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Devoted To Fine Chocolate

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Tag: cocoa pods

Cocoa Adventure in Enchanting Southern India

Posted on October 4, 2018July 27, 2020 by Hazel Lee

In 2015 I received an email from Karthikeyan Palaniswamy. He asked if I would be interested in evaluating cacao and chocolate from his developing businesses (Soklet and Regal Cacao) based in Anamalai, Tamil Nadu, India. I was very excited to …

Blog, Cocoa Adventuresbean to bar, cacao, cacaolove, cocoa adventure, cocoa farm, cocoa pods, india, tree to bar2 Comments

The Grenada Chocolate Festival 2016

Posted on June 13, 2016May 10, 2017 by Hazel Lee

My experience at The Grenada Chocolate Festival 2015 was so incredible that I simply had to return to the festival the following year! I kept in touch with Magdalena Fielden, the inspiring creator of the festival (which is now in …

Chocolate Event, Cocoa Adventuresbean to bar, cacao, cocoa adventure, cocoa farm, cocoa pods, grenada cocoa, tree to bar4 Comments

Cocoa Adventure in Guatemala and Belize

Posted on May 30, 2016May 9, 2017 by Hazel Lee

Over the past couple of years, as my “chocolate life” has developed, I have made many wonderful new friends through the power of social media. One friend called Juan Bronson, whom I met through Instagram,ย invited me to visit his …

Blog, Cocoa Adventuresbean to bar, belize, cacao, cocoa adventure, cocoa farm, cocoa pods, guatemalaLeave a comment

The Grenada Chocolate Festival 2015

Posted on June 30, 2015May 10, 2017 by Hazel Lee

I was very pleased to be invited to attend the Grenada Chocolate Festival 2015 with a group of fellow food, travel and chocolate bloggers, courtesy of the Grenada Tourism Authority.

Grenada has a very special place in the bean …

Chocolate Event, Cocoa Adventuresbean to bar, cocoa adventure, cocoa farm, cocoa pods, crayfish bay, grenada, grenada chocolate festival2 Comments

San Blas, Northern Colombia and La Iguana

Posted on June 9, 2015May 30, 2016 by Hazel Lee

After my incredible and inspiring experience in Central America during December 2013 and January 2014, I simply had to return! During my stay at Bocas del Toro, I saw signs for tours of the San Blas Islands, but, unfortunately, I …

Cocoa Adventuresbean to bar, cocoa adventure, cocoa farm, cocoa pods, costa rica, kuna indians, la iguana chocolate, panama, san blasLeave a comment

La Iguana Chocolate, Costa Rica

Posted on May 26, 2015May 30, 2016 by Hazel Lee

A couple of years ago I came acrossย La Iguana Chocolateย when browsing the Internet one day. I found it absolutely fascinating. An organic chocolate farm in the middle of the jungle; and they spoke Spanish! I’ve always had a …

Cocoa Adventuresbean to bar, cocoa adventure, cocoa farm, cocoa pods, costa rica, la iguana chocolate1 Comment

Instagram

This is what I love to see: @TasteWithColour in ac This is what I love to see: @TasteWithColour in action! Placed above the conche and splattered with chocolate at the @ChocTreeScotland factory. Tasting and identifying flavours throughout the chocolate making process ๐Ÿซ๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ๐Ÿ’• #TasteWithColour #CacaoLove
CACAO MEMORIES ๐Ÿซ๐ŸŒดโœจ St Georgeโ€™s Market, G CACAO MEMORIES ๐Ÿซ๐ŸŒดโœจ St Georgeโ€™s Market, Grenada ๐Ÿซ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฉ November 2019.
It was @MagdaGrenadaโ€™s birthday yesterday so after I wished her a happy birthday I looked back at the photos of my latest Cocoa Adventure to Grenada in November last year.
I have an obsession with anything that has a cocoa pod on it ๐Ÿ˜†. Here I am in St Georgeโ€™s market, excited to have found a calabash bowl with a beautiful cacao pod painting! I also found some cacao pod tea towels and cocoa bean and spice necklaces ๐Ÿ“ฟ.
Thank you so much to Artie from @TrueBlueBayResort for unexpectedly being my chauffeur, cacao hunting buddy and personal photographer during this trip ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿผ๐Ÿ’๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿ˜….
I donโ€™t know what the travel situation will be like in May next year but if itโ€™s safe to do so, I really hope to be at @GrenadaChocolateFest again!! ๐Ÿคž๐Ÿผโค๏ธ๐Ÿซ๐ŸŒด๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ’•โœจ #CacaoLove #CacaoMemories
This never gets old ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿคฉ #BeanToBar #CacaoLove This never gets old ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿคฉ #BeanToBar #CacaoLove
I love a good cheese and chocolate pairing ๐Ÿซ๐Ÿง€๐Ÿคค a cheeky behind-the-scenes tasting with @ChocolateFascination at the @CraftChocolateExperience back in early March. Iโ€™m so grateful for this trip and chocolate gathering just before lockdown ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿผโค๏ธ #CacaoLove
Who enjoys winnowing with a hairdryer? ๐Ÿคช I do n Who enjoys winnowing with a hairdryer? ๐Ÿคช I do not miss those days ๐Ÿ˜….
I call myself a โ€œhomeโ€ bean to bar maker because I just make chocolate for fun. Back in 2014 I set myself the challenge to make bean to bar chocolate at home with minimal investment in equipment. This was just after I returned from my first trip to @LaIguanaChocolate. 
I used my home oven to roast the beans, a tin can to crack them, a hairdryer to winnow, a liquidiser to pre-grind the beans and a spare granite floor tile to temper the final chocolate. I did invest in a wet grinder from Amazon (thanks to @WilliesCacao for sharing the link back when these were a bit of a secret!). From my research, no standard kitchen equipment would create a completely smooth chocolate.
Since I started making chocolate at home I have also invested in a refurbished tempering machine and this Sylph winnower. I bought the winnower second hand but it was designed and created by @ChocolateAlchemy. Itโ€™s such a relief from using the hairdryer!! (Many people have made their own winnowers).
Since I donโ€™t make chocolate often I didnโ€™t want to invest too much in equipment but I am so glad I bought this ๐Ÿ˜….
I still crack using a tin can ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿผ. There can be some stubborn beans which you can probably see in this video. After an initial run through the winnower, I sieve out the larger unbroken beans for another cracking ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿผ. Next on the list will be a cracking machine ๐Ÿ˜…
๐Ÿซโค๏ธ #BeanToBar #CacaoLove
Happy World Chocolate Day everyone! ๐Ÿซ๐ŸŒŽ This Happy World Chocolate Day everyone! ๐Ÿซ๐ŸŒŽ This has been my Instagram profile picture for over 5 years ๐Ÿ˜… sending lots of #CacaoLove to you all โค๏ธ
CACAO MEMORIES ๐Ÿซ๐ŸŒดโœจ When I fell in love wit CACAO MEMORIES ๐Ÿซ๐ŸŒดโœจ When I fell in love with cacao ๐Ÿ˜ at La Iguana Chocolate, Costa Rica ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ท๐ŸฆŽ December 2013.
In autumn 2013 I wanted to book my first solo trip somewhere tropical. Instead of โ€œhopping hostelsโ€ I wanted to volunteer somewhere to have a more meaningful experience and interact with the local culture.
At this time I already had a passion for chocolate. I worked at @HotelChocolat Guildford during the holidays while I was at university and had already worked on many chocolate projects in my first full time job at a food consultancy business.
I wanted to volunteer somewhere food or drink related. Perhaps a coffee farm in Colombia... but then I came across @LaIguanaChocolate, a cocoa farm in the middle of the Costa Rican jungle ๐Ÿ˜. I got in touch immediately. The dates and flights all aligned and a trip was booked!
This was the first time I met a cacao tree up close. I was mesmerised by the beauty of the cacao tree and its tiny, intricate flowers ๐Ÿ˜๐ŸŒธ. Needless to say, I instantly fell in love!
After my first trip to La Iguana, I set myself the challenge to make bean to bar chocolate at home. And so my chocolate journey began... ๐Ÿซ๐Ÿ’š #CacaoLove #CacaoMemories
CACAO MEMORIES ๐Ÿซ๐ŸŒดโœจ Cacao Chica at La Iguan CACAO MEMORIES ๐Ÿซ๐ŸŒดโœจ Cacao Chica at La Iguana Chocolate, Costa Rica ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ท๐ŸฆŽ January 2015.
During my stay at @LaIguanaChocolate, I expressed my love for the flavours of fresh cacao.
To my delight, at the farm we produced a small batch cacao โ€œchichaโ€, a fermented, lightly alcoholic drink made from fresh cacao (we used the five pods pictured), water and panela (unrefined cane sugar, produced locally in the Costa Rica jungle).
We drank the chicha on my last night after a few daysโ€™ fermentation. It was absolutely delicious! It had some bubbles (see second photo) and a tiny bit of alcohol (probably around 2%) but the main enjoyment was the delicious flavour of the cacao fruit ๐Ÿ˜ I wish I could have taken some home to share! ๐Ÿซ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿงก #CacaoLove #CacaoMemories
CACAO MEMORIES ๐Ÿซ๐ŸŒดโœจ Harvest at La Iguana Ch CACAO MEMORIES ๐Ÿซ๐ŸŒดโœจ Harvest at La Iguana Chocolate, Costa Rica ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ท๐ŸฆŽ January 2015.
It has been lovely to go through photos and reflect on previous Cocoa Adventures.
@LaIguanaChocolate was the first cocoa farm I visited. The last leg of the journey to get there included a 3 hour bus ride into the Costa Rican jungle by myself with limited Spanish and no phone signal. There was no going back, that was for sure!
When I arrived, none of the other volunteers were around and it was starting to get dark. I was greeted in Spanish by one of the members of the family. I had such culture shock I didnโ€™t know what to do with myself so I just went to bed (at 8.30pm!) questioning my decision to come ๐Ÿ˜‚. The following morning I met the other volunteers and Jorge, the main man behind La Iguana, and soon settled in. The days involved a group breakfast followed by 5 hours of volunteer work with the afternoons and evenings free to relax and explore (and drink rum! ๐Ÿฅƒ๐Ÿ™Š). Despite the initial culture shock, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience of the cacao jungle life!
I returned the following year after my trip to San Blas. In this first picture I am wearing a mola in the form of a headband (handmade textile appliqueฬ art) that I bought from the Kuna Indians.
My favourite days at La Iguana were of course visiting the cacao orchard. It was an energy intensive day with a hike there and back and plenty of manual work. After I got back and showered, I relaxed in a hammock and watched the beautiful sunset (second picture) surrounded by the curious sounds of the jungle around me ๐Ÿซ๐Ÿ’๐ŸŒฟ๐ŸŒ…๐Ÿ’• #CacaoLove #CacaoMemories
Treat yourself and support small (chocolate!) busi Treat yourself and support small (chocolate!) businesses! ๐Ÿซ Iโ€™m a big believer in treating yourself, particularly when we are isolated and with empty diaries.
As an extrovert with a big passion for travel, I have struggled to be cheerful during this time which feels so grey. However, I am incredibly grateful to be safe and well and to continue working full time! ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿผ
And incredibly grateful to have such talented friends in the industry who make delicious treats like these ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿซ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿผ๐Ÿฅฐ thank you @JKFineChocolates ๐Ÿ˜˜.
Stay safe and eat quality craft chocolate everyone โค๏ธ #CacaoLove
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Latest Blog Posts

  • Discovering Thai Cacao and Craft Chocolate
  • Cocoa Adventure in Enchanting Southern India
  • My Second Podcast Interview!
  • Cocoa Adventure in Vietnam
  • My First Podcast Interview!

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