the front some?

I also have the question about the maple syrup. I tossed the whole thing in close to the end of fermentation. Unfortunately I must have misjudged how close I was to the end. It has ended up at 1020. I am sure the maple taste is part of the over all taste but my tongue might not have guessed it if I didn't know.

Same q's. Will it come on stronger later? I wish I had stabilized my batch before I tossed it into my must. Very expensive, more than honey, and now I'm faced with another bottle from Vermont.

Any comments are appreciated

Thanks

 

[bernardsmith]

Silly question - I know - but you roasted the nibs? I ask because I don't think the nibs themselves produce enough chocolate flavor as far as I am concerned (I mean even after roasting for almost 30 minutes at around 300 F) . I have not yet tried this for mead making but when I infuse the nibs in vodka (to make a version of Kahlua with coffee and chocolate ), the chocolate flavor comes to the front... So I wonder if what you may need to do is make an infusion and add the infusion to the mead just before bottling...
Never used maple syrup so I will leave that question to others..

 

[Squatchy]

Hi benardsmith

I had never heard about roasting the nibs. So I didn't. I will have to check if the place I bought them did before I bought them. I bet your suggestion is the best way to go. Why do you think it should go in right before bottleing as opposed to letting it age together?

 

[smertz001]

I would get some more nibs, roast them. I like to roast them at 275F for 15-20 minutes.

Then just put them in there and let them age on them for a while. I did a chocolate cherry imperial stout, and let them age for 1 month that way. Racked off and had a nice chocolate flavour.



Cheers!
-- Steve

 

[bernardsmith]

Hi benardsmith

I had never heard about roasting the nibs. So I didn't. I will have to check if the place I bought them did before I bought them. I bet your suggestion is the best way to go. Why do you think it should go in right before bottleing as opposed to letting it age together?

I think most of the nibs you will find are raw - fermented but raw. They may look roasted but they aren't but you need to roast them to bring out the chocolate rather than the nutty flavor they have.
As to my point about adding the infusion just before bottling , the chocolate flavor will be very pronounced in the infusion itself so my thinking is that you are not using the alcohol in the mead to draw out the chocolate oils and flavors . That you would have already done when you added the cocoa beans to the vodka. In that case simply adding the infusion and bottling will enable you to age the mead in the bottle and not in the carboy. You can certainly allow the mead to age in the carboy but again, you have extracted the cocoa flavors so you can free up the carboy if that was an issue (if you add roasted beans to the carboy you are using the alcohol in the mead to extract the flavor and that will take time. But the vodka, say, will work faster as the alcohol content is significantly greater ounce for ounce).

 

[smertz001]

Bernard makes a good point there.

I would also add a vanilla bean to it, as that will also help bring out more of the chocolate flavour as well.

-- Steve

 

[Squatchy]

Thanks evryone for your imput

 

[storm1969]

Good input, thanks. Would never have thought to roast the nibs!