Susana and I are back from our cacao discovery trip to Peru as part of the Cacao and Chocolate Tasting Level 3 course with the International Institute of Cacao and Chocolate Tasting. It was a week filled with emotions, learning and lots of chocolate.
We started the trip by meeting our group leaders, Martin Christy and Maricel Presilla, and the rest of the students for a private tour of the Cacaosuyo Chocolate Factory in Lima. Samir from Cacaosuyo generously explained the behind the scenes of his factory, the first one in Peru to make bean-to-bar chocolate with Peruvian cacao. Cacaosuyo are pioneers in promoting chocolate and chocolate making in Peru.
We met the rest of our group. All are chocolate lovers involved in different sides of the industry. This made for engaging and interesting conversations. It was inspiring to meet such a diverse group, including Boss, a cacao farm-owner and chocolate maker from Thailand, Dhayvat, who has a chocolate factory in India, and Genevieve, a connoisseur and chocolate judge from Belgium.
At Cacaosuyo, we received our chocolate samples for the week. During the Level 3 Tasting course, each participant is given 5 chocolate bars that we have to taste throughout the week and, at the end, we have to identify them in a blind tasting. Extra points are given if you identify them by aroma only!
After leaving Cacaosuyo, we attended the Salon del Chocolate Peru, the largest gathering of cacao farmers and chocolate lovers from all across Peru. We were impressed by the amount of stands and sheer size of the event. Peruvian cacao and chocolate is truly having a moment.
We left Lima in the evening bound for Cusco. We took precautions for the altitude, such as eating light carbs, taking plenty of liquids and moving calmly. It was a good call: the altitude made us feel woozy and a little sleepless, but otherwise okay. In the morning, we drank coca leaf tea and left for a day of exploring the city of Cusco.
Cusco is a magical combination of ancient Inca culture and colonial architecture. We enjoyed a tour of the Qoricancha Temple and visited the Jesuit Church in the grand square. One particular stand out was a visit to Three Monkeys Coffeehouse, a hipster joint that would not feel out of place in Brooklyn and served innovative coffee and cacao drinks.
In the afternoon we visited the small factory of Barberis Chocolate, a third-generation chocolate maker and chocolatier local to Cusco. We enjoyed a short tour of their facility and spoke at length with the owner about the challenges of modernising a brand while keeping it true to its roots. We tasted many of their chocolates and confections.
For dinner, Susana and I (along with Maricel) decided to eat at Mauka. This unique restaurant is owned by Chef Pia Leon, wife and collaborator of Virgilio Martinez of Central fame. The meal was a joy of discovery, with each dish made using hyper local ingredients difficult to find anywhere else. Standouts included a grain bowl with three different types of quinoa and a river fish poached in local pumpkin sauce. It was definitely a unique experience.
Early the next day, we left for a scenic drive to the cacao growing region of Quillabamba. We stopped by an alpaca farm and met artisan weavers. We also stopped at a local market in the small town of Calca. Here we got to see first-hand all the bounty of the Peruvian countryside, like their endless varieties of potatoes and corn of many, many colors. There were tiny cuys, small guinea pigs, trussed and ready for the spit, as well as flowers, spices and fruits from the area. Really an endless supply of wonders!
We jumped back on the bus and headed for the Salt Mines of Mara, which sounds like a place in Lord of the Rings but looks like the set of Dune: completely otherworldly. Hundreds of small pools of salt are nestled in a huge valley and actively harvested by a group of women farmers. The salted water comes from an underground spring. We bought lots of this special salt to bring back as gifts.
The journey continued up the Andes mountain range. We stopped at a specialty coffee shop at 4000m above sea level for a cup of something warm. Again, we were surprised by the level of care put into the coffee, chocolate and pastries even in this far-flung place. The rest of the bus ride, which was long and largely uneventful, was spent talking to our new chocolate friends and sharing stories.
The next couple of days were spent in a whirlwind of cacao and chocolate activities. We visited a cacao farm and processing plant with cacao expert Wilton Cespedes. We got to taste many types of Chuncho cacao, considered by specialists as the original cacao variety. We saw how the cacao was fermented, dried and harvested up in the mountains and drank cacao pulp smoothies to cool off from the humid heat. We met more cacao farmers and chocolate makers, visited their shops and ate their chocolates. We attended lectures about the genetics of Peruvian cacao and about new types of fermentation practices.
On Friday we had our final assessment, including our group project, the blind tasting and a written exam. For the group project, we had to create a brand of chocolate highlighting Peruvian cacao and give a presentation with ideas. There were three groups in all and all brought something unique and different to their made up brands. It was a great exercise in marketing and innovation. The blind tasting took place next and then the written exam. By the end of the day, we were spent but happy to have finished the assessments.
On Saturday, we got back on our bus for the long, scenic trip back to Cusco, plane ride to Lima and finally red-eye to Miami, with our bellies full of chocolate and our hearts filled with inspiration and ideas.
