The Life and Times Of A Cocoa Bean

I am a cocoa bean. Although my taste may be familiar, my journey is foreign. From the time tired hard working hands pick me from my mother tree to when you serve me on a silver platter, time and time again history repeats itself. But let’s start from the beginning. Let me take you back to a time when chocolate was worshiped...let me take you back…

… back to 1587 when British pirates burned a Spanish ship laden with cocoa thinking that the cargo hold was full of sheep droppings. Little did they know, they were destroying the sacred drink of the Gods, previously so valued, it was used for currency by the Mayans and Aztecs!

The Spanish had added honey and sugar to the cocoa while keeping the recipe secret for nearly 100 years. It was in 1615 when Princess Ann gave her betrothed, Lewis the XIII, of France, a gift of chocolate. It was then that the chocolate cat was out of the bag!

Cocoa spread like wild fire. The sweet chocolate drink gained popularity and became a drink of choice in England, Italy, Germany, Australia and Switzerland. It found its way into the homes of London residents and elsewhere….but solid eating chocolate wasn’t produced until late 1600’s.

The mature tree is covered with tiny blossoms which tiny creatures called midge, will pollinate.

After the pod is pollinated the seeds will be opened and the beans are scooped out. Then they are fermented between wooden crates for eight days in the same pulp in which they grew. After fermentation the beans are spread out to bathe in the sun to dry more thoroughly. Shoveled in to bags of 200 pounds they are shipped out all over the world for us to enjoy.

The process of conching is when the bean takes its form into the state we all know as chocolate.

At Tasty Image, we choose from only the finest of conched, bulk chocolate as the foundation of all the confectionary products produced in our shop. If you haven’t tried our truffles…..this is a must-do for 2010! Put Tasty Image on your list of things-to-do!