Sylph Winnower

The Sylph winnower is the product of eight years observation, four years prototype work, thousands of pounds of cracked and winnowed test beans, and not a small amount of alchemical inspiration.

It is powder coated aluminum (the frame) and food grade PVC (the air flow/bean/nib path). It is a hand fed winnower that requires a cracker (a Champion Juicer is recommend and not supplied) and the use of a Shop Vac of some ilk. It was designed around a Shop-Vac brand wet/dry but others (with a 1.25" vacuum hose) may well work as the Sylph has a vacuum flow controller built in. It will winnow about 1 lb/min of ROASTED** cocoa beans.

Size:  18" x 18" x 20"

Weight:  17 lb empty

Efficiency*:

• Roasted beans: 75-82%

• Raw beans: 72-80%
  *82% is considered perfect, i.e. husk is about 18% the weight of average roasted beans

Throughput:

Without Deluxe cracker, i.e. standard Champion cutter head to crack and hand feed

• Raw or Roasted Beans: 50-60 lb/hour

• Raw Beans: 50-60 lb/hour

In both cases, and with the disclaimer that it depends on the roasting and preparation of your beans, you can expect to see no more than 0.5% of nib in the husk bin, and 0.5% husk in the nib in a single pass. For more difficult beans, it is still possible to have nearly husk free nibs, but it may require a few percent of nib in the husk or a 2nd pass.

Note: We DO NOT recommend other crackers and specifically not roller mills, automated or not. Those are great for hand winnowing but the sizes of the pieces don't work well.

• Deluxe Cracker (optional but recommended)

• Champion Juicer** (required)

• Vacuum (required)
  Champion Juicer

** We are aware that the Champion 2000 has been discontinued. We have verified used ones in stock and are happy to offer them to you. Right now there is no other option. This does not concern us and should not concern you. There are so many good ones out there and they last decades.

Many people already have a Champion juicer and it can do double duty - hence the decision not to include it by default. You can order an extra if you like of course.
If you are cracking raw beans, you will find that the blades on the Champion juicer cutter wheel will wear away. Usually about 5-10 times faster than if the beans are roasted. Checking the sharpness of the cutter blade routinely is recommended. A heavily used (used every day, for many hours) Sylph may require a cutter blade every week. Moderate use with roasted beans may only require a change every couple months. The same goes for the housing on the Champion. After a couple months of use with raw beans, it has been found to crack and need to be replaced. This was not found with roasted beans.
The standard Champion cutter head will crack raw nibs, but depending upon the moisture content and preparation of the bean, the feed rate may may drop significantly (even to the point that they will not feed). If you insist on raw nibs, you may have to hand push them through the Champion. And likewise, expect the separation may not be as good since the raw husk is much closer to the density of the nibs. Generally I find if raw nibs are produced the final product needs to sieved through a 1/4" mesh.
The Deluxe Cracker handles raw beans very well and does not require hand pushing.
Vacuum
It was designed around a Shop-Vac brand wet/dry but others (with a 1.25" vacuum hose) may well work.

The Sylph is quite simple to use, but does rely on the user's technique a little. Roasted beans need to be cracked before you can use the Sylph. I recommend the Champion Juicer, ⁠with the lower screen removed. The Sylph has a 1 1/4" fitting that accepts 1 1/4" a standard small vacuum hose. It is not permanently attached should you decide you want to try other fittings or hoses.
There is also a vacuum control valve that allows you to fine tune the suction of your vacuum. You will introduce your cracked bean mixture into the feed tube in a steady stream (you don't just dump it in and walk away). The nibs hit a small deflector that slows their momentum and allows efficient separation in the air stream. There is also a valve (the discriminator) that allows you to fine tune the air flows to better separate husk from nib. Once separated, the nibs fall out of the lower opening (into a bowl or tray you provide) and the husk is drawn up and over, into a 5 gallon bucket, in classic vortex/dust collector fashion, resulting in very little dust in your vacuum.

Note: The Sylph will winnow raw nibs, but depending upon the moisture content and preparation of the bean, the degree of separation may drop significantly. Sometimes a 2nd pass of nibs is required. Generally I find if raw nibs are produced the final product needs to be sieved through a 1/4" mesh.

Q:  Can I save some money and supply my own 5 gallon?
A: The Sylph is supplied with a 5 gallon plastic bucket. Many people think all 5 gallon buckets are created equal and money can be saved by not buying the bucket. We have found this is not accurate and only sell these with the mated bucket.

Note: Shop Vacs and bowls are NOT included, but are needed. I recommend you find the Shop Vac locally. In general it will be much cheaper than me supplying it.

Many people already have a Champion juicer and it can do double duty - hence the decision not to include it. You can order an extra if you like of course.

The Sylph winnower will ship in one large box via either FedEx, UPS or USPS. You may be taken aback slightly at the shipping price. Due to the size, this ships as 'dimensional' weight, so although it only weighs around 18 lb, it ships as if it were over 50 lb. Brutal I know. Some assembly will be required (attaching the feed tube), but no screwdriver will be needed. Directions will of course be included and as much e-mail support as required for no extra fee.

12 month limited warranty: Chocolate Alchemy warrants to the owner of this product that it is free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of 12 months from the date of purchase.
The manufacturer’s obligation will be limited to repairing or replacing (at manufacturer’s discretion) F.O.B. (address city state zip) any part(s) of the product which is/are defective. The Sylph Winnower is non-returnable and non-refundable once purchased.
Such warranty will not apply to defects or damage resulting from tampering, modifying, cosmetic damage, acts of Nature, accidental breakage, abuse, negligence, neglect, and/or misuse.
The Sylph Winnower is designed and manufactured to function properly.
Chocolate Alchemy strongly recommends avoiding any modifications to the product.
Modifications will void the 12-month limited warranty and trolls will be sent after you.

If you must return the product or parts of the product for reasons of malfunction within the 12-month warranty period, the following action and steps are required:

1. Contact Chocolate Alchemy to determine repair or part replacement needs and to obtain a return merchandise authorization (RMA). Then ship prepaid (USA residents only) to Chocolate Alchemy by the most convenient method with the RMA clearly noted on the outside of the box.

2. The winnower must be packaged securely to protect from damage or breakage in shipment. Chocolate Alchemy accepts no responsibility for damages occurring in the shipping process. We highly recommend insuring the shipment in case of damage.

3. Even if not required, the rights in this warranty are granted to you.
   

4. Chocolate Alchemy will not be held liable for any special, incidental, or consequential damage, resulting from possession, use or loss of this product either directly or indirectly.