Taste

In a world that seems to be more concerned with speed over quality, we like to work by a different mantra: more haste… less taste. Because growing cocoa mustn’t be rushed.  

It takes between two and four years for a tree to mature and start bearing fruit. It takes six months for a pod to be ready to harvest, and once the cocoa has been harvested and the pods emptied by hand, it takes about seven days to ferment and another week or so of drying in the sunshine for the beans to be ready.

There are no shortcuts, and we wouldn’t want to take any if there were. That’s why our chocolate tastes so good – because we take our time to make sure we get it exactly right.

Feel happier when the sun’s out? Well cocoa beans feel the same. In fact, natural light - and sometimes the protection from it - plays an important role at every stage of cocoa farming.

When the cocoa tree is small our farmers shelter it from the sun, making sure it gets just the right amount. And as it grows, sunlight gives a helping hand in creating a strong, healthy cocoa tree bursting with pods. When shade is present these trees strive for longer. Once the beans have been harvested they’re laid out in the sun for seven days to dry and to intensify their delicious flavor.

So as you can see, sunlight doesn’t just make our lives better; it makes our chocolate taste better too.

FACTS & STATS:

• Cocoa beans are carefully dried to reduce the moisture content from c.60% to c.7.5%. If done too quickly beans can develop a bitter flavor. If done too slowly, molds and off flavors can develop. Research indicates that bean temperatures during drying should not exceed 65ºC.
• There are two methods for drying beans: sun drying and artificial drying. Sun drying is used in countries such as West Africa or the West Indies and will usually take around one week.
• Drying of beans affects the final flavor.

COCOA HORIZONS ACTIVITIES:

• Training farmers in shade management techniques such as intercropping to get the right amount of shade at each stage of growth: roughly 75% during juvenile stages to 25% after maturity.

You know how different grapes create different wines? And how different coffee beans change the flavor of your morning espresso? Well different cocoa beans have the same effect on chocolate.  

The life of a cocoa bean plays a fundamental part in the flavor and quality of your chocolate. Because everything from the soil conditions a bean is grown in to the climate, location and techniques of the farmer will affect its flavor.

That’s why we always tell you where our beans are from. So you can become as expert as we are at understanding which beans bring you the chocolate you love