THE AROMATIC PROFILE

Chocolate with intense aromas, full-bodied and fruity, from old varieties of "Criollo Antiguo", the Maya cocoa.

COUNTRY AND REGION

Copan, Honduras

THE HARVEST

Main harvest: January to May; Intermediate harvest: August-October

THE HISTORY

The Mayan Red is a unique Trinitario and native of Honduras cousin of Criollo Antiguo. This ancient variety of cacao was almost extinct when it was discovered by a cooperative planters in 2006. It was then found only on 3 small farms located in the middle of the jungle in the north of the country.

The cooperative helped the owner, Doña Felipa, because the old trees on his land were out of order.

Their team fed and trimmed the trees before they could start the breeding program.

Today, the 3 farms that owned Mayan Red have regained their liveliness and produce fully.

Crops such as allspice, cardamom, black pepper and turmeric.

GENETICS

Mayan Red is a Trinitario variety unique and native to Honduras. It belongs to the group of "exotic varieties" and is part of the "Mesoamerican heritage cocoa" (Lachenaud (CIRAD) et al).

THE PROCESS

The cooperative recovers the cocoa beans with the pulp at the collection points. This allows farmers to minimize transportation costs and quickly support post-harvest processing.

Mayan Red beans are fermented and dried. Their team leads to the various collection points on the highlands where planters wait with the beans and pulp on one side, and pods open and emptied on the other. This operation is carried out at the point of collection by the planter. Indeed, we check that the pods are Mayan Red and that they have reached maturity.

At the end of the collection, the beans and the pulp are placed in the fermentation boxes. Fermentation usually lasts 5 days. The beans are changed cash and mixed twice. They stop the fermentation when the pH of the pulp and the bean are identical. The beans are then placed on odorless wooden trays under a greenhouse. The beans are turned by hand regularly to ensure uniform drying and to prevent their envelopes from burning. Drying lasts about 7 days during the dry season and 8 days during the rainy season.

The moisture level is 7 to 8% when the beans are packed in 60kg bags and stored in a space where humidity and temperature are controlled.