Theobroma cacao, the scientific name for the cacao tree, means "food of the gods".
Like a fine wine made from carefully selected grapes or a gourmet olive oil made from the finest olives, top chocolates are produced using the world's most flavorful and aromatic regional types of Criollo and Trinitario cacao beans.
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Cacao vs. cocoa
It is very common to see the terms used interchangeably, but here's how we use the terms:
Cacao: refers to the tree and the beans.
Cocoa: refers to the by-products of the cacao bean - cocoa powder and cocoa butter.
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The cacao beans
Cacao grows on trees in parts of the world close to the Equator. Nearly 70% of the world crop is grown in West Africa. Largest producers are Ivory Coast, Ghana, Indonesia, Cameroon, Nigeria, Brazil, Ecuador, Dominican Republic and Malaysia.
The three main varieties of cacao beans are:
Criollo
'Native' or 'of local origin' grown in Central America and a few regions of Asia. Probably originally from Mexico. Now represents only about 5% of the world's production. Very high quality. Very aromatic, substantially lacking in bitterness. Used in the best quality chocolate but rarely alone because it is scarce and very expensive. One of the largest producers of Criollo beans is Venezuela.
Forastero
'Foreigner' or 'stranger' originally from the Amazon. Ordinary everyday cocoa. Represents 80% of the world's cocoa. It has a slightly bitter flavour.
Trinitario
The Criollo and Forastero trees have cross-pollinated over time, creating a number of hybrids that thrive in particular regions. The most commercially important of these is the Trinitario, which, as the name suggests, developed in Trinidad. It was a naturally occurring hybrid, the result of cross-pollination between Forastero trees and the few Criollo trees that survived a natural disaster in the early 18th century. The Trinitario combines the more robust constitution of the Forastero tree with some of the delicate flavor and aroma characteristics of the Criollo bean. Represents about 10-15% of the world's total cacao beans.
The flavours of all these beans are affected by the location, climate and soil in which they are grown.
The cocoa bean was a common currency throughout Mesoamerica and the Caribbean before the Spanish conquest.
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Making chocolate
Turning cacao into high quality chocolate requires time, effort, artistry . . . and love.
Beans
For most commercial chocolate beans are blended with beans from different countries according to each chocolate maker's recipe, except for origin or single bean chocolate varieties. An average cocoa bean contains 55 % cocoa butter.
Harvesting
When the pods ripen, they are harvested from the cacao tree and smashed open with a machete. They then lie cut open to ferment. The seeds are scooped out of the pods and sun dried. The beans are trodden and shuffled about; often using bare human feet.
One tree produces only enough beans for 1kg chocolate per year.
Roasting
Roasting time and temperature are important to end product. Roasting can be done on the whole bean before shelling or on the nib after shelling. The higher the temperature, the more bitter the chocolate so the more need for sugar etc. Beans roasted at a lower temperature for a longer time have a richer flavour so less sugar is needed. The lower the temperature, the higher content of antioxidants are preserved. Read more under section RAW chocolate.
To make 1 kg of chocolate about 300 to 600 beans are processed, depending on the desired cocoa content.
The love invested
Cacao is one of the world's greatest natural ingredients. Like a fine wine, in which the better the grape, the terroir and the love invested, the higher quality the wine, so it is with chocolate. The better the cacao bean, the ingredients and the love invested, the better the chocolate.
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Antioxidants
How antioxidants work
Antioxidants work by protecting your cells from damaging molecules called free radicals. Free radicals are basically unstable oxygen molecules that can trigger changes in the structure of normally healthy cells. This damage is thought to be an underlying cause of many chronic diseases. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals.
Free radicals are a natural by-product of life, but as we get older the natural antioxidants our body makes to fight them off begin to decline, experts say. The best way to recharge your antioxidant power is to get them through your diet.
High antioxidant content
Cocoa provides an excellent source of antioxidants. Dark chocolate and RAW chocolate especially contain numerous types of high-quality antioxidants in large amounts. The kinds of antioxidants found in chocolate are called polyphenols. Dark fruits like blueberries and açai berries also have a very high antioxidant content.
There are several types of scientific test available to measure the quantity of antioxidants in a product. The main tests are known as the ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity), the HORAC (hydrogen radical absorbance capacity), and the NORAC (nitrogen radical absorbance capacity). These tests measure a given food's antioxidant content. The values determined by these tests help scientist rate different products based on their antioxidant properties.
Dark chocolate and raw chocolate especially have very high antioxidant levels in terms of ORAC, NORAC, HORAC, total phenols and epicatechins.
Check ORAC here: http://oracvalues.com.
Science
Apart from antioxidants chocolate also contains vitamins, minerals and fiber. Although the cocoa butter in chocolate is high in saturated fat, a third of that fat comes from stearic acid, which doesn't raise LDL (the bad cholesterol) and instead is converted in the liver to oleic acid, a heart-healthy fat. Eating chocolate increases the production of serotonin, a natural antidepressant, and increases the release of endorphins in the brain.
Recent studies suggest that the antioxidants in foods may reduce the risk of many kinds of illness, from heart disease to cancer. Antioxidants like those found in dark chocolate and cocoa have also been linked to some of the hallmarks of good cardiovascular health such as enhanced blood flow, healthy cholesterol levels and, in some cases, reduced blood pressure.
Please note we are not making any medical claims. The research in this area is relatively new and not necessarily proven. We encourage you to do your own reading and make your own conclusions.
Our belief is: Everything in moderation!