A question we are asked all the time is “Do you travel to origin to source your cacao beans?” and the answer, is no, well not yet. While that is something we hope to have the capacity and demand for in the future currently it is just not feasible at the current moment. That is because in order to import your own cacao beans you generally need to be able to fill a shipping container, which is about 26 metrics tons of beans. If we did that we would only have one origin of beans for quite some time and would not be able to offer our Birmingham customers the variety of origins they have come to love. We think our nimbleness in switching out origins is actually one of the best parts of being a small bean to bar maker.
So to source our beans we either go through a broker or buy sacks of beans from larger chocolate makers that we know that are able to import their own cacao. When we were on the west coast last year for the Northwest Chocolate Festival we decided to swing by Portland to visit Meridian Cacao who sources some of the beans we use directly from the farmers and fermanteries. While there they told us about the Trinidad microlots project they were working on in which they imported a container of beans from several different estates within Trinidad. These beans were in limited quantities so only smaller makers we able to take advantage of the uniqueness and we jumped on the chance to try them out and bring them back to our Birmingham workshop to see what chocolates we could make with them. Read more about the Trinidad micro lots project on the Meridian website here.
Keep reading to see what we we came up with once we started making chocolate from these unique cocoa beans and be on the lookout for new Match Packs featuring these chocolates at local Birmingham pop ups. For more stories about origin check out our blog about our Vietnam Match Pack collection. The Taste of Place in Vietnam
For more information on where you can find Match Chocolate in the Birmingham check out our Events Page.
Tabaquite 68%
Origin notes from Meridian:
Cacao Trees on the Ramnath Estate. Photo courtesy of Meridian Cacao.
“Geographically, Tabaquite is right in the center of Trinidad. The village was formed by cocoa planters in the late 1800s, in an effort to populate the interior of the island and distance themselves from sugar planters, who owned much of the coastal areas on the more developed western side of Trinidad. It is alleged that the cocoa industry was forced to find new areas because the sugar planters saw the growing cocoa industry as a threat and made a bid to keep the cocoa growers out. One group of cocoa planters seemed to favor the Montserrat district, and set up a number of estates and living areas for their agricultural workers.
Because of its interior location, transport was extremely difficult into and out of Tabaquite and its neighbouring villages. Cocoa-laden mules had to walk nearly 12 miles to get to the nearest collection center for purchased cocoa in Couva. The sugar planters, having occupied the coastal areas, had all the access to shipping ports. This caused a storm of protest from the cocoa planters, particularly those deeply affected in areas like Tabaquite. They levelled accusations against the government for favouring the sugar planters, and demanded similar facilities or else their heavy investments would fail and their operations would be ruined because of no transport. Interestingly enough, in that time, influential planter-families (the de Verteuils, Agostinis and D’Abadies) began to occupy the region and perhaps this helped to influence the government’s attention to the cocoa producers’ plight. In the mid 1890s the government agreed to build the railway line to Tabaquite, and by 1898 the line reached Tabaquite.”
Match Flavor Notes:
Honestly, the first run of this cocoa we didn’t love, but we learned that the beans wanted a fuller roast than we were originally giving them to balance the natural bitterness with a good level of roast. We also decided to add more cane sugar than we typically do to counteract some of the pepper undertones. The resulting chocolate bar is quite good, especially with a cup of strong coffee and has notes of grapefruit, black pepper and traditional dark cocoa. A testament to determination and craft.
Haven 75%
Origin Notes From Meridian:
Cocoa beans fermenting in Trinidad. Photo courtesy of Meridian Cacao.
“La Corona Estate is the site of the brand-new post-harvest processing facility in Tamana, Trinidad. Tamana is a region that is considered a very important catchment area for cocoa produced in the surrounding villages. There are many cocoa estates, both active and abandoned, that tell quite a story of Tamana’s past involvements in Trinidad’s cocoa history over the years. For a long time most producers in the area sold their wet beans to a centralized fermentary.
However, thanks to the bold initiative of Stanley Butcher, the owner of La Corona Estate, and friend Jim (who’s own estate in Sangre Chiquito will soon be processing its beans at the La Corona fermentary), the new La Corona fermentation and drying facility is giving neighbouring farmers another option for sale of their wet beans. Several farmers currently contribute to the microlot project underway and they include (followed by the names of their estates): Herman Ribeiro (The Haven), Herbert Pasqual (Maiden Voyage), and Calvin David (La Pastora). Leela Butcher, Stanley’s wife, is in charge of the fermentation facility. She has a great eye for quality, and we expect great things out of this new spot in the 2017/2018 harvest.”
Match Flavor Notes:
The flavors here are subtle and elegant, it is the kind of chocolate that beckons you to slow down and explore it. Because of this we decided to go low on the cocoa butter staying at just 4% and instead amp up the flavors of the cocoa solids. The first flavor we tasted was a muted floral vanilla, it immediately reminded me of a breakfast tea with its tannic properties, this is all rounded off with hints of cedar and just a touch of fruity acidity at the end.
Ramnath 75%
Origin Notes From Meridian:
Cocoa beans drying in Trinidad. Photo courtesy of Meridian Cacao.
“Ramnath Estate is in Tableland, a region of Trinidad with a rich legacy of being a major producing zone for the most delicious pineapples in Trinidad. By extension, everything planted in Tableland seems to taste that much better. The landscape is a beautiful area of the country with lush rolling hills that houses many hardworking farming families who have made up the population there over the decades. Vish Ramnath, better known as G, comes from a family of hardcore farmers. He is only 48 but has an impressive record of farming, including everything from forest trees to animal rearing. In true farming family style, he has learned and a comprehensive, integrated, and practical approach to working the land. On completion of his university studies, Vish went on to work in the oil and gas industry, like so many other young Trinidadian men of his generation, and he excels at what he does. However, his strong ties to, and love for, the land have kept him grounded and still very much involved in agriculture.”
Match Flavor Notes:
We could tell this was a bold cacao right when we tasted the first beans out of the roaster. To tame the flavors while still showcasing its character we decided to make a 75% cocoa content chocolate with 10% of that being the fresh pressed Ramnath cocoa butter. The extra creaminess really helped to round out all of the flavors in the end. The tobacco note we get is really in the nose when you first open the package. Try to let chocolate warm in your hands a bit to get the scent going. When you taste the chocolate it really explodes with pineapple flavor which pretty incredible considering the story of the origin, and if you can ignore the loud pineapple for a moment you get a nutty hazelnut flavor peeking through as well.
Be sure to check out our current offerings page to see what we have available now for local pick up in Birmingham, Alabama. For information on shipping please contact us.
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