What is the difference between “cocoa” and “cacao”? Is there a difference? Do they differentiate quality?
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Which country grows the best cacao? Is it Venezuela? Peru? Does country of origin even matter?
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How starter yeasts impact fermentation, and their impact on flavour precursors such as reducing sugars and free amino acids.
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The myth that soil and climate impact the flavour of cacao not only has no research to back it up, but distracts us from more important aspects such as genetics and processing methods like refining.
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Fermentation-like incubation of cocoa seeds without the use of microorganisms, but instead their metabolites to induce the same breakdown within the cococa seed as with natural fermentation.
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A look into how certain fermentation parameters decrease the levels of cadmium in the cacao nib.
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A close look at Chuncho cacao, and using the aroma and flavour of cacao fruit pulp as a technique to identify and conserve fine flavoured cacao worldwide.
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An analysis of various dark chocolates made with the same cacao, but with various treatments applied during the process. The aroma profile of these chocolates were altered according to how long the pods were stored before fermentation, and the temperature at which the cacao was roasted.
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Some assume that purchasing chocolate made with fine cacao is directly helping those who grow this expensive cacao. This isn’t necessarily the case in Ecuador, where the most fine cacao in the world is grown. This research looks into the livelihoods of the growers in Ecuador, and the trade-offs of growing bulk versus fine cacao.
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Although fermentation impacts the flavour and qualities of the cacao, it appears that the type of cacao somehow impacts the types and populations of microorganisms. It seems as though type of cacao impacts to a degree how it ferments, which will impact the flavour and qualities of the final chocolate.
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The impact pod storage has on the cocoa pods as well as the cocoa seeds. Can pod storage improve the aroma profile of cacao and offer farmers the chance to improve the flavour of their bulk cacao?
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The fruit of the cacao is why humans first took an interest in this plant, which eventually lead to the making chocolate from its seeds. The cacao fruit is crucial to the process of making chocolate, but how important is its flavour? Bertus Eskes and a team of researchers conduct a few experiments with this question in mind.
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Chocolate from Peru! Chocolate from Indonesia! Which one is better quality? Or does it really determine quality at all? Learn what origin has to do with your chocolate, and what it doesn't.
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