Cocoa Pods, varying degrees of ripeness

Traditional growing techniques rely on natural pest control rather than chemical pesticides. The specifications for premium quality organic cocoa beans are:

Organic Cocoa

1. BEAN SIZE: max 85 beans / 100g

2. HUMIDITY: max 6%

3. DEFECTS: max 0% (eaten by insects, mold, broken, double, flattened, or other)

4. VIOLET BEANS:  max 2%

5. BLACK BEANS (over fermented): max 2%

6. ACIDITY: max 0%

Free of foreign scents and flavoring/Free of earth and stone

CJ says we all misuse the terms “hot chocolate” and “hot cocoa.” In actual fact “hot cocoa” is made from the powder left after removing most of the rich cocoa butter from the ground cacao(cocoa) beans. On the other hand, “hot chocolate” is made directly from bar chocolate, which already contains cocoa, sugar and cocoa butter. It’s cocoa butter which makes hot cocoa lower in fat than hot chocolate, but still preserves the inherent healthy characteristics of chocolate that we love.

Pistol&Burnes uses Cocoa Camino, a company who purchases Fair Trade cocoa beans from a Panama Co-op (The Cooperativa de Servicios Múltiples de Cacao Bocatereña, R.L. founded in 1952, comprised of 1500 small-scale cocoa farmers) because it makes good sense. Buying cocoa beans in Panama, paying the same market price, but having the monies go directly to the farmers through the co-op is a working example of fair trade in action.

Any one have any marshmallows?

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Coffee Joe Says: “We—human beings—are part of ‘biodiversity.’ We are dependent on the whole food chain down below us.” ~ Darrell Merrell~ heirloom vegetable farmer

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