Dear passionate and curious coffee lovers,
With this small box we propose to you a quick trip to discover, understand and to experience of how three different varieties of arabica coffee cultivated in our plantation Nova Moca, on the island of Sao Tome, taste surprisingly different.
These beans are of three different, ancient and rare varieties of Arabica cultivated on the same terroir, one next to the other in the same plantation, roasted exactly the same way and covered with the same chocolate, (55% cacao) which we prepare from our own plantation of cocoa beans from the plantation of Terreiro Velho on the island of Principe.
Before we leave on this trip of tastes, it is important to understand that the yield per hectare (approx. 2 1/2 acres) of Arabica coffee in the market varies from 200 kg per hectare, for the antique variety, to as much as 4000 kg per hectare for modern hybrid plants.
Why do we maintain these antique varieties with such a small yield? For one reason only, TASTE!
A coffee that is cultivated for increased yield looses taste and for this reason, as in wine, we concentrate our efforts only toward plants that give us the best taste and flavor.
The plantation of Nova Moca.
Before you do the tasting it is good to know that the average weight of the coffee bean in this chocolate is 0,1 gr., which equals 1/80 of the coffee necessary to make an espresso of 8 gr.
To distinguish between the three different beans we kept the abbreviations we
use in the plantation: n.º 1 CAT (Caturra), n.º 2 BB (Bourbon) and n.º 3 NM (Novo Mundo)
If you are ready to start this journey, we have one more requirement of you to optimize your experience.
To better appreciate and to distinguish the differences in taste and persistence in your mouth between the three varieties, begin with tasting:
n.º 1 CAT The moment you bite in the chocolate your mouth and nose are filled with the taste of the coffee, but it disappears quickly. What remains is the taste of the chocolate.
Continue now to taste the:
n.º 2 BB this combination of chocolate and coffee is exactly the opposite of the CAT. You taste the chocolate first, and very slowly you discover the delicate taste of the BB which after a minute or so completely overtakes the taste of the chocolate.
Now before we travel to the third destination to experience:
n.º 3 NM allow the taste of the BB to disappear before moving on to the final taste experience. If you have the patience to wait, you will appreciate the profume of both chocolate and coffee that blend together in a rare equilibrium, a unique experience that will linger in your mouth.
The percentage of coffee is approximately 7.8% of the total weight, 55% is the chocolate content + 38% sugar.
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Comments (2)
Anton Meixner
Yours sincerely
Antoine Meixner
Adam Rosario Kelley
His chocolate is in my opinion the single best eating chocolate in the world. I'd be hard pressed to decide if I like his 75% or his 80% with the crystalized sugar in it best. His unconched chocolate has the best and most interesting mouth feel. I know many chocofiles will argue with me, and I'd have agreed with them before getting to know Claudio's chocolate, but against conventional wisdom and even this web site, I like to start with my chocolate at just under 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the slowly chew it. I love the chew and mouth feel, and I love the way the aroma and flavors increase as the chocolate warms in my mouth.
In the end, I guess I just want to say thank you to Claudio and his team, for the best chocolate in the world.
Adam