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Cocoa beans are
cultivated all around the world under widely ranging conditions, which
gives regional cocoas distinctive characters and flavors. For example,
chocolate made with Sumatran cocoa will taste very different from
a Caribbean blend. |
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Most chocolate manufacturers
blend four or five varieties of cocoa beans from different parts of
the world. Following a precise flavor profile, beans are blended to
match the desired flavor. The flavor profile is unique to a specific
chocolate, and is considered to be the proprietary, secret recipe
for the chocolate manufacturer. A number of different chocolates are
also used to coat or enrobe, in order to make each product a unique
taste experience. |
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Some smaller chocolate makers
have started to produce a single-source chocolate using beans from
just one country, region, or even one farm. Borrowing terms from the
winemaking industry, these unblended chocolates are referred to as
"terroir," French for soil, or "Grand Cru," a
designation granted to the very top vineyards. |
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However, many chocolate connoisseurs,
however, prefer balanced blends, because blending results in the most
pleasing chocolate flavor. |
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1) Types of Cacao Trees |
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Criollos (meaning 'native'), sometimes
called the "prince of cacao," or the Rolls Royce of beans
and the most delicate, produces the highest grade beans. Only 10 per
cent of cocoa comes from criollo trees, as they are delicate and very
susceptible to disease. It is cultivated mainly in the countries where
cacao originated, such as Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, Venezuela,
Colombia, Trinidad, Jamaica and Grenada. |
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Hardy, disease-resistant forastero (meaning
'foreign') cacao trees are high-yielding, and generate the majority
of the world's cocoa beans. It is grown mainly in Brazil and Africa,
accounts for about 80 per cent of the world's production. |
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The third type of cacao tree is a hybrid
of the first two: trinitario, named for the place it originated, Trinidad,
is gaining in popularity because it combines many of the rich flavor
characteristics of criollo with the heartiness of forastero. |
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Within these types, there are dozens of
subspecies and variations, such as Rio Caribe from Venezuela, Arriba
from Ecuador, and Java in Indonesia. |
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2) Where
do cocoa beans come from |
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3) What
affect the cocoa bean's flavor |
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