Blogs

A few months ago I read a compelling dissertation by Cristian Melo on the loss of Ecuador's fine flavor cacao and the plight of Ecuador's tens of thousands of small farmers. It inspired to me to act, in some small way, to help small farmers and make delicious chocolate. As well, my fortuitous meeting with Dana Brewster and Mark DelVecchio of Millcreek Cacao Roasters , based in Salt Lake City, Utah, has created the opportunity for a powerful synergy linking Ecuadorian cacao producers directly with Millcreek Cacao Roasters. Taking advantage of my presence in Ecuador and close contact with the cacao trade here, the idea to buy beans directly from farmers and make chocolate with Millcreek Cacao Roasters was born.

I realized immediately we already had a direct trade supply chain for Ecuadorian chocolate all assembled-now we just need to get it operating. Ecuador has long been known as the world's largest producer of fine aroma cacao, which is a superior cacao with distinct flavor attributes not found in your average Hershey's, Mars, or other mass-market chocolate bar. We are working directly with cacao growers in Ecuador to bring this special flavor to you.

Kickstarter.com was my other source of inspiration. After seeing the success of Madre Chocolate's efforts, I decided we'd do something similar. We've opted for a direct trade model, where we buy cacao from Ecuadorian cacao growers' associations, ship it straight to Millcreek Cacao Roasters, and have it made into chocolate there. We'vechosenthis model over buying Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, or other "official" certification programs for a number of reasons. We won't get into the reasons here, but if you're really interested, a good place to start is by reading the aforementioned dissertation . We'll continue to address this issue in other posts soon.

We've established contacts with several growers' associations that produce some of Ecuador's best Nacional cacao beans, and the logistics are all sorted out. We'll be telling the stories of each of the farmers' associations with our bars.Shortly, we'll be presenting our proposal on kickstarter.com for you to look at. In the meanwhile, we'd appreciate it if you'd share this exciting project with your friends and associates. Help us help small farmers and save Ecuadorian heritage cacao while bringing the fine flavors of Ecuador to you!

just added a new recipe on my blog www.chocolatetradingcompanyuk.com/blog but could do with a lot more recipes. Does anyone have any that they can send ?

The Hawaii Chocolate Meeting

Aloha! Thanks to the replies. We conducted a survey to assess the status of Hawaii cacao/chocolate industry and thanks to those who fed us the necessary information. The results were presented during the HawaiiChocolate meeting last September 28, 2011 at the Hawaii State Capitol. Thanks to Skip Bittenbender and Amy Hammond who made this meeting possible. The participants agreed to organize Hawaii Chocolate Association, which willprovide central point (clearinghouse) for information in and out of Hawaii and to look out for the interests of the cacao / chocolate industry. A committee takes charge to research on the type of the association and other matters. A meeting will be called later this October and the Strategic Planning Workshop will be conducted sometime in December. We also deeply appreciate the presence of Representative Corrine Ching who is very much willing to support the industry.

Amy Hammond presented the review of the Hawaii ChocolateFestival 2011. It featured all the various
activities and sponsors during the Festival. The video made by the Hawaiian Airlines featuring Hawaii and its cacao/chocolate industry was also presented. I happened to view the video during my travel from the Philippines to Hawaii last August 18, 2011. Both videos were superb! You must see it, guys! The next Hawaii Chocolate Festival is set on February 26, 2012, February being declared as the Hawaii Chocolate Month. You may contact Amy Hammond for your inquiries regarding the Festival.

Dan O'Doherty presented the update on the Statewide Cacao Variety Trials by the UHM. More cacao will be planted to other sites of Hawaii for the variety trials. It gained more interest from the cacao growers presentduring the meeting and invited Dan to visit their farm and conduct same trial in their locations.

The meeting ended up with the simple evaluation of the whole day activity. Here are the comments:

+ We liked: Food, venue, cooperation of attendees, capturing viewpoints, interaction with others in the group, positive collective energy, facilitator, ability to network, became aware of what is happening, decorations, legislator present, democratic nature of meeting.

> We should change next time: more available parking, more chocolate, cover more farm issues, interisland
interactive connection , Skype??, shorter meeting , post meeting tour of something chocolate, everyone bring chocolate.

For me, it was a very comprehensive, insightful meeting. It was indeed a very fruitful and rewardingday for all of us! Skip was a great facilitator, always providing information- neat and clean. Amy is great at organizing events, with all of her skills from decorating to networking. Thanks to all who participated in the meeting. It wont happen without your help.

The Cacao Bean to Chocolate Tour

Ivisited the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory last October 14, 2011. Mr. Bob Cooper is a very good host who was so kind to tour us to his cacao orchard and factory. He sells a nice DVD at $15 showing the process from bean to bar at the OHCF.

The Kona Chocolate Symposium and Festival

I attended the Kona Chocolate Symposium and Festival on October 15, 2011. I was not that contented as to what they called symposium because it happened to be just a demo on chocolate beverages making. Only three chocolate recipes were taught. I liked the chocolate martini and the Chocolate with coconut cream and curry, though! I hope to get some more from the symposium next time, I hope they get better on that.

That evening, I enjoyed the Kona Chocolate Festival. It offered more chocolate food tastings, with wine, more music and dancing! It was also a venue of silent auction of many products and services in Hawaii. Thefestival was scheduled from 6:00pm- 10:00pm. So bad, I had to leave at 7:00pm to catch the flight to Honolulu.

Gods Amazing Perfect Work of Art!

I enjoyed the at least a part of the Big Island, the Outrigger Keauhou Hotel, the music, the dances, its beautiful sceneries and beaches depicting Gods amazing perfect work of art!

Thank You's

I especially would like to thank my Adviser, Dr. Skip Bittenbender who picked me up at my apartment at 3:45am and dropped me off to the airport to catch my 5:00am flight. He and his wife Dr. Donna Ching again picked me up at the airport at 9:30pm. So nice of them!

I am also happy to have met fellow Filipinos, Manny Cabanas who picked me up at the airport anddrove me to the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory to the Keauhou Hotel and Dr. Sonny Genio who was so kind to treat me for a lunch and sent me off to the airport to catch my 8:30pm flight.

I am so very grateful to the Fulbright Program which gave me the opportunity to travel here at the US and learn and enjoy all the adventures that come my way.Above all, for all these overwhelming blessings- I give all the praises and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. He's really awesome!

Our family has begun a trip around the world in search of cacao and chocolate. We will be travelling with our kids to France, Germany, Italy, Madagascar, Vietnam, Mexico, Ecuador, and many others. We have started blogging about it on a new site called The Chocolate Chronicles (founded by The Chocolate Life's Clay Gordon).

To find out more about us, try our Backgrounder.

To read the first few postings, click on the images below:

Preparing to leave NYC.

Our first day in Paris.

Meeting Mr. Mohr.

If you like the blog, please subscribe and comment on our trip! Our next stop will be the Salon Du Chocolat in Paris this week.

Yours,

-Cyrus

Took NJ Transit into Port Authority arriving around 11:00am in the City. Walked down to Meadow on 10th Street on Hudson. Joe Salvatore from Madecasse Chocolate was listed to be there with no specific time and found out on arrival he will show up at 2pm and stay until 5pm. Looked for a while at their amazing varieties of chocolates. I had tried some of them and read about many others on the Internet. Also learned there are many more out there I have never heard about. I have researched most of the North and South American chocolate makers and find almost all of what I do not recognize are European made. Bought a Dick Taylor, Dominican Rep.; Raaka, Dark with Sea Salt; Amano, Ocumare 70%; Taza Stone Ground 70%, and a Olive Sinclair, Stone Ground 75%. They were $7-9 a bar and weighed between 2-3 oz. each. Amano and Dick Taylor were the 2 oz bars. I try to buy as much Dominican dark chocolate to compare it to what I am able to produce working with the farmers and women cooperatives near the San Francisco de Macoris area.

From the Meadow I walked to Mariebelles on Broome near West Broadway and bought a Dark Aztec made with Columbian beans, 3.17 oz. for I think $5. Good value and reminds me of Dominican chocolate. The girl who works there told me about a Chinese women around the street on West Broadway who makes chocolate and shuts down after she has sold what she made that day. I couldnt find her this time and had to go.

Stopped by Vosges and bought a Dominican Dark and hesitantly bought a Mos Dark which has bacon in it. We tried a little after dinner with my nieces and we concluded it just makes it taste salty. No bacon flavor and I prefer nibs for my crunch.

Then I made the walk down Houston to Cocoa Bar near Clinton Street, to get there around 1pm when Balman Soltani was listed as available to meet. I walked in figured out who he was and showed him my chocolate paste, he asked me to sit down and ended up spending an hour and half speaking with him and his wife, Veronica. I showed them what I bought at the Meadow, Mariebelles and Vosges. Because they do not actually make the chocolate, I am not sure why I was asking them so many questions about the business but they were incredibly nice people and to be honest, it was wonderful to speak with them. Veronica actually used to work for Kraft and is going to put me in contact with a person who manages the grading, separation and selection of the beans. I am always trying to learn.

From the Cocoa Bar walked up to Gnosis Chocolates on 23rd near Park and saw Vanessa Barg who I met at last years chocolate show in NYC. I gave her a four oz. ball of my unfermented Dominican chocolate paste last year and had a fermented one for her this year. She liked the smell and tasted a little I had in powder form. I like Vanessa because she is the only one who actually tastes my paste when I show it to her (and Clay also). She was amazingly helpful and was teaching me a little more about the chocolate business. I love her chocolate and bought a dazzling darkness, 2 oz. for around $9 with a 10% discount.

Then walked a short distance to 22nd and 5th, L'Atelier du Chocolat and little shop with mostly confections. The Asian women working there asked me about what this chocolate weekend was and how I knew about it. They had a 68% Madagascar Vintage for 100g for $10. She bragged about their pricing being modest for the quality they provide. I tried a little bit and it is good, not great and has nibs. A little fruity at the end.

Walked across the street to the supply store and bought a few molds so I can practice at home and then down 22nd Street and 5th to Burdock. Nice place and very busy around 4pm. No discounts when I bought 6 single origin bars from Grenada, Bolivia, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Madagascar and Venezuela, 100 grams for $9 each and the Bolivian was $10. Just tasted a little of the Dominican bar, also very nice. A lot of flavors, starts out maybe tobacco and middle to end with a strong fruity flavor. They list the notes as tea and banana. It is better after the third try and lingers for some time. I reminds me of the paste I tried at the Rizek laboratory in the Dominican Republic a few summers ago.

From there I walked back to the Meadow and arrived little before 5pm and had a chance to spend some time talking with Joe from Madecasse. Extremely nice person and learned a great deal of what it might take me to get into this business. He had various samples and enjoyed tasting Madagascar chocolate.

Stopped by Jacques Torres at the Chelsea Market, said hi and asked how chocolate weekend was. Had spent too much money already and my backpack was already full of chocolate so I continued up to Port Authority, hopped on a bus for my 20 minute ride to Ridgefield.

Just tried the Raaka Dark with Sea Salt 71%, they list the notes as ripe raspberry, clove and citrus. I will go with the clove and citrus, and maybe a banana like rather than raspberry.

Missed one, Chocolat Moderne on 20 between 5th and 6th on the 9th floor. Very nice, was busy and bought a little box of dark confections for $15. Gave it to my nieces. She had generous samples and obviously loves her work. I would love to spend a few days with her learning how to make confections.

Dear Friends: There is just one species of cacao but different strains: Theobroma cacao, which is highly variable in its morphology depending of many surrounding factors and a quiet high unstable inner genetic, can be basically catalogued into two groups: The ones with purple seeds and the ones with white seeds. The purple seeded trees occasionally produce an offspring of a albino Cacao, which in some cases will bear only white seeded offspring creating a new strain by its own genetic changes. The terms criollo or forastero or trinitario means nothing, since forastero just means foreign and criollo means local strain. The central American cultures domesticated in ancient times strains with white or pink seeds because they knew that the lack of purple tannins in the seed produced a smoother chocolate drink, not as bitter as the purple seeded strains. So when a purple seeded strain appeared around they called it foreign and was usually rejected because of the bitterness of its seeds. So all purple seeded strains were considered forasteros independent of the exterior appearance of the Seedpod or Tree. But as well as today, different farmers cultivated and where passionate with different strains, however everybody knew that the whiter the seed, the better the chocolate drink, some domesticated pink seeded strains, other white seeded strains, etc. but all where local strains or criollos, pink seeded and white seeded. For example the natives of xoconusco, Mexico domesticated a strain with seeds with pink tones, in Izalco in El Salvador the natives domesticated a completely white seeded strain, and so forth... Some farmers, although in smaller scale domesticated purple seeded strains, these where local strains too, considered therefore criollos.
Short after the Spanish conquest two plagues attacked the central American region destroying most of the white seeded strains: Moniliasis and black pod disease. Since then, purple seeded hybrids, called trinitarios have ruled overt the market because of pest disease resistance and mayor production. This because the purple agents in the seeds repel most plagues and diseases and strengthens the plants productive properties but reducing strongly the flavor quality.
Because of this incident many of central American criollo strain plantations where greatly reduced and some strains even extinguished. Now with the new global fever for fine chocolate, many growers around the world are trying to rescue white seeded hairloom strains or create white seeded strain hybrids to get the best tasting chocolate of all. In my case Im trying to rescue only pure white and soft pink seeded strains for my plantation. The final complex flavors of the resulting chocolate are afected by the micronutrients of the earth where it is planted, so each cacao from a different location will have its own bouquet as in coffee

I will be at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris from Oct 20 - Oct 24, if you plan toattend pleasestop by the Brazilian booth and lets talk. I will be pleased to show you our best beans and chocolates.There will be a goodopportunity to meet and chat with many Brazilian cocoa growers. Check our ourweb site www.bahiacocoabean.com.br .

[Note: This post was edited by Clay to include a title. Lola Gedeon is the wife of ChocolateLife member Jim Lucas, a frequent and valued contributor here on TheChocolateLife.com. Jim has a cacao farm, the Fazenda Venturosa, outside of Itabuna in Bahia State, Brazil.]

Chocolate is more than just chocolate - the consumer is often uncritical in its selection and simply eats it without giving it a second thought. This blog(book) communicates knowledge about chocolate in order to in crease the pleasure in its consumption. Chocolate, such as is enjoyed today, is the product of a variety of specialist processes tailored to achieve maximum pleasure. This blog(book) contains a wealth of interesting facts and, after reading it, you will no longer just consume chocolate but will really savour and appreciate every bite.

Foreword (Christian Aschwanden CEO Max Felchlin AG)

Welcome!

Everyone knows chocolate, and just about everyone loves it, but only a few people know how it ia actually made. In this blog(book), we discribe the long journey "From the Finest Cocoa to Exquisite Chocolate": each individual stage, from cultivation and fermantation to the journey and production, requires consummate skill and expertise. We invest a great deal of care, experience and time in transforming the seeds of these fruits from the tropical Rain Forest into melt-in-the-mouth chocolate.

Chocolate is more than just chocolate - the consumer is often uncritical in its selection and simply eats it without giving it a second thought. This blog(book) communicates knowledge about chocolate in order to increase th pleasure in its consumption and to enable a critical appreciation. We are passionate about production fine flavour chocolate, wich is the product of a variety of specialist processes tailored to achieve maximum pleasure.

Troughout its 100-year history and despite the incredible amount of change that has taken place during this period, our company has been consistently dedicated to pleasure. We produce chocolate in our small factory in Schwyz and are happy to share the secrets of its wonderfull flavours with those who really appreciate it. If this blog(book) transforms you from a chocolate eater to a chocolate connoisseur, then we have succeeded in what we set out to do.

A Gem Among Culinary Delights

Full Circle - Back to the Roots

The hunger foor food and riches has changed the world. The voyages of discovery were inspired by the need for culinary treasures worth their weight in gold, namely by the search for spices that, 600 years ago, were precious and hugely valuable commodity available only in small quantities. However, the value of these spices went beyond the coffers of traders and princes and they unexpectedly infiltrated all levels of society. After Colombus landed on a Caribbean island in the New World in 1492, new foods started to enrich the menus of Europe.

Although the Spanish conquistadors were mainly interested in plundering the riches of the Mayas, Aztecs and Incas, they happened upon a veritable treasure trove of foods previously unknown in Europe and that are now integral part of our everyday diet. A small group of the most important South American products now account for a tremendous amount of the expenditure spent on groceries: potatoes, maize, tomatoes, beans, pineapple, avocado, papaya, peanuts, pumpin, turkeys, vanilla, tobacco -- and cocoa. The tomato, although initially not even eaten in Europe but exhibited as an ornamental plant, is today the world's most important vegetable.

The cocoa bean will never attain this status. However, it doesn't have to, since it is already the undisputed number one in a very different ranking. Cocoa is one of the most valuable agricultural crops, the embodiment of luxury in its finest form: the luxury of time and pleasure.

The most wonderful luxury is time, perceived as a gift to be enjoyed. Not the time that is taken up with day-to-day choces but those truly precious moments when, freed from the demands of everyday life, we can sit back and indulge in a feeling of relaxation and caml, as well as look forward to forthcoming events, either with excitements or even with a certain trepidation.

Enjoyed in these circumstances, a pleasure is a truly precious and remerkable thing, especially if we allow it the time to develop its character, to reveal its compleexity and uniqueness.

This is indeed, a pleasure, of course, chocolate. It is unique. Not only because its aromas beguile the senses but also because it demands that we make sacrifices. Sacrifices in terms of time, patience and also discipline. Chocolate denies greed, punishing exess with the heavy feeling of being sated. It only reveals its riches to those who are prepared to taste small pieces and to savour its hunderds of individual aromas.

Chocolate is something precious. A true gem amongst the culinary delights of the world, not only because the dedire for a slim figure and fit body means that the comsumption of chocolate has come to be regarded as e reward; forgoing the devouring of chocolate with reckless abandon has paved the way for a more delicate enjoyment. We only eat a little chocolate, but what we eat, we eat selectively. We are not happy to settle for mass products and only want the very best. The bonus lies in enjoying the moment, a rare pleasure.

And so the circle closes. When, at the turn of the 16th century, the Spanish conquistadors first tasted chocolate in the New World, Columbus with little enthusiasm bur Corts, who conquered Mexico, with the astute eye of the businessman, it was the drink of nobility and of ritual. And so, too, it was in Spain, at least for a century. The Portuguese then happened upon cocoa in Barzil and soon after planted the tree on the islands of Sao Tom and Principe on the West African coast. Two daughters of the Spanish royal family took chocolate to France when they married into the French royal family. The new miracle drink spread via Italy, parts of which were under Spanish rule, to the Mediterranean. During the Rococo period, chocolate trickled down to the middle classes and, with the introduction of vital processing technologies, such as mechanical mills, cocoa-butter presses and conches, the end of the nineteenth century saw its transformation into solid chocolate, a rational, industrial product that became less and less expensuve and more affordable for all.

Chocolate was democratised and socialised. With the upturn in the economy after the Second World War, it became a mass product and lost its exclusive character.

Until, that is, high-handed fashion dictators declared war on thunder thighs and potbellies, forcing larger individuals into uncomfortable clothes and subjecting them to mockery and social ostracism. Chocolate and other rich foods were demonised and vilified as contributors to exess weight. However, the longing for the incorparable, unique flavour of cocoa cannot simply be excluded from our sensory life and regated to a list of forbidden pleasures Certainly, we can accept the need for self-denial, but only in moderation. Chocolate should remain a carefully considered exception, a very precious gem The community of epiceres has found its way back to the beginning, back to cocoa in its unadalterated form. Back to Criollo, the highest quality bean that, half a millennium ago, so amazed and delighted the palates of the Europeans.

However, this chocolate is not without its demands. It refuses to be simply devoured. It keeps its aromas locked away until the palate is ready to allow the heavenly pleasure to melt on the tongue.

So it's not surprising that the natural scientist Carl von Linn gave the cocoa plant the botanical name Theobroma cacao , meaning "food of the gods". The Swedish natural scientist who also fell under the spell of chocolate, was not just allowing his imagination free reing, he was also alluding to the traditions of the Mexican Indians who glorified the consumption of the fruit of the cacao tree as a privilege enjoyed by the gods.

The Tree

From Flower to Bean .

The evergreen cacao tree has its origins in the New World but has, for a long time, been prospering around the globe, namely in the tropical belt 20 degrees north and 20 degrees south of the Equator. The cacao tree is very particular about where it is grown and the surrounding environment has to meet its requirements exactly. If all conditions are right, it will flourish magnificently, however, it starts to flounder as soon as its equilibrium is disturbed.

The climate has to be humid with 1.5 to 2 metres of rainfall per year (Bern: approx. 1 metre). The cacao tree is most comfortable at temperatures of between 25 to 28 degrees Celcius. It is very susceptible to wide fluctations in temperature and also to wind. In the "coldest" months, the temperature must never drop below 20 degrees Celsius.

The cacao tree is unimposing and certainly no giant. It grows in the shade of other trees and shuns direct sunlight. Long and thin, it can grow up to a height of ten to 15 metres, which means that, in the tropical Rain Forest, it is simply part of the undergrowth! The cacao tree has strong, tongue-shaped leaves that grow to a length of about 20 centimetres. They help to protect the fruits from the sun's rays. Thousands of mosquitoes, flies and other tiny creatures that are irritating to man are essential to the plants, as it is the insects that pollinate the flowers. Since the cacao tree is always in flower, all development stages of teh cacao can be seen on the tree at the same time, from the flower to ripe fruit, known as the "pod". The flowers consist of five small, narriw, pink sepals and five petals that are either yellowy-white or reddish in colour.

The cacao tree blosoms and produces fruit all year round. Ne flowers continue to grow on its thicker branches and are either a soft yellow or a subtle pink in color. Five to eight months after pollination, they turn into fruits growning directly on the trunk or branches. Depending on their maturity, these cover the entire colour spectrum from green, through orange, to red. The pods are approximately 15 to 25 centimetres long and weigh about a pound each. They look like elongated pumpkins or brightly-coloured rugby balls. When cultivated carefully, a cacao tree lives for 30 to 60 years. Fruits are generaly harvested twice a year (the most efficient system) but sometimes as many as four to five times a year.

Each fruit contains 25 to 50 longish, almond-shaped seeds: the cocoa beans. These are either light beige or whitish violet in colour and are surrounded by a slippery, juicy white pulp that unlike the bitter beans, has a sweet-and sour taste with a similar aroma to lychees. This pulp is refreshing and sometimes eaten by farmers but, more importantly, it is used for the fermentation of the beans after harvesting.

Not all cacao beans are the same. Scientists have so far identified more than one thousand different varieties and variations and new varieties are currrently being researched. It's very difficult to distinguish between different varieties and only experts can do this. This is because the fruits of the same variety can look very different.

The original variety names, Criollo, Nacional and Trinitario, which are the fine or flavour cacao beans, and Forastero, the bulk cocoa beans that do not have the same flavour, have today become trade names. However, there are lots of regional differences. Expressed in simple terms, the three flavour beans do not even account for one tenth of the world crop, since the trees are susceptible to disease and produce a lower yield. On a global scale, more than 90 percent of cococa is harvested from the robust, more resilient and less capricious but high-yield trees of the Forastero family, even though the flavour beans have a much richer, finer taste.

Only flavour beans are used in Felchlin's Grand Cru chocolate.

As a result of the increasing mixing of different varieteis on a plantation and in growing regions, cocoa beans are no longer traded under variety names, but are categorised according to their origin. This groups together beans from remoter regions and local plantations, from the mixed cultivation of smallholders to the tree islands in the Bolivian Amazon, where the indigenous people gather cocoa beans from wild trees.

This grouping according to region and increasing differentiations are comparable with the practice of viniculture. For example, we talk of an appellation, such as Maracaibo (a specific region), a specific growth is a cru (a vineyard), and a cuvee is an individual blend of wine (corresponds to cocoa from different types of bean produced on a hacienda).

100.000 Flowers:

Cauliflory is a botanical term refering to the growth of flowers on the trunk of a wodddy plant, the plants themselves are known as cauliflors. Three to four times a year, the cacao tree grows new leaves directly on its trunk or branches. It produces the largest numbers of flowers when it is between ten and twelve years old: it can produce up to 100.000 flowers a year!

The fine-flavours varieties

Criollo

"Creolle" (a native-born person of foreign ancestry); probably originated from Central America and was cultivated in Mexico as the first ever cocoa bean: clearly the finest-quality cocoa. Only very slighty bitter, it reveals not only a mild cocoa flavour but also wonderfull aromas. It is thus also known as "WrzCacao". From Mexico, Criollo spread across Central America to Venezuela, some Pacific islands (Samoa, Ponape), Timor (Portuguese), Java Dutch) and Ceylon. Today, Criollo is still known as Maracaibo, the name of the port in Northwest Venezuela from which Criollo cocoa from this region was shipped.

Trinitario

Probably a natural (because unintended) hybrid in the Caribbean between Criollo and Forastero that developed when Spanish plantation owners imported Forastero varieties from West Africa and planted them on their haciendas. Still to be found predominantly in the Caibbean, Colombia, Costa Rica and other Central American countries.

Nacional

This is the name of the cocoa that is cultivated on the western (Pacific) side of the Andes (for example, Arriba from Ecuador). The National cacao tree is generally larger than the Criollo and the Forastero tree. Varieties of Nacional are also grown in Camaroon.

Criollo, Trintario and Nacional are delicate, susceprible to disease and have a low yield. However, their beans are fine, highly aromatic and rich in taste. The fien-flavour varieties make up less than 10% of global cocoa production.

The Bulk variety

Forastero

(Spanish: strange, foreign): originally from the Upper Amazon Basin and, from there, exported to West Africa, Brazil, Espirito Santo) and Cuba (Hispaniola). From West Africa, taken to East Africa and Southeast Asia. Strong cocoa taste, slightly bitter and a narrower range of aromas than with Criollo, Trinitario or Nacional. Forastero variations: amalonado, amazon (West Africa, Southeast Asia), cacau comum (Bahia), calabacillo, para (Lower Amazon). Resistant to disease with a high yield and prolific harvest. Makes up to more than 90% percent of world production

Cocoa varieties generate lots of unanswered questions and ambiguities-the only way to achieve clarity would be to take a genetic fingerprint of each individual tree.

New varieties

As in all areas of agriculture and nutrition, cocoa is also researched and subjected to extensive testing. In order to optimise profits, international groups require that varieties are resistant, produce a high yield and can be managed rationally. Research produce these varieties, even if they are unsophisticated and have poorer flavour than the conventional, traditional varieties. "CCN51", for example, is a hybrid variety with an extremely high yield. There is a tremendous temptation to cultivate this variety rather than the older varieties, even though "CCN51" has less flavour. Two tons of beans per hectare is regarded as a good yield; wiyh tradiotional varieties, 300 to 500 kilograms of beans per hectare is normal and, in the case of wild cocoa from Beni, the yield is even lower.

NEX EPISODE: THE PLANTER-FROM GATHERER TO LARGE LANDOWNER

I keep making soft chocolate caramels and fudge yet when I coat them he filling "pushes" its way out and leaks - any advise please?

As I have discussed in previous posts, a truly valid definition of the Arriba Nacional term when applied to Ecuadorian cacao, or simply the Arriba name, includes Nacional beans sourced in parts of the Province of Guayas, the Province of Los Ros and a small fraction of the Province of Bolvar. Ecuador historically produced fine flavor cacao from many other areas which were all Nacional beans but marketed under distinct names, including Bahia-from the area around Bahia de Caraquez, not to be confused with Bahia, Brazil; Balao from Southern Guayas and the coastal areas of Azuay and Caar; and Cacao Machala from the Southernmost part of the country.

Erroneously, around 2006 Ecuador's Institute of Intellectual Protection (Instituto Ecuatoriano de Propiedad Intelectual, IEPI in Spanish), which is responsible for trademarks and other intellectual property rights, published and approved an "Arriba" Protected Denomination of Origin that is restricted to (or rather, erroneously, covers all) beans of the Nacional variety. In effect, this means that any chocolate made from Nacional beans grown anywhere in Ecuador can be called Arriba-which is a major deviation from the original historical definition of the term.

"Arriba" has now come into use by chocolate manufacturers both inside and outside Ecuador, and has largely lost its significance; an ironic parallel given that the "Arriba" flavor has also become increasingly diluted, ambiguous, and unknown due to historical factors including the loss of pure Nacional trees, genetic erosion, the introduction and mixing of CCN-51 and Nacional beans, and numerous other factors. As far as I know, there is little to no enforcement of this PDO by any agency or authority.

Other factors contributing to the historical Arriba flavor profile have also been lost in the shrouds of history;one interesting example is the origin and type of the wood used for fermentation boxes, which is said to contribute to the final chocolate flavor. Anecdotally, there is supposed mention in original historical documents written in French found in Vinces, Ecuador (a.k.a. "Little Paris" during Ecuador's cacao boom in the early part of the 20th century due to the number of french inhabitants and wealth found there), that the wood comes from Ecuador's highlands-but no one has been able to determine what kind of wood was used that helped contribute to the original Arriba flavor (conversation with Cristian Melo, Sep 2011).

Renewing and restoring the original "Arriba" bean and its flavor profile to its former glory is a herculean task, and while efforts are under way, they are still only in their infancy. Unfortunately, the major players who have the power and money to push the movement forward are not doing a lot. And the minor players are more often than not opting for ambiguity over transparency, both in their marketing and sourcing, which ultimately benefits no one. I see the issue as one similar to "peak oil." Will we run out of the oil we need to develop the technologies to maintain and enhance our standard of living before those technologies are here? Will we build them while we have the oil to do so? Or will we simply conduct business as usual until the oil is almost gone, then struggle for a solution? It's the same with the Arriba Nacional flavor profile, as well as the Nacional variety of cacao in Ecuador. Will it disappear before adequate efforts are made to save it, or will industry, government, and the private sector act now, before it's too late, to keep Arriba Nacional and Nacional beans on the map?