Drinking Chocolate 70%

Amar Chocolate is our first tree to drinking chocolate release from Colombia, which is a lot produced by husband and wife team, Luis Fernando and Liliana, in Finca Santa Maria, Hobo, Huila. 7 days  of fermentation lead to bright notes of lime and dried berries. 

Finca Santa Maria with more than 15 hectares of land only grows criollo, hybrido and trinitario varietals, around 13,500 cacao trees, some of them with more than 100 years of production, grow alongside the Magdalena River. 

The cacao trees in these small family-owned plantation grow in the shade of larger fruit trees, such as mango and other regional specialities. 

The process of transforming cacao pods to drinking chocolate bar is divided into two phases: 

Phase 1 - In the Farm

Harvest: The cacao pods are cut by "machete", a long sword-like object which allows farmers to cut pods from the base when they are perfectly ripe.

Post Harvest: Once harvested, pods are cracked open and their seeds removed to start the post harvest process which is divided into fermentation and drying processes. During the fermentation process the cacao beans are placed in wooden bins for a period of seven to nine days, depending on the harvest characteristics and flavour profile objectives. The fermentation process breaks down unwanted tannins and other coarse polyphenols within the beans, thus muting the bitterness and releasing finer, more subtle flavours. Temperatures inside fermentation boxes can reach 50 degrees celsius. The fermented beans are then very gradually dried by sun and fresh air in an installation that resembles a small greenhouse. After the drying process which lasts around three to five days depending on the weather conditions, the beans are finally sorted by size for a homogenous roast. 

Phase 2 - In the Factory

The selected beans are then carefully roasted, de-shelled, and ground into tiny bits, which are called nibs. In the most basic sense, dark chocolate is made by further grinding and liquefying the nibs through heat and mixing them with varying amounts of sugar. The final step in the process is “conching,” which is the process of mechanically churning the chocolate—in liquid form, while heated—for hours or sometimes even days. In general, this has the effect of aerating the chocolate and releasing volatile acids, which also has significant flavour implications.

Ingredients: cocoa liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin.

VEGAN | GLUTEN FREE | HANDCRAFTED IN COLOMBIA | ETHICALLY SOURCE