Purchasing Through a Distributor:
We partner with distributors to help you get what you need when you need it. These distributors are located across the country, are knowledgeable about all CQC products, and can provide a list of available coatings, pricing, and minimum orders. Please note that the Clasen products our distributors carry will vary. If you cannot find the product you are looking for, please ask your distributor or contact us for help.

Purchasing Direct:
Clasen is a wholesale manufacturer and therefore, we have large minimum order quantities for direct purchase.  These minimums help us run more efficiently and keep costs down for our customers.  If you are interested in purchasing direct, please contact us at info@cqc.com or 1-877-459-4500. Let us know what product(s) you are interested in, your end-use for the products, and your estimated annual volume so we can quickly help.

If you are interested in purchasing products from CQC but aren’t sure if you should be ordering directly or working with a distributor, please contact us at info@cqc.com or 1-877-459-4500.

Visit our Distributors Page

Occasionally, coating can pick up excess moisture, causing sugar bloom, or fat can migrate to the surface of the coating, causing fat bloom. Both types of bloom can cause an undesired look on the surface of the coating: a grayish crystallized appearance for sugar bloom and a cloudy grayish appearance for fat bloom.

For more information, please see our other FAQs related to bloom.

The fat system used in confectionery coatings does not require tempering. They can be quickly cooled.

If you have purchased one of our pure chocolate products and are re-melting it, please note that this is pure chocolate, not a compound coating and will need to be tempered

THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF BLOOM

• Fat Bloom
  This type of bloom occurs when the fat in the coating, or center, migrates to the surface of the solidified coating. Once it reaches the surface, it re-solidifies giving off a grayish appearance.
• Sugar/Moisture Bloom
  This type of bloom occurs when the surface of a coating gets moisture on it. The sugars in the coating dissolve in the moisture. As the moisture evaporates, the sugar crystallizes on the surface of the solid coating.

FAT BLOOM CAN BE CAUSED BY SEVERAL FACTORS

• Temperature fluctuations can cause the fat to start to melt, the liquid fat moves easily to the surface.
• Improper cooling can also cause bloom. As the coating solidifies slowly, portions of the fat stay in the liquid form longer and have the time to move to the surface.
• Not properly melting the coating before you use it can contribute to fat bloom.
• Sugar bloom is caused by moisture on the surface of the coating. Allowing the coating to get very cold as it sets and then putting it into a warm environment can cause condensation to form on the surface.
• Improper storage can lead to both types of bloom.

To identify whether your product has fat bloom or sugar bloom you can warm the surface of the coating by gently rubbing your finger across it, or using a warm hair dryer. When the surface is heated, if the grayish appearance goes away, you have fat bloom. If the grayish appearance does not go away, it is sugar bloom.

Fat bloom does not look nice, but it does not harm the eating quality of the product.

Sugar bloom does not harm the eating quality of the product, but adding water to the coating can affect the viscosity of the coating, which may make it difficult to work with.

You can get rid of fat bloom by remelting the product, reforming it, and then using proper application and cooling temperatures.

Sugar bloom is harder to get rid of because you need to eliminate the excess moisture from the product.

To properly melt coating, you can use a microwave. Place the product in a bowl and microwave it for 20-30 seconds at a time. After each 20-30 second interval, stir the contents. The product will melt quickly and is very easy to scorch if overheated. It is best to use a thermometer and melt until the well mixed coating is at about 115°F. Then allow the coating to cool to about 5 degrees above the melt point prior to using it.

We don’t recommend using double boilers since the coatings may absorb some of the escaped moisture. Commercially, coating is melted in large water-jacketed melting tanks.

Again it is melted to approximately 115°F and then cooled to about 5 degrees above the melt point of the coating. Coating should also be thoroughly agitated before application since fat migration to the surface may take place during the melting process.

Coating usually thickens when it picks up moisture. To thin it, you would need to add the PROPER oil to the melted product. Adding incompatible oil can cause more problems. It is best to properly store the coating to prevent moisture absorption.

Coating should be cooled at a temperature of about 45-50°F for 15-20 minutes. In our lab, we cool molds in the freezer for 3-5 minutes and then put them in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes until they are set.

If using a cooling tunnel, the entrance and exit of the tunnels should be 5-10 degrees warmer than the middle of the tunnel to avoid big temperature differentials and reduce the chance of condensation forming. Ideally, the middle of the tunnel should be about 45-50°F and the entrance and exit should be about 50-55°F.

As the product sets, it will start to pull away from the sides of the molds and allow for an easy release. If the product does not come out easily, it may not be properly set.

Once the coating is set, slightly twisting opposite corners of the mold will help it release from the sides. Flip the molds over; if the product does not fall out, you can lightly tap the mold on the table top

Freezing coating or product with coating on it will not hurt the coating.

However, you can damage the coating during the thawing process. If you thaw the coating too quickly condensation can form on the surface and cause sugar bloom.

It is best to thaw the product in steps. Go from freezer to refrigerator temps until the product is warmed, then take from refrigerator to room temperature.

We’re sorry to hear you are still having difficulties! Please contact us at info@cqc.com or 1-877-459-4500 and we’ll help!