Ready for a homework assignment you’ll never want to end? It’s time for you to learn all about Cacao and the world of rich, high-quality chocolate. Sounds like an assignment you can get behind? Great! Let’s get started.
Cacao or Chocolate: What’s the Difference?
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At the most basic level, all chocolate is made from Cacao, but not all cacao is made into chocolate. The word cacao is the Latin form of the word cocoa, so the two are used interchangeably. They refer to the potent powder that is made from the seeds of the cacao tree. This powder can be used to make different forms of chocolate, like the chocolate we use for our chocolate covered coffee beans from Hawaii.
The FDA has strict guidelines for the percentage of cacao present, as well as the ingredients used, for the three different forms of chocolate:
- Dark
- Milk
- White
At Hawaii’s Local Buzz, we use only the finest chocolates, made by Guittard Chocolate Company. Guittard sources only the highest-quality cacao beans available in the world.
Meet Guittard Chocolate Company’s Three Favorite Cacao Beans
Like many of life’s finer things – it all begins with a seed. In this case, that seed grows into a cacao tree that bears pods containing seeds called Cacao beans or nibs. These trees require very specific climates, which is why 80% of the world’s fine chocolate supply is grown on family farms of less than 10 acres each!
Guittard sources beans from three of the chocolate growers’ premier cacao beans:
- Forastero: characterized by strong chocolate flavors with a hint of floral overtones.
- Criollo: these beans have a complex but mellow flavor
- Trinitario: Beautiful with their pinkish color, Trinitario cacao is often used to blend the flavors of Forasteros with Criollos.
Now for your homework. Order some chocolate covered coffee beans from Hawaii and start sampling!