A Guide to Cacao Flavor Design: Modifying Fermentation
By carefully adjusting fermentation parameters like time, turning frequency, and pod storage, chocolate makers can directly influence the biochemical reactions …
You need to come to experience the world of native cacao
Peru is the ultimate destination for cacao hunting, offering two distinct paths to discovering rare native varieties: searching cultivated farms for prized, gen…
Cusco Coffee Origin Trip
Cusco offers a rare opportunity to combine world-class coffee sourcing with incredible travel experiences, seamlessly blending farm visits with iconic Incan rui…
Exotic micro-lot or stable basic coffee
Cupping exotic coffee at origin often promises vibrant floral and fruity notes that seem to fade after weeks of international transit. Chemical mechanisms like …
The cacao life cycle
The transformation of a raw cacao pod into a smooth chocolate bar involves a meticulous ten-step life cycle, beginning with careful harvesting and ending with p…
Coffee Cultivation in Harmony with Nature in La Convención
Is shade-grown farming a deliberate ecological choice, or an economic necessity? Like La Convención, many smallholders worldwide embrace nature to sustain their…
The two families of native cacao in La Convencion
There are two families of native cacao in La Convencion. A recent study showed that they are indeed genetically distinct even though they are both from the same…
Mixing two agricultural concepts in La Convención
Historically, the people of La Convención inherited a unique bicultural heritage: the Andean practice of cultivating crops by elevation, and the Amazonian wisdo…
The transition from Andes highlands to Amazon Rainforest
Spanning from Andean peak to the Amazonian jungle, La Convención is Cusco's historic cultural crossroads. At its heart, Quillabamba seamlessly blends these two …