We took a field trip one day to the chocolate factory. We took a boat out, our guide got lost so missed “Dolphin Bay,” but we did make it there. We really had no idea what to expect… another adventure!!
The “factory” is run by two older Americans, we thought there would be run by natives and a translator would be there for us. They walked us through some of the indigenous plants that grow there… then on to the chocolate part!!
It wasn’t the season, but there were some pods still on the trees. The guy busted one open for us to see and taste it. The inside was full of gooey white seeds that were kind of tangy, the inside of the seeds were purple- not what we expected. Avery wouldn’t even try it, can’t blame her.
After they collect the pods, bust them open and empty the seeds out, they “marinate” and ferment. Then they are dry roasted, that is when they turn brown. Then they use a press to crush the seeds, they do this three or four times, to really get a smooth consistency. We tried the “chocolate” and it tasted like crap. Since it was just the cocoa, no sugar, butter or milk added yet. Avery was really bummed, they had NO eatable chocolate to taste.
We did buy some of the cocoa (ka-cow) to make some brownies or some kind of treat at home. We also bought some of the “nibblets” too. They are the crushed up cocoa bit. They are to add to granola or the top of cake or something. I have no idea what we’ll do with them yet!! We’ll see…
3 responses to “chocolate factory”
That last picture is great: “I know there has to be some chocolate around here somewhere…”
The trip to the local cocoa grower was a great trip. The hike around the small plantation was fun and we saw a ton of wildlife. Seeing how they dry and grind everything up was cool.
I think Dan wrote that last comment.
Yeah, we were all a little disappointed there was no real chocolate to eat! We had some M&Ms after lunch.