Grease the roller stones and roller holder shaft with liberal amounts of cocoa butter (if you are using it for grinding cocoa nibs) or nut butter (if using for grinding nuts). Place the roller stone assembly in the stainless steel drum. Lock the roller assembly in place. Add cocoa butter to the grinding vessel (SS drum). Start the melanger or Grindeur. Once the roller stones start rotating, add the cocoa nibs or nut powder slowly. For cocoa nibs, heat the initial batch in a microwave for 20 seconds or heat the cocoa nibs inside the drum with heat gun. Once the cocoa butter melts, add rest of the cocoa nibs slowly. It takes about 20 minutes to complete adding all the nibs to the melanger / Grindeur. Make sure that the roller stones are rotating freely without any struggle. If the roller stones are struggling, stop adding more cocoa nibs. Heat the nibs using a heat gun till the cocoa butter melts. Do not add whole nuts. Nuts have to powdered or cracked into smaller pieces before adding to melanger / Grindeur.

1. Do not add whole nuts. Nuts have to powdered or cracked into smaller pieces before adding to grindeur / Grindeur.
2. Add the ingredients after starting the unit.
3. If you are using cocoa nibs, make sure that the roller stones, roller holder, drum are all free of moisture. Wipe all the parts thoroughly before assembling them.

The CocoaT melanger / Grinder have roller stones that are lighter weight than the traditional single stone grinders. To compensate the weight, there is a tension from the top that presses the roller stones down against the stainless steel drum. If the nibs or nut powders are added first, they will prevent the roller stones from rotating. This in turn will damage the belt, center delrin pin, motor etc. and reduce the life of the melanger / Grinder. So please follow the instructions carefully.

We recommend pregrinding the cocoa nibs in CocoaT mini Pregrinder or similar equipment that powders the cocoa nibs rather than make it into a paste. Adding the nibs warmed in microwave/ conventional oven or adding powdered nibs ensures that the melanger gives trouble free performance for a long time.

Pregrinding the cocoa nibs in a Champion juicer or similar units makes it into the semisolid cocoa mass which is neither liquid nor solid. Conical roller stones make complete contact with the bottom stone of the stainless steel drum. When adding the semisolid mass, it makes the stones jump too much and it can damage the stones. In addition, it is harder to clean the semisolid cocoa mass from the juicer and wastes precious cocoa. Making it into powder makes the cleaning easier and there is minimum wastage.

For most cocoa beans, adding the sugar after the cocoa nibs is ground to 90 micron size makes good chocolate. If the beans have delicate floral notes like Madagascar beans, add the sugar two hours after adding the beans. Sugar produces heat when grinding and the heat caramelizes sugar and coats the cocoa particles if it is added too early. Once the cocoa particles are encased in caramelized sugar, the following things happen:

1. The whole cocoa mass becomes too thick and one or both roller stones stop spinning
2. It can damage the center pin of the drum which is the weak link to prevent the motor from overheating
3. The sugar coated cocoa particles are harder to grind
4. The volatiles do not escape easily during conching cycle, as the cocoa particles are coated with sugar

If the sugar is added after the nibs are ground to 90 microns, the following things happen:

1. The sugar mixes better with the cocoa particles. As one of our customer puts it “The cocoa liquor is ready to accept the sugar”
2. The heat released from the sugar helps the volatiles to evaporate and produces fine tasting chocolate.
3. The machine lasts longer as the stones rotate freely.

The center disc is attached to the granite base of the stainless steel drum with food grade glue in ECGC melangers. When the unit is turned on, the motor will try to rotate the stainless steel drum which in turn rotates the roller stones. If for some reason, the roller stones stop rotating, the motor will try to rotate the stone by drawing too much current. This can damage the motor which is very expensive to replace. To avoid the damage to the motor, the center pin detaches from the stainless steel drum. The center disc is a safety mechanism and weak link to prevent the motor from burning out. It is not a manufacturing defect. Customers will hear a loud, high pitch sound when the stones or drum stalls and the center disc is about to detach from the drum. Always monitor the melanger when in use, to prevent damage happening to the melanger/Grinder.

Additional Reasons:

1. Washing the melanger / Grinder drum with hot water can damage the food grade glue and separate the roller stone adaptor.
2. Heating the drum in the oven can damage the glue and separate the roller adaptor from the granite stone.
3. Preheating the drum can also damage the glue connecting the granite stone and roller adaptor.
4. Increased viscosity of the chocolate liquor – high viscosity prevents the roller stones from moving normally.
5. Adding milk powder with sugar and grinding it for a long time increases the viscosity of the chocolate liquor. Grind just cocoa nibs and sugar and grind to the required consistency. Add milk powder at the end and mix it with chocokneader for just 5 minutes.
6. Please also read the reasons why the roller stones stop rotating.

Here are the steps to glue the center pin back to the stainless steel drum.

Tools needed: Food grade, high temperature, two part epoxy glue (resin and hardener), emery (sand) paper

• Thoroughly remove the residual glue attached to the granite stone in the SS drum with emery paper (sand paper) till the granite is exposed.
• Thoroughly remove the residual glue attached to the center disc. Or use a new center disc.
• Apply the high temperature, food grade epoxy glue (according to the package directions) to the delrin center disc.
• Place the Stainless steel (SS) drum upside down.
• Insert the center disc and press it hard till the center disc is in place.
• Turn the SS drum right side up and clean the excess glue from around the center disc (in food contact area).
• Turn the SS drum upside down again and place some heavy weight on the delrin center disc during the glue curing period.
• Leave it for 24 hours for the glue to cure (or as per glue manufacturer’s instructions).

Caution:

Make sure that the center disc is installed straight down. If the center disc is not installed right, the stones will not rotate right and can create more problems.

Or the alternate is to buy a new drum from cocoatown.com.

Answer: This can be caused by few reasons.

1. Solidified cocoa liquor or ingredients between the roller shaft and roller stones: Presence of chocolate between the roller shaft & roller stones can make the roller stone to freeze and prevent it from rotating normally. This in turn can damage the center pin of the stainless steel vessel.
   After each use, remove the roller stones from the roller shaft (by removing the nut at the end of the roller shaft) and clean inside the hole thoroughly. Clean the stainless steel
2. Leaving the cocoa/chocolate liquor in the melanger when it is not in use: If you are stopping the grinding and continuing it later, remove the cocoa/chocolate liquor into a different container. Before switching on the melanger to resume grinding, first make sure that the roller stones rotate freely on their axles.
3. Roller holder assembly is stuck to the bottom stone of the stainless steel drum: If the roller holder assembly is stuck due to solidified cocoa mass, melt the contents using a hair dryer and try to slowly release the roller holder from the bottom stone.
4. Not cleaning the roller stones thoroughly between the batches – If the chocolate is stuck to the outside of the stones making the roller stones uneven, one stone may not rotate properly. Make sure to clean the roller stones thoroughly before using them. Or keep the drum and stones in a warm place so the left over chocolate does not solidify.
5. Dropping the roller stone assembly: This can cause the roller stone shafts to misalign and in turn stop roller stones from rotating freely
6. Starting the unit with the ingredients inside the drum: Adding ingredients to the stainless steel drum first and then starting the unit can prevent the roller stones from rotating normally. Always start the unit with only cocoa butter or any liquid you are using, and then add the ingredients slowly while the unit is running.
7. Tightening the tension adjustor too much: Some customers think that by tightening the tension to the maximum will result in faster grinding. But too much tension slows down the grinding. In addition, the friction between the roller stones and roller stone shaft increases resulting in abrasion and increased temperature. Increased temperature dries the thin layer of cocoa liquor/ chocolate liquor between the roller stone and the roller stone shaft and results in seizing of the stones. So if the stones stop rotating, release the tension till the stones start rotating again. If the stones have already stopped rotating, stop the unit, remove the roller stones from the shaft and clean the roller stone shaft and inside of the roller stones.
8. If nut pieces or bigger particle sized ingredients are used in the melanger, the stones can stop rotating. When using melanger for nut butters from macadamia nuts, pistacchios, almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts or any other tree nuts, or peanuts, always pre-grind them into powder or crack them into smaller pieces before adding them to the melanger / Grinder.
9. Adding thick mass of ingredients: Pregrinding the cocoa nibs in a screw type grinder makes the cocoa mass thick. If you have to pregrind the cocoa nibs into cocoa mass, melt it and then add to the melanger.
10. If the humidity is high in the air: High humidity can affect the viscosity of the cocoa liquor and it can prevent the roller stones from rotating normally.
11. Adding sugar too early in the grinding process: We recommend grinding the cocoa nibs to about 80- 90 micron size and then adding the powdered sugar.
12. Adding sugar too fast: Add the sugar slowly after the cocoa nibs are ground to about 90 microns.
13. Adding sugar with bigger crystal size or special sugars that change the viscosity of the chocolate liquor: If adding palm sugar, coconut sugar or other sugars with bigger crystal size, always pre-grind them.
14. Using beet sugar or sugar substitutes: These sugars can make the cocoa liquor thicker and can prevent the roller stones from touching the bottom of the stainless steel drum and in turn they stop spinning.
15. Low temperature: Cocoa butter has a low melting point and for the same reason, can solidify fast when the temperature drops below 90F. If the Grinder / Melanger is operated in an area where the room temperature drops below 85F, the cocoa mass can solidify and stall the unit. We recommend operating the unit under supervision at around at least 85F.

This can be caused by few reasons.

1. Shipping damage: If the box is dropped sideways, the weight of the stones pulls the metal piece to one side separating it from the surrounding delrin piece.
2. Dropping the Drum with roller assembly: Sometimes when removing the contents from the drum, if it is dropped with roller stones inside it, the center pin can break.
3. High Viscosity of the contents: If the melanger is operated without supervision, and the cocoa liquor becomes viscous for any reason, it can stop the roller stones from rotating. This can cause the damage to the metal pin.
4. If the cocoa liquor freezes inside the drum and somebody tries to remove the roller holder without completely melting the liquor, it can break the metal pin.

Unfortunately the center pin can’t be glued back. The customer has to order a new drum. Or they have to remove the center disc and install a new center disc.

This can be caused by few reasons.

1. If the roller holder assembly is washed with hot water or in the dishwasher, the wiper assembly can break. The metal molded to the delrin wiper expands with heat and it can crack the delrin which does not expand.
2. If the cocoa liquor gets thick or too viscous, it can cause stress on the wiper and break it.
3. Adding the sugar too fast or adding crystallized sugar – If the sugar is added too fast, all the sugar accumulates near the wiper and it stresses it causing it to break. Using special sugars with bigger crystals can also cause stress on the Delrin wiper
4. If the roller assembly is dropped, it can crack the delrin wiper

By reducing the stress on the wiper, one can prevent it from breaking.

1. Always handwash the roller stones with soap and room temperature water. Do not use it in dishwasher or use hot water to clean it.
2. Always monitor the mélanger when in operation and ensure the chocolate liquor temperature does not fall below 90F.
3. If using heat gun to heat the cocoa nibs initially, always point it at the roller stones. Do not point it at the metal or plastic parts of the drum or roller holder or wiper.
4. Avoid dropping the roller holder.
5. Pregrind the sugar and add it slowly.
6. Check the viscosity of the chocolate liquor/ cocoa liquor in the drum. If it is too thick find out the reason and fix the problem. Read complete FAQ to understand the reason for high viscosity. Read specifically the section - What causes one of the roller stones to stop spinning while grinding?
7. Use SS wiper instead of delrin wiper. (But still you have to follow instructions on adding sugar and keeping the viscosity low).
8. Always add the ingredients between the stones and away from the wiper.

One of the following reasons can make the lock arm pop up.

1. Always clean the underside of the roller holder paying attention to the cavity that sits on the center pin in the drum. If the hardened food is stuck in there, it can make it harder to lock the arm and in turn can make the lock arm to pop up
2. Adding bigger pieces of ingredients can make the roller stones to jump too much and can cause the lock arm to pop up. Always use preground materials if the ingredients are harder like nuts.
3. Overtightening the tension knob can make the lock arm to pop-up. The nut on the tension knob is there for a reason and prevents the user from overtightening it. Do not remove the nut from the knob. Also listen for the sound – if you hear the stones dragging sound, it means, there is too much pressure on the roller stones. Loosen the tension knob till the stone dragging sound goes away
4. Adding ingredients and then starting the unit – Read the instructions – always start the unit and then add the ingredients slowly
5. Lifting the unit by the lock arm – Always lift the unit from the bottom. Do not lift it by the lock arm handle

Start tightening the tension knob slowly. Stop tightening once there is resistance. Do not try to overtighten it. Also listen to the grinding sound. If you hear the stone on stone dragging sound, there is too much tension. Reverse the tension knob till the stone on stone dragging sound stops. Completely release the tension for adding ingredients or conching.

Sometimes, customers notice a black color substance near the wider end of the roller stone or on the side of the drum. This black stuff is caused by the Delrin and stainless steel rubbing against each other or stainless steel rubbing on stainless steel. Here are the reasons why it happens:

1. The wiper is too close to the drum wall
2. Solidified chocolate between the roller stone shaft and roller stones
3. Roller stones are not cleaned in between batches
4. Not enough ingredients in the drum
5. Adding sugar on the roller stones
6. Using sugars with bigger crystals
7. Using alternate sugars that increase the viscosity of the chocolate liquor
8. Using the melanger in a cold room (temperature less than 27C or 80 F)
9. Too much humidity
10. Too much tension on the roller stones
11. Not cleaning the underside of the roller holder assembly

How to avoid:

1. Check and make sure there is a gap between the wiper and the drum wall. A paper folded into two should slide easily between the wiper and the drum
2. The wider end of the wiper should be at the bottom (closer to the bottom stone)
3. Wiper should be perpendicular to the drum
4. Clean the roller stones between the batches
5. Grease the roller stone shaft and inside of the stones with semisolid cocoa butter and then assemble the stones. It lubricates the shaft and prevents the metal or Delrin wear out due to dry run
6. Always grind at least 3 -4 kgs (8-10 lbs) of total ingredients in the regular drum. Use Mini drum and roller stone assembly for test batches of 500 gm – 1KG (1-2 lbs)
7. Add sugar in between the stones. Do not add sugar on the stones or wiper.
8. Pregrind the sugar in CocoaT mini Pregrinder or other pregrinders
9. Check the viscosity of the chocolate liquor. It should flow freely
10. Keep the ambient temperature of the room to at least at 27 C (80 F)
11. If the room where the melanger is used has too much humidity, use a dehumidifier
12. Check the tension on the stones. If you hear the stone dragging sound, release the tension by turning the tension knob anticlockwise
13. If the underside of the roller stone assembly is not cleaned, it can wobble against the center pin on the drum and they can wear out.

Smoothness of the stones may affect the grinding efficiency.  However, there are other factors that will affect the grinding efficiency more than stone smoothness.

Change in the applied pressure on the stones affects the efficiency the most.  Pressure loss is caused by several factors such as 

1. normal wear and tear of the granite roller stones,
2. Wear on the bottom granite stone,
3. Wear of the Delrin inserts in the granite roller stones
4. Loss of spring tension due to fatigue.

Other factors affecting the grinding efficiency:

1. Belt Slippage caused by loss of belt tension.
2. Change in the ingredients etc
3. Too much husk with nibs
4. Nor scraping the splashed ingredients on the roller holder, side of the drum, on the wiper etc.
5. Too much gap between the wiper edge and the drum

Regular maintenance will help to maintain the pressure on the stones and grinding efficiency.  To restore the grinding efficiency perform the following steps:

1. Change belt for melangers at least once in 3-4 years . For Grinders adjust the belt tension as needed or change it to new fiberglass link belts that does not need tension adjustment. Newer ECGC-65E Grinders come with these high performance belts.
2. Change the tension spring every 2-3 years.
3. For Grinders, install the Tension gauge to measure the pressure exerted on the roller stones. It prevents operator error and makes sure the stones have same tension from batch to batch
4. Compensate the components wear by lifting the drum in the Grinder using drum height washers
5. Adjust the space between the wiper edge and the drum.
6. Check the Delrin insert in the roller stone – if they have worn out, replace the stones for melangers or Grinders. One can also take out old Delrin insert and install the new Delrin inserts. Things needed to replace Delrin inserts:
7. New Delrin inserts
8. Food grade two part epoxy glue
9. Lathe to drill the Delrin insert to the true center of the stone (after gluing it to the stone) if needed.
10. Changing the ingredients changes grinding time.
11. Did any of the ingredients change?
12. How much husk is there with nibs? – If the beans are not sorted and includes lot of flat beans, there is more chance for the husk to stick to the nibs. Husk takes longer to grind and gives gritty texture to the chocolate liquor
13. Is it fine granule sugar or big granule sugar? – Bigger granule sugars take longer to grind
14. Is it alternate sugar (other than cane sugar)? – alternate sugars like palm sugar, coconut sugar change the viscosity of the chocolate liquor and increases grinding time

CocoaT melangers and Grinders are designed to run for 72 hours continuously under constant supervision. We recommend switching off the unit if no there is nobody to monitor the unit when in use. If used according to instructions, these Melangers and Grinders work even after a decade.

If the unit is left running unattended and if any of the following events occur, it might damage the machine.

• Electricity might fail and cause the chocolate liquor to thicken (become more visocous). When the power comes back on, if the chocolate liquor is thicker, it might prevent the roller stones from rotating normally. This can cause the wiper or spring sleeve to break or center pin to come loose.
• One of the roller stones might stop rotating
• Viscosity of the chocolate changes due to humidity, temperature or other reasons

The spring sleeve and spring sleeve housing can break for the following reasons.

1. The lock arm is dropped on the roller holder assembly
2. The underside of the roller holder shaft is not cleaned properly and increases the tension on the roller stones
3. The tension knob is tightened more than needed
4. Some hard ingredient in the stainless steel drum that prevents the roller stones from rotating normally
5. Bigger pieces of nuts or other hard material is added to the drum that prevents the stones from rotating normally
6. Roller stone assembly is not locked properly before switching on the unit
7. The drum wobbling

How to prevent the breaking?

1. Close the lock arm gently. Do not leave it in upright position when not in use
2. Clean the underside of the roller holder shaft properly – make sure that the roller stone assembly sits properly on the center pin of the drum
3. When tightening the tension knob pay attention. When you feel the resistance and it is harder to tighten it more, reverse one thread. That is all the tension it needs. Overtightening increases the grinding time and damages the roller stones and Delrin inserts.
4. If the unit is left unattended and chocolate liquor / cocoa liquor can solidify (especially in colder climates). If the power comes back on the drum does not rotate due to solid chocolate mass, the spring housing will break.
5. Always powder the nuts before adding to the drum.
6. Make sure that the roller stone assembly is aligned with the hole on the spring housing and then lock the lock arm
7. Make sure that the drum is installed properly on the base of the melanger. If you are gluing the center pin, make sure that it is installed correctly.

The efficiency of the Grinder can be affected by lot of different factors. These are the things you need to do to bring the unit back to original performance:

1. change the roller stones ($600 +S&H for a set of 2) or change the Delrin inserts ($100 -$120  S&H depending on the model you have)
2. Change the tension spring ($35 +S&H)
3. install the tension gauge ($300 +S&H) on the swing arm, so the operators do not exert too much pressure on the stones
4. Check the belt tension
5. Change the belt to new fiberglass link belt ($120 for a set of 2 belts)
6. Add drum height washers if needed ($75 for a set of 3 washers)

Other things that help to extend the life of the parts and maintain the efficiency of the unit:

1. Use the right tension on the stones while grinding - 0-20 tension when adding ingredients or conching, 60-80 when grinding, (reading on the tension gauge) 
2. change gear oil once a year
3. If you want to continue using the existing belt, check & adjust the belt tension at least once in 2-3 months
4. make sure that the ingredients are not too viscous - if too thick and the stones or the drum rotates in slow speed, check the reason for viscosity and change the conditions for optimum performance of the grinder
5. Add the ingredients in between the stones and not on the stones
6. Lubricate the roller stone shaft and the delrin insert of the roller stones with softened cocoa butter before starting each batch
7. adjust the wiper gap - there should not be more than 1 mm gap between the drum and edge of the wiper 
8. make sure the fan on the control panel and the fan on the grinder unit is working when the unit is in operation
9. Make sure the unit operator reads FAQ and follows guidelines

The efficiency of the melanger can be affected by lot of different factors. These are the things you need to do to bring the unit back to original performance:

• change the roller stones
• Change the tension spring
• Check the belt tension
• Change the belt if needed

Other things that help to extend the life of the parts and maintain the efficiency of the unit:

• Use the right tension on the stones while grinding - no tension when adding ingredients or conching, turn the flower knob 6-8 turns when grinding,
• make sure that the ingredients are not too viscous - if too thick and the stones or the drum rotates in slow speed, check the reason for viscosity and change the conditions for optimum performance of the melanger
• Add the ingredients in between the stones and not on the stones
• Lubricate the roller stone shaft and the delrin insert of the roller stones with cocoa butter before starting each batch
• adjust the wiper gap - there should not be more than 1 mm gap between the drum and edge of the wiper 
• make sure the fan on the unit is working when the unit is in operation
• Make sure the unit operator reads FAQ and follows guidelines

The Delrin cap might break of due to the following reasons:

• There is too much friction on the Delrin insert from special sugars or from too much husk with the nibs
• The Delrin is not annealed properly

How to fix the broken cap?

• To start using the melanger, you can use a two part food grade epoxy glue to glue the cap back to the roller stone.
• Put the cap on the stone and use hair dryer or heat gun to attach it back to the Delrin insert.

How can we prevent it from happening?

• Add sugar, nibs and other ingredients in the space between the stones. Do not add them on the stones
• Do not wash the stones in the dishwasher

Normally, in CocoaTown melangers and grinders, grinding and conching happens at the same time. In some cases, the chocolate liquor may reach 15-18 micron size before the conching process is complete. When that happens, one can release the tension completely on the stones so the chocolate liquor is only mixed with air to assist in conching process. In some recipes and processes, the chocolatemaker prefers to conch the chocolate liquor for extended period (over 4 hours). In those occasions, conching attachment in the grinders and chocokneader in melangers come in handy. They only do the conching function without grinding the chocolate liquor further.

When one releases the tension completely on the stones, there is still a smaller amount of grinding happens. When the chocolate liquor becomes less than 15 microns in size, then the whole chocolate becomes chalky, loses all the flavors and starts sticking to your tongue and roof of the mouth. That is why conching attachment is useful because it improves the flavor of the chocolate without reducing the particle size and deteriorating the texture and mouthfeel.

CocoaT melangers and grinders are designed to grind cocoa nibs to 15-18micron size. If the chocolate is still coarse after 3-4 days of grinding, it may be caused by one of these reasons.

1. Cocoa nibs take only 6-8 hours to grind to 15 micron size. Sugar is the one that takes longer time. So try tasting the bigger particles to figure out if they are sugar particles, cocoa particles or husk.
2. Check the gap between the edge of the wiper and the drum – there should be only 1mm gap between the two.
3. Check if there are cocoa nibs and sugar crystals sticking to the roller holder assembly, wider part of the conical stone or the side of the drum (food splash zones)
4. Check if there is too much material in the drum – the total volume should be covering only 2/3 of the roller stone height. If the contents in the chocolate are above the top of the wiper, the ingredients may not be mixed well.
5. Check if there is too much husk with the nibs. 

How do I fix the problems:

1. If you find coarse particles are from the sugar, try pregrinding it. Do not use commercial powdered sugar/icing sugar or any other sugar that has desiccants or corn starch.
2. If the coarse particles are from nibs, try better winnower or manually remove the husk as much as possible. Sorting the beans and removing flat or unfermented beans before roasting also helps to reduce the amount of husk with nibs.
3. If the wiper is too far from the drum, adjust the wiper gap.
4. After adding the ingredients, use the spatula to scrape the contents from the food splash zone- the sides of the drum, the roller holder and the wider part of the conical roller stones etc.
5. When adding ingredients, add them only in the gap between the stones.
6. Use only recommended volume in the melanger.
7. If the problem is still there, contact CocoaTown customer service.

The efficiency of the melanger can be affected by lot of different factors. These are the things you need to do to bring the unit back to original performance:

• change the roller stones
• Change the tension spring
• Check the belt tension
• Change the belt if needed