Additional Info
Ingredient Information
Ingredients: Cocoa Beans, Rice Bran Oil (trace). Whole beans, up to 10% broken + husks (<.5%) by weight. NOT alkalized. NOT raw.
Direct Trade: Nov / Dec 2016 Harvest. Traceable to farm level. The Farming Community earned 51% on top of Rainforest Alliance premium prices by shelling their cacao locally.
Allergy-Friendly: Produced in shared facility (no shared equipment) with Milk, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Fish and Shellfish.
Microbiological Specifications: Lab Results available on request. Aerobic Plate Count (<10,000 CFU / g), Yeast / Mold (<1,000 CFU / g), E. Coli / Salmonella (Negative), Cadmium (<1PPM), Lead (<0.1PPM).
Roasting Parameters
Roasting for Food Safety: Cacao beans must be roasted according to the following time & temperature parameters (salmonella and e.Coli are the primary food safety concerns). Remember, oven temperatures may vary, so roast at higher times & temps if you are unsure.
280°F for 20 min; 250°F for 30 min
Roasting for Flavor Development: After you roast PAST the minimum for food safety, then you can play with flavor development. If you're roasting for chocolate-making, I have limited experience (roasting whole beans for snacking cacao is completely different), but may be able to answer some specific questions. For chocolate making, Chocolate Alchemy is an excellent resource.
Resources for Food Safety: Inactivation of Salmonella during cocoa roasting and chocolate conching
Resources for Flavor Development: Chocolate Alchemy