Our Story
Hello, my name is Jeffrey Botticelli, I began making chocolate in San Diego, CA in 2006 while working for Natures First Law/Sunfood Nutrition, Fortina Chocolate came to be in 2007. I Moved to Sedona, AZ in 2008 joining Kelly Johnson(Chocolatier) and Chocolatree Eatery. Like so many, I have been a chocolate enthusiast throughout life and it has been a great joy to create flavorful, simple, and complex confections over the past 17 years as a small craft Chocolatier!
Tempering chocolate is the process of melting chocolate, cooling it down, and slightly heating it up again. Basically, it is raising and lowering the temperature of melted chocolate so that the fat crystals in the cacao butter stabilize. You are simply adjusting the characteristics of the melted chocolate so that it sets up with a nice, glossy shine, doesn't melt in your hands upon contact, has a pleasing texture when eaten, and melts nicely on the tongue. I use this technique of tempering upon a Serpentine slab.
My back round as a farrier and blacksmith provided the foundation for tempering chocolate through the tempering process with steel. Tempering is a process of heat treating, which is used to increase the toughness of iron-based alloys. My transition from this work into chocolate making translated fairly easy, and as a result I am a self taught chocolatier.
I am exited to share this movement in chocolate making, stories, and health benefits with you. This is a food that both warms the heart and brings a smile to your face.
Cheers,
Jeffrey
Hand Tempering : The Process
We craft all of our chocolates by hand on a stone slab. The process is called ‘tempering’.
Tempering is the process of melting chocolate, cooling it down, and slightly heating it up again. Basically, it is raising and lowering the temperature of melted chocolate so that the fat crystals in the cacao butter stabilize. You are simply adjusting the characteristics of the melted chocolate so that it sets up with a nice glossy shine, doesn't melt in your hands upon contact, has a pleasing texture when eaten, and melts nicely on the tongue.
If you have never tempered chocolate before, don't get discouraged if it doesn't work right away. Likewise, if you get it right the first time, don't assume that will be the case every time. There are many factors that go into the process of tempering. For example, it is generally easier to temper chocolate in a cool, dry environment than in a warm humid one, this pertains to not just the climate inside the room but the weather outside.
Tempered chocolate sets quickly at room temperature, hardens as it dries, is shiny and brittle, contracts slightly as it sets (and therefore releases its self easily from the molds), has a smooth mouth~feel, and, once set, holds its luster and shape at room temperature fro extended periods of time with out melting.
Once reheated past a certain temperature, the chocolate will melt, and at that point it is no longer tempered. Untempered chocolate dries very slowly at room temperature, is tacky to the touch, sticks to the inside of a mold, has a cakey texture when eaten, and usually has a blotchy appearance.
