Recently, we had the honor to perform our second chocolate tasting during the Stockholm Food and Wine Bak & Chocolate mässan (Fair). After last year's success with a similar format that we presented, the organization of the mässan invited us once again to share what we know about cacao and chocolate, with passionate chocolate enthusiasts and people who wanted to experience a true chocolate tasting.

BUT IT IS NOT ONLY ABOUT THE CHOCOLATE, and most importantly, it is not just about the chocolate; our Chocolate experience is not merely a tasting, but a short masterclass on sustainable practices, research and development of plantation methods and techniques - built on more than 100 years of experience, tradition, and hard but purposeful work.

Because... are cacao plantation systems sustainable nowadays? Most likely not... and if yes, why is there such a shortage of cacao today?

These are our plantation fields
Hacienda San Jose - Los Ríos, Ecuador
1°53'18.7"S 79°29'21.3"W

A linear planting system that uses the sun and wind to solve the ever-present fungus problems that force most plantations to use agrochemicals to keep their plants alive (but not their land healthy in the long run). During our Chocolate Tasting, we begin by understanding these planting principles, but above all:

"PROFESSIONAL FARMING IS SUSTAINABLE FARMING."

And infrastructure is key to securing soil health for hundreds of years to come. We need water irrigation systems, well-connected drainage points, heavy metal water control, and much more to keep things running sustainably over time.

The importance of understanding that well-applied and relevant socially responsible practices is essential to preserving, above all, the intangible knowledge that generations of cacao farmers carry within themselves. For that reason, proper support in health, education, and a clear path toward higher living standards are absolutely necessary.

Later, we move into one of the most crucial aspects of making great chocolate:

"FERMENTATION"

Understanding how and why we achieve great chocolate quality is key to appreciating the complex craft behind a specialty chocolate bar. The right timing, temperature, percentages, and controls required to reach optimal fermentation are an important part of this Chocolate Tasting.

Then, we try... not chocolate yet, but a well-fermented cacao bean from the latest imported batch from our Hacienda San José. With this, we connect all those previously shared concepts, practices, and protocols that result in the well-balanced taste of our Trinitario Amazónico cacao type.

Because - and very much because - we can never demonize a specific type of cacao just assuming that all cacaos ferment the same way. Just like wine, each cacao variety has its own world of fermentation, defined by its soil, climate, and genetic character.

So, we know the cacao, and we know the fermentation. Next, we explore the intrinsic art of roasting the beans, the complex selection of machinery and their precise order, to finally achieve an award-winning chocolate bar made from award-winning cacao beans.

THE REAL INTENTION IS TO SHOW THAT THERE IS ALREADY A SOLUTION TO THE CACAO CRISIS, AND WE DO NOT NEED TO LOOK FOR CACAO REPLACEMENTS.

And so, we taste. With such a background, we move to the tasting stage of the evening, already understanding the complexity of that chocolate on the table before us - the long journey from Tree to Bar.

And we always say: a tasting experience is a personal experience. Your "taste warehouse" (previous experiences with food and drink) determines the associations you make with the chocolate and its specific flavor notes.

There is a taste map, a tasting sheet, chocolates, water, polenta, and our curiosity to explore these tastes together... and we do. We try, we travel, we share, and we reveal the specific notes during this joint experience, which stands as a tribute to what cacao farmers, scientists, and chocolate experts unite to create:

THE CHOCOLATE

It's an hour long, but it feels like 20 minutes, and time is never enough to share the fascinating chocolate journey from Tree to Bar. Until the next time... we hope you'll find a seat waiting for you ;)

By Santiago Cereceda
#ShowMeYourOrigins