|
*online ordering available only for wedding and anniversary favors
Frequently Asked Questions
W hat is real chocolate made of and why is it such a big deal?
Real chocolate is made from Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Fresh Whole Milk, Chocolate Liquor,
Lecithin (an emulsifier) and Vanillin. It's a big deal because those are the ingredients
that must be in chocolate by FDA regulations in order to be called chocolate.
Imitation chocolate, on the other hand, substitutes cheaper ingredients for those
that make chocolate the real thing. Here are the usual substitutions:
- Chocolate liquor is replaced with cocoa
- Fresh whole milk is replaced with whey solids
- Cocoa butter is replaced with palm kernel oil
The lesser quality chocolates may also be loaded with preservatives. It tends
to taste waxy and watery. Sometimes paraffin is actually added. Am I making
anyone hungry?
H ow come 2 different brands of chocolate may list identical ingredients, but
taste completely different?
The main reason is that there are many different types of cocoa beans, just
as there are many different types of coffee beans. It is the cocoa bean that
gives each type of chocolate it's distinctive flavor. Most chocolates are made
with different blends of beans. Another factor is the proportion of the ingredients.
One chocolate may contain more cocoa butter than another and thus be creamier.
One more reason for a difference in taste and texture is how long the chocolate
was conched (mixed in a special conching machine) at the factory before being
molded into bars to send to candy making factories. Conching helps to develop
the flavor and smoothes out the rough edges of the sugar particles.
H ow are white chocolate and dark chocolate different from milk chocolate?
Dark chocolate (also called semi-sweet) has less cocoa butter than milk chocolate
and it also has milk fat (but no more than 12%) instead of fresh whole milk.
Semi-sweet chocolate has at least 15% chocolate liquor. It has a more intense
chocolate flavor than milk chocolate. White chocolate has no chocolate liquor
in it whatsoever. Real white chocolate (as opposed to the fake stuff made with
palm kernel oil) is made with just 4 ingredients: sugar, cocoa butter, whole
milk and vanillin. It tastes somewhat chocolatey because of the large amount
of cocoa butter that it contains.
W hat is the difference between hand made chocolates and machine made chocolates?
Machine made chocolates have oils and fats added to the chocolate to thin it
out so that the machinery doesn't clog up with hardened chocolate. We do not
adulterate the chocolate in any way.
D o you eat chocolate?
No, Never.
 
H ow much chocolate do you produce in one day?
Depending on how many dippers we have working that day, anywhere from 40 to
100 pounds, produced one puddle at a time.
W hat 
is your best seller?
It would have to be the Chocolate Covered Potato Chips and the Assorted Chocolates.
The Chocolate Covered Potato Chips are so popular that we have 1 person, Brad,
(also known as Chippy), who does nothing but cover potato chips.
W hat causes chocolate to bloom?
Blooming (white streaks or spots in chocolate) is caused by temperature extremes.
If the chocolate is poured at the wrong temperature it will bloom. If the chocolate
is poured at the correct temperature, but is later exposed to heat, then allowed
to cool, it will also bloom.
D o you ever sell the 10 pound blocks of chocolate?
Yes, you would be surprised at how many we sell. Some people buy them just to
eat. Others buy them to make candy at home. I'm sure they don't nibble as they
work.
H ow
do you make molded chocolates?
We melt the chocolate slowly and gently over a double boiler. We then mix the
chocolate so that the temperature is even through out the kettle. We then place
some warm (not hot) chocolate on a dipping table and spread it out into a puddle.
This process is called tempering. We spread it out on the dipping table and
mix it in order to expose it to the cool air of the factory. The chocolate must
be nice and cold when we use it. It feels kind of like chocolate pudding when
it is ready to use. This tempering process prevents blooming. The technical
explanation is that we are reforming the crystal patterns that the chocolate
was in before we melted it. This method allows the sugar crystals to knit back
together tightly in their original formation. Properly tempered chocolate should
have a nice shine and a nice, crisp snap to it when broken. It should not bend
or crumble.
W hat happens if the chocolate gets too warm when it is melting?
When it dries, the finished product will resemble dried mud - not very appetizing.
The reason for that is that the sugar crystals burned and there is no way too
revive them. The chocolate would have a hard texture and it would not be creamy.
You wouldn't be able to give it away.
 H ow
is the candy wrapped?
The wrapping process is very low tech. For foiled candies, we place the chocolate
in the foil and press it around the piece. We then burnish it by hand to bring
out the details in each piece. The chocolates that are wrapped on cellophane
are placed in the appropriately sized cello bag and sealed shut with a little
iron.
D o you eat your mistakes?
Only if no one is looking.
H as anyone ever tried to get locked in the store overnight?
We know all of the hiding places, so far no one has been successful.
D o you make Sugar Free Candy?
Yes, we do make sugar free chocolate and it is sweetened with Maltitol, which
is a carbohydrate. We can make any of the molded items or nut clusters in sugar
free. Unfortunately, we can not make any of the hard candies or assorted chocolates
in the sugar free. The sugar free costs about 25% more than the regular chocolate.
W hat is the best part of your job?
In a nutshell, candy makes people happy. So if a customer arrives in a less
than jovial mood, once they hit the sample box, they're usually pretty happy.
Christmas is the best because people come into the factory to watch us make
candy canes and ribbon candy and we can tell that it's one of the highlights
of their holiday season. For many people, the trip to Hercules Candies is part
of their holiday tradition, just like trimming their tree.
D o you give tours?
We give formal group tours for groups of 10 - 20 people by appointment only.
These book up fast, so try to call about 3 months in advance to schedule one.
We do not give formal tours during our very busy candy making times of the year
because we must concentrate on the candy making. The tours are for groups of
at least 5 years old and up. The pre-k set doesn't really understand what we
are talking about.
We allow informal tours pretty much any time someone is making candy. Informal
basically means we just take you into the factory and let you watch us make
candy and ask questions. If you want to watch us make candy, call the day you
are coming to be sure someone will be making candy at that time.
W hat is the difference between a formal tour and an informal tour?
With a formal tour, you actually get a tour guide who will give a talk and also
show you a video tape of how Ribbon Candy, Candy Canes and Peanut Brittle are
made. The formal tour takes about 40 minutes and you must have at least 10 people,
but no more than 20. The informal tours are available anytime someone is making
candy.
H ow come everyone who works there isn't fat?
Because there are stairs down to the factory. If you go up and down them 50
or so times a day, you can eat a decent amount of chocolate without gaining
too much weight.
|
