{"product_id":"bolivia-tranquilidad-wild-harvest-single-origin-chocolate-copy-1","title":"Soconusco Mexico Single Origin Chocolate","description":"\u003ch2\u003eSoconusco — Mexico\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCacao Voyagers, we have arrived to the Cradle of \u003cem\u003eCultivation\u003c\/em\u003e where it all began. The epicenter. I can't even tell you how thrilling this is!  Roll back your time machine to before the Spanish.  Before the Aztec Empire.  Before the Maya.  Nope go further further, before the Olmec.  Keep going.  Here we find the Mokaya.  Someone should seriously write a Michner-esque type novel about this area.  It would write itself.  This is our opportunity to taste history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAvailable in the Large 3 oz Grand Adventure Bar or in 0.4 oz Tasting Tiles - in your choice of Dark 71% and\/or Dark \u003cem\u003eMilk\u003c\/em\u003e 60%.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/strong\u003e The Soconusco\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRegion:\u003c\/strong\u003e Chiapas, Mexico\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fino de Aroma \"Mexicano\" (hybridization between criollo and amelonado)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCacao certifications:\u003c\/strong\u003e Organic, Fair Trade, Make Mine Fine (Fine Chocolate Industry Association)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlavor notes:\u003c\/strong\u003e Predominant chocolate, wild berries, red berries, nuts. But wait, there's more! This lively chocolate has flavor notes all over the map. It's also roasty and floral, there's coffee, there's grapefruit zest, there's a bitter root which I can't identify, there's a tobacco note too - not that I know anything about tobacco. Maybe a wood resin or tannin. There's also a mineral effervescence. Read on if you're curious as to the \"why\"!\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIngredients:\u003c\/strong\u003e Cacao, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter (milk varieties include whole milk powder)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAllergens:\u003c\/strong\u003e The dark-milk bar contains milk. (The dark bar is completely vegan)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Soconusco “Bitter Prickly Pear” is one of the most famous of cacao growing lands. (Not the \u003cem\u003ebirth\u003c\/em\u003e place of cacao which is thought to be in the headwaters of the Orinoco and Amazon.  How it came to be way up here in Mexico is another subject).  The Soconusco ethno-history consists of layers and layers of cultures that inhabited this small strip of land in Chiapas Mexico bordering Guatemala (which at one point was part of the Guatemalan kingdom). Geographically and Geologically isolated with the Pacific Ocean on one side with its estuary’s, swampland and massive mangroves.  Then, on the other extreme are the Sierra Madre de Chiapas Mountains that quickly jut up over 14,000 feet.  North and South are bordered by rivers that are often torrential and impassable. In the middle of it all is piedmont with extremely rich alluvial soils. So you can see why the early hunter-gather folks that came through to collect shellfish and hunt in the jungle would have noticed the natural safety and plentiful food - it makes sense that this possibly was the first farming settlement. There is a plethora of academic papers on this rich historical area but here’s a link to a quick and interesting overview article starting with the Mokaya “people of the corn” who are thought to be the first to cultivate cacao (and corn). \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/mexiconewsdaily.com\/culture\/who-were-mokaya-mexicos-corn-people\/\" title=\"http:\/\/mexiconewsdaily.com\/culture\/who-were-mokaya-mexicos-corn-people\/\"\u003ehttps:\/\/mexiconewsdaily.com\/culture\/who-were-mokaya-mexicos-corn-people\/\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOver thousands of years (3800ish) the Soconusco became known for the very VERY best Criollo (Cree-oh-yo) cacao. The trees so special and revered they were handed down as inheritance and for dowrys. The very product that made this area rich and famous also made it a target. Things got brutal to say the least. The sacred bean consumed mainly by the elite and which had also become the currency of the land was already being extorted by the Triple Alliance\/Aztec Empire for tax and tribute when the Spanish arrived looking for gold. The Spanish quickly realized the “gold” \u003cem\u003ewas\u003c\/em\u003e the cacao. Across centuries, everybody wanted it for their very own. One of the things I found really interesting is that the twice per year extortion -- errr I mean tax and tribute dates -- corresponded identically with the two cacao harvests!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe may never know exactly what the cacao tasted like back then. Layers of cultural differences, catastrophic diseases, shifting environmental and economical factors; this rich area eventually was gutted. Groves stood abandoned, there just weren’t enough specialty farmers to tend this specialty crop. Then came some unfortunate “help” by the government in the 1970’s and 80’s which diluted the precious few remaining Criollo when they handed out Forestero seedlings which were more robust and prolific, but sadly not anything like the pure Criollo. However, cacao easily cross pollinates and the surviving Criollo remnants of old mixed with the new which now gives us an impressive diversity of flavors. It is still incredibly special and we can be so thankful that some farmers did stay and they passed down their knowledge and stories. They are the remaining guardians. And we get to taste this history. As you sit with this chocolate, let it melt on your tongue and it will tell you it’s long and lively story. All will be revealed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the producer Agrofloresta Americana: \u003cem\u003eThis is the product of the effort of farmers from the Tuzantan community, a mountain in the Sierra Madre. We call them Soconusco Comunitario because they come from a community of farmers, called ‘El Vado’ located in Tuzantan, Chiapas. This community gets its name from the ford (vadoin Spanish) in which they are located, which is mid way on the mountain of Tuzantan. The soils here are very clayey and during rains are really not transit-able. It is between 350-500 masl (1150 to 1640 ft). The cacao is brought down by foot and sometimes with horses. This is the home of about 20-35 small farmers. These are old cacao plantations with no plot-divisions and with community paths. Some farmers are starting to renew plantations slowly. This community is dedicated to cacao, coffee, grazing and honey. One of the leaders of the community is Levy Matias. He is 30 years old and got his cacao plantation from his father 6 years ago. His hectare has fruits and timber trees. He also helps other farmers gather and get their products to market.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSoconusco cacao is a blend of Trinitario, Criollo and Forastero with varied flavors; starts with a predominant chocolate note, red berries and wild berries with a good balance between bitterness and acidity. Soconusco is divided into three regions; coastal, low and high regions. In Tuzantan, as a general rule, the greater the height, the greater the flavor profile in this region. In the low region it normally takes about 6-7 days to get a good fermentation, whereas in the highlands, depending on profile, protocol and season, it takes about 5-6 days to get fermentation. In Tuzantan, they also produce beans, papaya, pumpkin and corn in the milpas as well as hunting. The farmers drink cacao and pozol and some even make chocolate.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Cocoa Forge","offers":[{"title":"Dark 71% \/ 3 oz Grand Adventure Bar","offer_id":48309620605142,"sku":null,"price":21.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Dark 71% \/ .4 oz Tasting Tile","offer_id":48309620637910,"sku":null,"price":3.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Dark Milk 60% \/ 3 oz Grand Adventure Bar","offer_id":48309620670678,"sku":null,"price":21.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Dark Milk 60% \/ .4 oz Tasting Tile","offer_id":48309620703446,"sku":null,"price":3.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0777\/2615\/4966\/files\/Soconusco_bar.jpg?v=1780331097","url":"https:\/\/thecocoaforge.com\/products\/bolivia-tranquilidad-wild-harvest-single-origin-chocolate-copy-1","provider":"Cacao Voyages by The Cocoa Forge","version":"1.0","type":"link"}