Description
| Varietal / genotype | Béniano |
| Grade | Wild Harvested |
| Origin | Rio Béni, circa Estate Tranquilidad, Huarcaraje, Iténez Province, Bolivia |
| Vintage | 2016 |
| Harvester(s) | the Cambas community |
| Post-Harvest | Fermentation: optimal
Drying: in the sweet–spot 6-8% moisture range |
| Barsmith | Amano |
| Cacáo-Content | 74% |
| Ingredients | cacáo mass, cane sugar, cocoa butter; net weight 100 grams |
| Roasting Curve | proprietary |
| Conche Refining | proprietary |
| Characteristics | Tree Density: tall & relatively dense in patches of half hectares; close as 5 to 10 meters apart; scattered individuals throughout the entire forest… the 300 hectares of Tranquilidad Estate host approximately 10,000 of these trees Soil: alluvial deep sandy Pod size / shape / shade / scent: baby small as a mango / elongate with short apex / yellow / … Seed # / pod: 28 – 42 Weight: light; .5 to .7 grams per seed Lipid content: 56 – 58% Flavor Profile: Fruits / Flowers Historicity: For centuries Béniano cacáo has been revered by pre-Columbian cultures, as well as European explorers. Seasonal flooding from the Madeira & Guaporé rivers forming the Bolivia / Brazil border primarily accounts for these isle wetlands. In the wake of such floods, early peoples may have then built irrigation systems to sustain them. Multi-trunked trees also indicate some antiquity (see photo gallery above). Those come about when the mother tree dies & young shoots bloom at differing successive years over the course of the tree’s life & clump together. Additional importance lies in Beniano being Witches Broom-tolerant — a disease & one of cacáo’s mortal enemies. |
| Production Date | 2017 |
| Expiry | 2019 & for a taste of greater vintage, even better still thereafter |
| Landmarked | 2016 |
