Naive – Las Trincheras Canabobo 70% – Nano_Lot

“The history of cacao in Venezuela goes back some 450 years, to the 16th century and the Spanish colonists. To this day, it is considered to be the world capital of premium cacao. There are two elements that made Venezuela’s fine flavour cacao attractive.” – Domantas Uzpalis, chocolatier. 

Clone

T. cacao is largely very easy to breed so smallholder farmers and research institutions alike can quite easily promote specific plant traits through intentional mixing of genotypes. Just like grapes for wine making, the cacao family contains more than 1000 clones that produce different flavours and aromas. 

Theobroma Cacao

Theobroma cacao grows in the tropics, all the way around the “20/20 zone” – roughly 20 degrees north & south of the equator. The species’ origin dates back 10000 – 15000 years. the tree is native to humid tropical regions of the northern part of South America and, according to some reports, of Central America. Indeed, there is still some controversy about the origin and domestication of cacao. 

Fermentation

Technically speaking, chocolate is a fermented fruit. fermentation is the process of improving the quality of cacao through the controlled activity of microbes, and it allows the bitter, otherwise tasteless cacao seeds to develop the rich flavours associated with chocolate. In addition to setting up optimal flavour profiles, fermentation can unlock some of the unique characteristics that identify a particular place and bean variety known as “terroir”. 

Drying

After the lengthy fermentation process, the beans are ready to be dried. This is another crucial step in the enhancement of cacao flavour. It’s important not to let the beans dry too slowly or too quickly – either approach can result in the creation of off-flavours or other undesirable characteristics, such as high astringency. Drying can be fine-tuned to enhance specific cacao flavour notes needed. 

What is Nano_Lot?

Nano-Lot cacaos are available on an extremely limited basis and consequently only at specific times of the year, meaning once they’re gone, they’re gone. Those that naive had chosen to feature boast the highest ratings, are of the rarest qualities, and provide the most unique tasting experience. Naive strongly believes that there’s are the world’s best cacaos because of the amount of R&D given to them.