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Tag: tree to bar

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

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 πŸ«πŸŒˆπŸ΄σ §σ ’σ ³σ £σ ΄σ ΏπŸ’• #TasteWithColour #CacaoLove
CACAO MEMORIES 🍫🌴✨ St George’s Market, G CACAO MEMORIES 🍫🌴✨ St George’s Market, Grenada πŸ«πŸ‡¬πŸ‡© November 2019.
It was @MagdaGrenada’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 πŸ˜†. Here I am in St George’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 πŸ“Ώ.
Thank you so much to Artie from @TrueBlueBayResort for unexpectedly being my chauffeur, cacao hunting buddy and personal photographer during this trip πŸ™πŸΌπŸ’πŸ»β€β™€οΈπŸ˜….
I don’t know what the travel situation will be like in May next year but if it’s safe to do so, I really hope to be at @GrenadaChocolateFest again!! πŸ€žπŸΌβ€οΈπŸ«πŸŒ΄πŸ‡¬πŸ‡©πŸ’•βœ¨ #CacaoLove #CacaoMemories
This never gets old 😍🀩 #BeanToBar #CacaoLove This never gets old 😍🀩 #BeanToBar #CacaoLove
I love a good cheese and chocolate pairing πŸ«πŸ§€πŸ€€ a cheeky behind-the-scenes tasting with @ChocolateFascination at the @CraftChocolateExperience back in early March. I’m so grateful for this trip and chocolate gathering just before lockdown πŸ™πŸΌβ€οΈ #CacaoLove
Who enjoys winnowing with a hairdryer? πŸ€ͺ I do n Who enjoys winnowing with a hairdryer? πŸ€ͺ I do not miss those days πŸ˜….
I call myself a β€œhome” 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. It’s such a relief from using the hairdryer!! (Many people have made their own winnowers).
Since I don’t make chocolate often I didn’t want to invest too much in equipment but I am so glad I bought this πŸ˜….
I still crack using a tin can πŸ’ͺ🏼. 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 πŸ’ͺ🏼. Next on the list will be a cracking machine πŸ˜…
🍫❀️ #BeanToBar #CacaoLove
Happy World Chocolate Day everyone! 🍫🌎 This Happy World Chocolate Day everyone! 🍫🌎 This has been my Instagram profile picture for over 5 years πŸ˜… sending lots of #CacaoLove to you all ❀️
CACAO MEMORIES 🍫🌴✨ When I fell in love wit CACAO MEMORIES 🍫🌴✨ When I fell in love with cacao 😍 at La Iguana Chocolate, Costa Rica πŸ‡¨πŸ‡·πŸ¦Ž December 2013.
In autumn 2013 I wanted to book my first solo trip somewhere tropical. Instead of β€œhopping hostels” 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 😍. 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 😍🌸. 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... πŸ«πŸ’š #CacaoLove #CacaoMemories
CACAO MEMORIES 🍫🌴✨ Cacao Chica at La Iguan CACAO MEMORIES 🍫🌴✨ Cacao Chica at La Iguana Chocolate, Costa Rica πŸ‡¨πŸ‡·πŸ¦Ž 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 β€œchicha”, 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 days’ 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 😍 I wish I could have taken some home to share! πŸ«πŸ’šπŸ’›πŸ§‘ #CacaoLove #CacaoMemories
CACAO MEMORIES 🍫🌴✨ Harvest at La Iguana Ch CACAO MEMORIES 🍫🌴✨ Harvest at La Iguana Chocolate, Costa Rica πŸ‡¨πŸ‡·πŸ¦Ž 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 didn’t know what to do with myself so I just went to bed (at 8.30pm!) questioning my decision to come πŸ˜‚. 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! πŸ₯ƒπŸ™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 appliqué 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 πŸ«πŸ’πŸŒΏπŸŒ…πŸ’• #CacaoLove #CacaoMemories
Treat yourself and support small (chocolate!) busi Treat yourself and support small (chocolate!) businesses! 🍫 I’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! πŸ™πŸΌ
And incredibly grateful to have such talented friends in the industry who make delicious treats like these πŸ˜πŸ«πŸ™πŸΌπŸ₯° thank you @JKFineChocolates 😘.
Stay safe and eat quality craft chocolate everyone ❀️ #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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