Fine chocolate is like fine wine; the growing area, raw material and the specific composition creates the final product. It is important to know the growing area and soil for a good wine and similar for growing cacao. It is also important to control and measure your production process where you take your cacao and make it into chocolate.
The Area
The find out more about making the perfect chocolate I therefore went to Ecuador – possibly the first area in the world where the cacao bean started to be cultivated, several thousands of years ago. This area suits the cacao bean well with suitable altitude above the sea and a good combination of temperature and rain. The cacao bean absorbs the flavors from the surrounding and selection of other crops around will therefore also affect the taste.
The Cacao Bean
The actual cacao bean, the type, is of importance. The most common cacao bean in Ecuador is the Forastero but for the best chocolate you should use the National cacao bean with less yield but much more flavors. The cacao bean is large and it is necessary to cut and extract the beans from the white interior before production can start.
