cocoa bean
..., then finally to England around the 1600s. Prices of chocolate began to drop by the beginning of the eighteenth century, and Bristol, England, was the start of the commercial manufacture of chocolate. This is where J.S. Fry founded the first chocolate factory in 1728. (www.hawaiianchocolate.com) The name cacao is basically a botanical name that refers to the tree; the unfermented beans in the pods and the pods themselves. “The word cocoa refers to the fermented cocoa beans in bulk, and also to the manufactured powdered product used for drinks and in food manufacturing.”(www.hawaiianchocolate.com) The seeds from the cocoa beans are taken from the tree species Theobroma cacao L. Theobroma is the only tree of commercial value, which is divided into four varieties: Hawaiian, Criollo, Trinitario, and Forastero. The conditions to grow a cacao tree are pretty exact. Any location 20 degrees latitude of the earth’s equator is a good area, with a required temperature anywhere from 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. After 5 years the tree starts to grow fruit and usually lives up to 100 years. In the lower part of the trunk around the main branches is where flowers less than a half inch, form into groups. These flowers produce very sticky pollen that is not dispersed by wind, but by a tiny fly called a midge. Every year a mature tree produces about 10,000 flowers of which 1000are pollinated and only 100 develop into fully mature pods. During a 5-7 month maturing period many will wilt and drop off the tree. A full-grown pod will be 6 to 10 inches long and have a diameter of 3-4 inches. Inside the pod is a thick pulp that has around 20 to 40 seeds if it’s ripe. Good chocolate flavor comes from genetics; its surrounding environment and good fermentation, drying and storage also play a part. The fermentation process takes 5 to 6 days. When first commercially manufactured, chocolate from the roasted whole bean is called “nubs,” with sugar is a very rich drink because...