Arriba Chocolat
A life challenge: taste all the chocolate bars made from the best cocoa beans in the world, Ecuador's fino d'aroma
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Ecuador's chocolate

Arriba Nacional cocoa

Chocolate is a Latin American product. Everyone knows the main points of its history: the Mesoamerican peoples, such as the Aztecs, used cocoa as a currency and to make beverages. The Spanish colonists brought it to Europe, and it was a huge success. To satisfy the demand, cocoa plantations were developed in the rest of the continent and in Africa. Today, the Ivory Coast and Ghana produce the most cocoa, followed by Indonesia, Nigeria and Cameroon. The first Latin American representatives follow in 6th and 7th place, Brazil and Ecuador. Mexico, land of the Aztecs, is 8th. All this, according to World Atlas.

What is less known is that there are several species of cocoa trees. Classified in categories, they each bring a different aroma to chocolate. The most cultivated category (80 to 90%) is the Forastero. It is the basis of the chocolate you find every day, and the only one found in Ivory Coast and Ghana. Two other categories exist, the Criollo and the Trinitario. But there is also one more: the Arriba Nacional, characterized by floral notes - jasmine and orange blossom (dixit Wikipedia. In comparison, the Forastero would have aromas of warm bread.

Arriba Nacional is produced primarily in Ecuador. In 2014, it constituted 0.0012% of world production. Legend has it that a Swiss chocolatier walking through the jungle smelled something extraordinary and asked his guide what smelled so good. “Arriba!” the guide replied, pointing to the top of the hill. Therefore, it was based on a misunderstanding that this type of cocoa, considered a national treasure, would be named.

Fino d’Aroma cocoa

According to the [International Cocoa Organization] (https://www.icco.org/fine-or-flavor-cocoa/), the name Fino d’Aroma, or fine aroma, is given to a variety of cocoa that has floral notes, in contrast to the “bulk” cocoa that is predominant. In general, Criollo and Trinitario cocoa, as well as Arriba Nacional cocoa, are considered to have a fine aroma. All three species can be found in Ecuador. One must therefore be attentive: not all Fino d’Aroma cocoa is Arriba Nacional, but all Arriba Nacional is Fino d’Aroma. For more information, I invite you to take a look at the great site of Yumbo’s.

Sacha cacao

The Sacha cocoa species is relatively new. Developed by the Cimarron Cocoa Estates company, it tries to compete with the Arriba Nacional. Unique in the world, it is found in the province of Orellana, in Joya de las Sachas, near the Amazon. It is obviously a fino d’aroma cocoa. More information on a news article for confectioners, the site of Cimarron, and the site of Republica del Cacao.

Chocolate making

On our visit to Quetzal de Mindo, we were able to see the different steps of chocolate making from cocoa pods.

  1. Remove the cocoa beans from the pod, with the white pulp surrounding them.
  2. Ferment in banana leaves to use the sugar in the pulp (this step is optional).
  3. Dry in the sun (sometimes they are roasted instead to speed up the process). The pulp can be kept to give a sweeter taste.
  4. Crush the dry beans and separate the skin from the cocoa pieces with a fan (the skin will fly off).
  5. Here, two choices.
    1. Crush the pieces with a hydraulic press, which gives on one side cocoa butter, and on the other side paste with 20% fat for producing hot chocolate powder
    2. The seeds are heated to 70 degrees Celsius with a centrifuge and metal balls for 12 hours, which gives a liquid cocoa paste with 50% fat (original). Then it is cooled with several increments and it is put into a mold to crystallize and make chocolate bars. If you want to add sugar or milk powder, it is in the centrifuge. If you want to add other flavors, it is during the crystallization!

For other (similar) recipes with pictures, you can look at Yumbos or Mashpi.