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The Melanger Guide

Pour your batch into ten stone melangers at once and see which can run it. Then watch a measured run, hour by hour.

One melanger runs your 1–⁠2.5 kg batches in one go.

The Spectra 11, $449, runs both at 33–⁠83% full. Your largest batch is above the 75% Chocolate Alchemy suggests.

Spectra 11

$449

FitsEvery published figure covers your batches.
Maker’s pagefor the Spectra 11 (opens in a new tab)
FitsSpectra 11Every published figure covers your batches.
Start from
Your smallest and largest batch

Everything that goes in the drum: nibs, sugar, any milk powder and cocoa butter.

Budget, up to
Mains power

Spectra

Spectra 11

$449 (110 V) or $475 (220 V), on sale from $800. With speed control, $849 (220 V only). Chocolate Alchemy sells it for $485 shipped.

Load we use: 0.45 kg to 3 kg.

Product page: up to 3 kg. The 1 lb minimum is from Spectra’s 2016 manual and Chocolate Alchemy.

The 2016 manual and Chocolate Alchemy say up to 8 lb.

Drum
8 L
Tilts to pour
No
Speed control
Optional, 220–240 V
Power
110 V or 220 V
Warranty
1 year (contiguous US)
Weight
19 kg
  • 8 L removable stainless drum
  • Adjustable stone pressure; two scrapers
  • The current page gives no wattage; the 2016 manual lists 200 W (300 W with speed control)
  • The melanger Chocolate Alchemy sells and supports
  • 110 V or 220–240 V; speed control only at 220–240 V.

Care. Spectra’s manual: never leave it completely unattended, and watch for condensation in the first 3–5 hours (or run with the lid off).

Maker’s page Search Amazon affiliate Chocolate Alchemy’s listing

Source: Spectra product pages and 2016 manual, checked 1 October 2026.

Your batches in this drum

From 33% full for your smallest batch to 83% for your largest. Chocolate Alchemy suggests 25–75% for steady results.

Fits: both; Check / Ask first: confirm; runs: split; Over max / Under min: limits; Oversized: drum too big; Neither end: both fail; dashed: filters.

MachineYour batchesPriceLoad we useDrumTiltsSpeed controlPowerMaker’s page
Spectra2 runs?$380no min – 1.5 kgNot statedNot statedNot stated110 V, 220 VPagefor the Spectra Mini (opens in a new tab)
Elgi Ultra2 runs$3500.7–2 kg2 LNot statedNot stated110 VPagefor the Elgi Ultra Chocogrind (opens in a new tab)
CocoaTownUnder min$4401.4–2.3 kgSpecifications maximum 3 kgNot statedNot statedNot stated110 VPagefor the CocoaTown CocoaT5 (opens in a new tab)
SpectraFits$4490.45–3 kgDocuments range 0.45–3.6 kg8 LNoOptional, 220–240 V110 V, 220 VPagefor the Spectra 11 (opens in a new tab)
PremierCheck$4401.9–3.5 kgDocuments range 1–3.8 kgNot statedNoNot stated110 V, 220 VPagefor the Premier Chocolate Refiner 8 lb (opens in a new tab)
PremierCheck$4902.5–4.5 kgDocuments range 1–5 kgNot statedYesNot stated110 V, 220 VPagefor the Premier Tilting Refiner 10 lb (opens in a new tab)
CocoaTownUnder min$6604–4.5 kgDocuments range 3–4.5 kgNot statedNot statedNot stated110 V, 220 VPagefor the CocoaTown CocoaT 12SLTA (opens in a new tab)
SpectraOversized$2,100no min – 6 kg (about)22 LYesNo220 VPagefor the Spectra 20NB (opens in a new tab)
SpectraOversized$2,799no min – 6 kg (about)22 LYesYes220 VPagefor the Spectra 25NB (opens in a new tab)
CocoaTownOversizedAbout $11,500on quoteno min – 45 kgNot statedYesNot stated220 VPagefor the CocoaTown ALPHA100 (opens in a new tab)

Loads are the strictest figures across each maker’s own documents: the higher minimum and the lower maximum. Where documents disagree, the row says so. Prices and loads checked 1 October 2026.

Buy for both ends of your batch

A melanger has a floor as well as a ceiling: makers publish a minimum load as well as a maximum. So the guide checks your smallest batch against each machine’s minimum and your largest against its maximum. The 1 kg test batch that fits a Spectra 11 is under a CocoaT5’s minimum, and at the disputed bottom of the Premier tilting refiner’s range.

The figures come from the makers’ own product pages and manuals, checked on 1 October 2026. Where a maker’s documents disagree, the verdict says “Check”: worth an email before you order. A clear capacity with no published minimum gets a note when the batch reaches 25% of capacity; smaller batches are marked “Too big”. The Spectra Mini, 20NB and 25NB say “Ask first”: the Mini’s capacity does not name the material, and the larger models’ “6 kg of cocoa” capacity is ambiguous. A batch too big for any one run is split into equal runs, and the guide pours them into the machine side by side.

What a run does

Stone refining is slow. In a measured 24-hour run in a Spectra 11, particle size fell from over 50 µm to 20–25 µm by hour 8 and 10–15 µm by hour 24. Most makers aim for 15–25 µm, where grit disappears without the chocolate turning gummy. Open A run, hour by hour to see it against the lid and sugar timings makers use. Then weigh out your batch in the Chocolate Lab.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the guide judge a fit?
Your smallest and largest batch are each checked against a machine’s minimum and maximum load. A fit is sure only when every one of the maker’s documents agrees. Conflicting load figures require confirmation. With a clear capacity and no published minimum, the guide adds a note for batches at or above 25% of capacity; smaller batches are marked too big for the drum. The Spectra Mini, 20NB and 25NB still say “Ask first”: the Mini’s capacity does not name the material, and the larger models’ “6 kg of cocoa” capacity is ambiguous. A batch over the maximum can be split into up to four equal runs, as long as each run stays inside the range, and the guide prefers a sure plan with room in the drum before an ambiguous single run.
Are the 3D melangers accurate models?
They are drawings, not measured models of each machine. Each drum is drawn in proportion to its maximum load, so the 45 kg ALPHA100 towers over the 1.5 kg Spectra Mini, and the chocolate level is your batch as a share of that maximum. The figures behind them come from the makers’ own pages and manuals.
What size melanger do I need?
Size it to the batches you will actually make, smallest and largest, and check both ends against the machine’s minimum and maximum load. A 1 kg test batch is under the published minimum of several popular machines: the CocoaT5 starts at 3 lb, and the Premier tilting refiner’s product page says 1.3 kg (its manual gives 1 kg on one page and 2.5 kg on another). Chocolate Alchemy suggests running between about 25% and 75% of capacity.
Why do the minimums disagree?
Because the makers’ own documents do. Premier’s 8 lb refiner lists 1–3.5 kg on its product page and 1.9–3.8 kg in its manual; CocoaTown’s CocoaT5 gives 3–5 lb in its description and 3–6 lb in its specifications. Where they disagree, the guide shows the span and asks you to confirm with the maker rather than calling it a fit.
How long does chocolate stay in a melanger?
Dandelion Chocolate suggests at least 8 hours and typically finishes small batches in 14–24 hours; Chocolate Alchemy reports 8–48 hours, about 18 on average. In one measured run (500 g in a Spectra 11), particle size fell from over 50 µm to 20–25 µm at 8 hours and 10–15 µm at 24 hours. Stop when both texture and flavour are right, within your machine’s run limit.
What particle size should I aim for?
Chocolate Alchemy targets 15–25 µm, puts noticeable grit at about 30 µm and warns that chocolate can turn gummy below about 10 µm. Dandelion pulls its chocolate at 20–30 µm. A grindometer reading and a lab particle-size figure are different measurements, so compare like with like.
When should I add the sugar?
Makers disagree. Dandelion tests adding it between 30 minutes and 2 hours in, depending on the beans; CocoaTown waits until the nibs reach about 90 µm; Chocolate Alchemy says the timing doesn’t matter. Add it gradually either way, and never add anything containing water.
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