We talk about terroir for wine: its soil, its climate and the work of Man. Together, these elements make each wine unique, a personality affirmed thanks to the work of each winemaker.
We find these same elements for coffee and chocolate: exposure to the sun, slope, temperature, humidity, human work, climate... These elements make these products just as rich and complex in terms of their aromatic and taste diversity. These three products have spanned centuries of history, both culturally and gastronomically. As commercial products with a gold value, they have always fascinated Humans to the point of being considered luxury products by the nobility of the time. The Queen Marie-Antoinette even had her own chocolatier in the 18th century. Wine, coffee and chocolate share a plant of a very specific species with precise growth criteria depending on the terroir and climate. Each variation of these elements will result in the diversity of colors, shapes and tastes which will be commented on according to similar tasting codes such as "fruity", "floral", "earthy" or even "spicy"! We comment on the color, we appreciate the nose according to an aroma wheel and we savor the famous flavors (sour, sweet, etc.). Moreover, Colombia is a country known for its high altitude: productions up to 2000 m above sea level which give more acidic and complex coffees in terms of aromas. Unlike simpler coffees from the plains, with a more straightforward taste without acidity, the altitude will play on the size of the bean, its density and its maturation time. A more pronounced acidity is also noted on wines from high altitude vineyards!
Behind the chocolate, the cocoa tree, a tree reminiscent of the vine
Imagine a large red pod in front of you on a cocoa tree or cacao tree (or cacao tree) 6 to 8 meters high. Its leaves are evergreen and its twigs also require regular pruning like the vine. Seeing the red color, you could think that the pod is ready to be harvested? Wrong... red is a sign that the pod is not ripe yet. The cocoa tree likes heat (above 25°C) and humidity (a rate of 85% is ideal), where the vine tolerates temperatures above 10°C for its growth* (*when dormant, the vine tolerates lower temperatures). It is not surprising to learn that the origins of cocoa are in the Amazon. However, the largest producer in the world is located on the African continent in Ghana. The two countries most famous for chocolate are those that have the technology with the best machines to manufacture the final product: Belgium and Switzerland.
In Colombia, there are 3 main species of cocoa, although coffee overshadows it: the 'criollo' (the finest but the least profitable), the 'forastero' and the 'trinitario'. At the Hacienda Venezia in Manizales, 140 hectares of coffee are planted for only 0.5 hectares of cocoa. 3 species of cocoa are much simpler to manage than the vine, which has up to 10,000 varieties (of which 13 varieties represent more than a third of the world's vineyards). The cocoa tree takes a shape reminiscent of goblet-shaped vines, to preserve humidity. It will be pruned twice a year. The cocoa tree grows above sea level up to 800 m above sea level. So, high altitude is not its preferred terroir, except here at Hacienda Venezia which validates its planting trials at 2000 m altitude, known in Manizales and this, thanks to its mineral-rich soil. A bit like the vine, a rustic plant that will not find favorable terrain beyond 700 m except for exceptions like the Argentinian wines of the Cafayate region at more than 2000 m. This echoes the cocoa tree, doesn't it? It will take 6 months to see the flower appear and be pollinated by a fly in order to obtain the fruit.
Another common point: the cocoa tree is susceptible to diseases, especially fungi. These are not its only enemies since ants like to eat its leaves, which reduces photosynthesis to produce the fruit. A cocoa tree produces 40 to 50 fruits each year. For the vine, we will rather go down to around 15 to 20 bunches per vine, a figure that varies depending on the species, its age and the terroir. And as for the vine, it will be necessary to wait 2.5 to 3 years before seeing a cocoa tree produce its first fruits. For 5 years, it will grow and gain volume before stabilizing at the age of 9. The tree takes a pyramidal shape in 3 parts: low, medium with the fruits and high to protect itself from the sun. Its flowers are hermaphrodite, like the vine, so the cocoa tree can self-pollinate. From the flower to the fruit, 5 months will pass. It can produce fruit for about a hundred years, but in the Quindio region, it is stopped at 25 years by cutting the trunk, on which a new shoot will take over. For the cocoa tree, note that about fifteen fruits will produce 1 kg of dry cocoa, or 750 g of cocoa paste.
When the pod changes color, from red to yellow, it is picked and the beans are collected to dry them in the sun, turning them regularly. This juicy white flesh within the pod, called mucilage, is also delicious. It is used in the fermentation process of the beans, rich in fiber and vitamins. By pressing it, we obtain a delicious juice naturally sweet, with fruity and tangy notes. In cocoa, nothing is wasted (as with wine, the lees of which are distilled into brandy): the skin of the bean is used to make infusions, the contents of cigarettes, in the cosmetics industry or even to treat scars or as fertilizers.
The cocoa will undergo fermentation with sugar for 7 days (including 3 anaerobic days), covered with banana leaves to maintain the temperature at 25/27°C and trigger fermentation. Then, it will be stirred, this time in contact with oxygen in another box for 2 more days. Finally, a 2-day oxygenation will finish the process at 50°C. At this point, it will take on a creamy color. The beans will be left to dry for 5 days on large tables, thus reducing the humidity from 55% to 8%. Then, they will be roasted to remove the remaining humidity and enhance the flavors. The skin will then have to be removed like a peel. Next comes the toasting stage at 120°C to develop the aromas for 25 to 30 minutes. The beans must be roasted with a regular movement, neither too fast nor too slow (at the risk of burning them). The beans will be ready when they crackle like popcorn or when they crackle when pressed in your hands (but be careful not to burn yourself). Then, we move on to the phase of grinding the beans to which sugar will be added, leading to a blend with the % of cocoa mentioned on the tablets that we know. Moreover, crushed cocoa is very trendy among athletes because it contains alkaloids that give energy. The fat in cocoa varies from 40 to 60%. Cocoa stimulates the hormones of happiness, it regulates sleep with endorphins and plays an antioxidant role, reducing cancer. It is a filter for the blood. This antioxidant role is another point in common with wine! It is said that cocoa creates a protective film inside the skin. Its recommended consumption is 10 to 30 grams per day. Cocoa is known to be good for the heart while tea is good for the mind, coffee for the brain.
During a visit to Finca El Diamante near Filandia, the son explains to us the choice of production diversity among its 13 hectares, including 3 for cocoa and 10 dedicated to the production of bananas and coffee: "Cocoa cultivation has been lost to coffee, which is much more profitable and less susceptible to fungi. However, cocoa requires 40% less labor than coffee. A single person can manage 3 hectares." Since 2020, the Quindio region has finally been recognized as a cocoa production area, because let's remember that cocoa is of South American origin. 26 varieties of cocoa are now registered in Colombia, representing 1.8% of world production: it is certainly small but it relies on recognition of quality. The largest producers are in Africa such as Ghana, unlike coffee (Brazil). "A good chocolate cannot have more than 4 ingredients otherwise it will lose its flavors: cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar and lecithin."
This time, let's head to the charming and colorful town of Salento at the Entrebosques coffee farm, known as one of the highest farms: 15 hectares, 5 of which are dedicated to coffee, located at an altitude of 1,800 m in the heart of Quindio. The preferred terroir for Arabica is an exception to the rule here by growing so high, its habit being generally between 900 m and 1,800 m. There are hundreds of species of coffee, and as with cocoa, 3 of them are the best known in the world: Arabica (the least bitter, with the least caffeine, for finer aromas), Robusta (more caffeine and less aromatic) and Liberica. Within the Arabica species, there are several varieties of coffee such as Bourbon, Bourbon Rose, Semi Café, Geisha (very good quality known for its floral taste).
Each fruit of the coffee tree has two peaberry coffee beans. Planted two centimeters underground, the coffee bean is attracted to light. 5 weeks later, the young shoot still carries the bean, giving it the name "little soldier" or "fosforo". When two leaves develop, the plant is called 'chapola'. This gave the name to the women who work on the plantation, the chapoleras. After 6 months, the plant becomes 'colino'. Light, humidity and heat will be necessary for their growth. You have to be strategic in planting in the mountains and think according to the slope, the variety, making sure to leave 1 to 1.5 m between the plants. The team is carrying out a triangular planting to better manage erosion and the phenomenon of intense rain that winds in turns on the ground. The first flowering will take place a year later. This azahar flower is hermaphrodite (again, like the vine or the cocoa tree). White or pink, it smells of jasmine during its ephemeral flowering of 24 to 36 hours: a fleeting happiness for the nose. It will be necessary to wait 5 years for the first harvests… a bit like the vine! The varieties live between 50 and 70 years. The harvest of each berry is done by hand when the berry is red or orange or yellow. The team carries out two harvest seasons: one in April and the other in October until December.
The story goes that coffee was discovered by a farmer and his goats who were eating the fruit in Ethiopia in 700. The latter is said to have shown the beans to the chief of the community. The chief did not show interest, throwing the beans into the big fire. At that moment, he smelled the good smell of the burnt bean. This time, coffee caught the attention of the community. It began to be consumed like a fruit, just picked. In 1510, a ban on consuming coffee appeared, considered a drug. In 1730, coffee arrived in Colombia. Then, the Dutch and French brought coffee to the country. Export began in 1835. 1927 saw the creation of the national federation of coffee producers, the largest in the world.
80 kg of coffee can be harvested by one person in one day, meticulously one by one with a rigorous selection of the best maturity of each bean. Arabica is the most fragile variety and sensitive to fungi, insects and also to the climate. This explains the explosion of prices in recent years, following increasingly visible climate changes.
The beetle is said to be the worst enemy among insects, devouring coffee beans.
In Colombia, about 11 million bags of coffee of more or less 60 kg are produced, 4 times less than Brazil which produces 40 million bags.
Today, producers are interested in a hybrid variety, discovered on the island of Timor, a hybrid resulting from a cross between Arabica and Robusta, presenting more resistance.
The coffee plant needs sun but also shade. A drying stage of the coffee will be necessary over a period of one week to 20 days depending on the method.
It can be dried naturally or mechanically. Honey drying is done with the mucilage (the flesh) and will therefore be sweeter but also more expensive. Lavado coffee, without mucilage, is sweeter and less expensive. A machine is used to pulp the bean. The pulp will then be used as fertilizer. The lavado coffee will be put in water in a fermenting tank for 24 hours. Everything will be mixed and then the mucilage will be removed. In terms of remuneration, the tradition was to weigh the coffee from the harvest to pay the farmer.
Finally, it's time to prepare your coffee: it's all about proportions once again... 10% coffee to 90% water;
A pre-infusion or blooming of the coffee removes the carbon dioxide from the coffee for the first 30 seconds at 90/95°C. Then, half will be filtered and then the remaining hot water will be poured. Colombians sanctify each step of coffee preparation down to the smallest detail. To serve a drink at the right temperature, always make sure to heat the container first! Also, avoid boiling water which makes the coffee more bitter and can over-extract the aromas.
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