Awards:
Bronze winner of the Academy of Chocolate Awards 2018 (Category dark bean to bar under 80%)
 
2 ingredient chocolate means a slow melting chocolate.   We've added chunks of Candied Orange and stoeground whole Caradamom seed through the liquor to create a bright and fruity bar, balanced really well with cacao from the same biome, the same forest.
 
Take a chunk, enjoy a slow melt with eyes closed and you'll be transported to an exotic flavourscape for a few moments.
 
Kaithapara Vanam cacao is grown by a forest-dwelling community in Idukki, a region in the state of Kerala in Southern India distinguished by its vast mountain forests and gentler climate. This encouraged the British to plant cacao here in the 1700s, brought from Amboyna, one of the spice islands of Indonesia.
 
The local smallholders—some tribal families that have lived here for generations and some newcomers that have been driven to this lush piece of land after facing starvation in dryer areas in the 1950s—grow cacao alongside a great diversity of spices and fruits, thereby mitigating the damage from droughts and crop failures. For Solkiki, the tradition of growing unique cacao together with an abundance of spices, made Kaithapara an interesting terroir for cacao. Stable prices throughout the seasons means this organic cacao is an economically attractive and environmentally-friendly income source for local families.  Keeping the trees alive promotes biodiversity and a thriving ecosystem.
 
The cacao bean is called Kaithapara Vanam.  The long-standing tradition of growing fine cocoa in Idukki, Kerala, dates back to the 1700s, where the region’s wealth of spices made the waters of Kerala the busiest trade route in the world.
 
The Muthuplackal family brought different local cacaos to the Velloor forest of Kaithapara in the 1980s. There are no historical records of the cacao planted in Kaithapara, but the morphological indicators of the local cacaos tell us that they are predominantly locally-developed hybrids with a strong presence of Forastero traits and occasional white beans.
 
Balanced, touching on all base flavours and full of notes that evolve during a lengthy 2-ingredient melt this is a unique chocolate story we are proud to be part of.  Thanks to Anders at Original Beans for helping us join the dots on this lovely cacao!