Cocoa nibs or Dutch chocolate

[silverbullet07]

Getting ready to rack my raspberry wine and want it to age 3 months on chocolate. Should I use roasted nibs or Dutch cocoa powder?

Seems it would be easier to use the nibs. For the Dutch cocoa powder, can I blend it up in wine to make a liquid mixture to add to the carboy if I chose to use it?

 

[Jovimaple]

I don't have an answer but I am commenting to see if anyone else does.

I made some chocolate extract using nibs and vodka, but I am still toying with the idea of using nibs alone during aging. My sister has a cherry tree and I am hoping to get enough sour cherries this summer to make some wine. I want to make at least part of it chocolate cherry. If I use the extract, it seems others usually add extracts close to bottling time, so that's what I am going to try.

 

[silverbullet07]

I don't have an answer but I am commenting to see if anyone else does.

I made some chocolate extract using nibs and vodka, but I am still toying with the idea of using nibs alone during aging. My sister has a cherry tree and I am hoping to get enough sour cherries this summer to make some wine. I want to make at least part of it chocolate cherry. If I use the extract, it seems others usually add extracts close to bottling time, so that's what I am going to try.

I used Torani Chocolate Milano Syrup a couple weeks before bottling and it did excellent.

 

[Raptor99]

For my Cherry Chocolate wine, I used cocoa powder in the primary, and coca nibs in the secondary. Cocoa powder creates a lot of sediment. To mix the cocoa powder for the primary, I added it to some hot water and whisked it thoroughly. I'm sure that a blender would work as well.

 

[silverbullet07]

For my Cherry Chocolate wine, I used cocoa powder in the primary, and coca nibs in the secondary. Cocoa powder creates a lot of sediment. To mix the cocoa powder for the primary, I added it to some hot water and whisked it thoroughly. I'm sure that a blender would work as well.

Did you roast the nibs or just add raw?

 

[Raptor99]

Did you roast the nibs or just add raw?

The nibs I purchased were pre-roasted.

 

[silverbullet07]

The nibs I purchased were pre-roasted.

What would be a good amount of nibs to add to raspberry? I am thinking 4oz-6oz to gallon?

 

[BernardSmith]

When I make a chocolate flavored liqueur I crush the roasted nibs until they are almost a paste (I have been unable to crush them to a paste) and that does seem to bring out far more of the chocolate flavors. Simply adding broken nibs or even processing them until they are a powder does not (in my opinion) bring out their potential. How much to add? It's not only the volume or weight of the nibs, it's the amount of time you allow the alcohol to extract the flavor.
One other possibility is to use a roasted barley (for brewing) that is roasted to a point that brings out chocolate flavors.

 

[Raptor99]

In my case for a 1-gallon batch I used 3 oz. of cocoa powder in the primary and then 15 g of nibs in the secondary. I briefly sanitized them in Kmeta and then just dumped them in without any crushing or grinding. I left them in the secondary for about a month. If you want to get finished faster you can use more nibs and/or crush/grind the nibs. Since I bulk age anyway, I was not in a hurry.

Cocoa powder vs nibs might produce a different flavor, as will primary vs secondary. I added the nibs to the secondary because I wanted a little more chocolate flavor. I think that using chocolate (or anything else) in both primary and secondary produces a more complex layering of flavor than you can get by doing either one alone. So there are many variables. In the end you need to experiment and adjust to the taste that you like.

The amount of cocoa/nibs that I used might totally overpower raspberry wine. I was making cherry chocolate wine, and I was going for a strong chocolate flavor. Maybe I should call it "Chocolate Cherry" instead of "Cherry Chocolate."

 

[silverbullet07]

@Raptor99
Thanks. I am looking for a hint of chocolate on the back side. I would like to be able to smell it too. The Torani Chocolate Milano Syrup did really well but I would like to be able to get the chocolate in with out adding a lot of volume the syrup came with.

It will be bulk aging for 6 months at least. So I thought I would add about a pound to 5 gals and check in three months to see what flavor it acquired.

 

[Raptor99]

I think that adding a small amount of nibs would work for you. Once the nibs had been in secondary for 1 month, I took one out and chewed it up (you can eat them!). There was almost zero chocolate flavor left at that point, so I think leaving them in longer than that would not affect the flavor. You could add some nibs, then after a month stir or rack and taste. If the chocolate flavor is not strong enough you could add a little more.

I think that a lb. of nibs in 5 gallons might be way too much. You might want to try about 1/4 lb. You can always add more if that is not enough.

 

[silverbullet07]

well I added 1lb of nibs to 5 gal and a month went by. Seemed all the cocoa was extracted from the nut. I "may" taste a hint of chocolate. Defiantly not enough for it to really tell. I racked it off the nibs and will let it set for a couple months before deciding to add anymore or not. May just let it ride out and age as is. I can always add the Torani Chocolate Milano Syrup if I want to add more at bottling.

 

[wendy_7770]

I used Torani Chocolate Milano Syrup a couple weeks before bottling and it did excellent.

Any issues with clearing? Was it cloudy?

 

[silverbullet07]

Any issues with clearing? Was it cloudy?

No it did great.