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La Cabra Cacao

We have long been fascinated by taste experiences in many fields, carefully produced wines, skilfully brewed beers, or a beautifully balanced dish. However, not many other products have so many parallels to speciality coffee than high-quality cacao. The level of care taken in the field, the fermentation, the roasting and production stages leads clearly to an elevated taste experience, with character that can be traced back to intentional decisions taken by farmer, roaster, and chocolate maker. Over years of travelling to origin, visiting colleagues and tasting, our interest has slowly grown, to the point where we feel ready to take the step and share this exciting addition to the La Cabra lineup.

Kenya

Gakuyuini

We have purchased coffee from the Gakuyuini station in Kirinyaga several times, and this lot is tasting characteristically fresh and bright, with ripe forest berries.

The Gakuyuini factory is located just outside the small town of Ngariama, in the eastern Kirinyaga region. Like much of the excellent coffee we find in Kenya, Gakuyuini is located on the southern slopes of Mount Kenya, home to fertile volcanic soils and plentiful high altitude. Gakuyuini was built in 1982 and is the only mill owned by the Thirikwa Farmers Cooperative Society, of which there are just over 1500 members. Most of the farmers here have 200-250 coffee trees, spread amongst other crops and farming activities, like maize, macadamia and dairy. These other crops are used both for food and for selling at local markets. Eastern Kirinyaga is home to some of our favourite Kenyan coffees; just outside Ngariama we also find the Rungeto Farmer’s Cooperative Society, who own the Kii, Karimikui and Kiangoi mills.

Mexico

Pedro Guzman

Pedro Guzman grows coffee in the Chiapas region of Southern Mexico, bordering Huehuetenango in Northern Guatemala, both of which we have visited and purchased coffees from. Pedro’s lot is ripe and sweet, with rich tropical fruit lifted by fresh citrus.

Members of the Cafeólogo team have immersed themselves in the coffee communities of rural Chiapas, learning the local Mayan dialects, understanding each farmer’s practices, their challenges and their needs. Cafeólogo, seeing the value of each farmer’s high quality cherry, pay the same price as for a high quality parchment coffee, so their income is not reduced, but their cost of production and level of risk is. This allows them to focus on the agronomical aspects of coffee production, with support from Cafeólogo on topics such as coffee physiology, nutrition, pests and diseases, organic practices and vitally, their own quality control. This particular lot was produced by Pedro Guzman, and processed using the washed method at the Sibactel community mill. The lot is 100% Garnica, a cross between Mundo Novo and Caturra developed in Mexico in the 1960’s. The lot has a bright and tropical feel, with a citrus acidity helping to create a lively cup.

70% trinitario cacao

La Catarina

Our first single origin cocoa release comes from Cyrille Beraud’s project Finca La Catarina. Cyrille’s history as a chocolatier and baker means he has a great passion and appreciation for chocolate from the end user side, but his curiosity led him to look further down the supply chain. The fact that his farm, Finca La Catarina, was previously a coffee farm, feels fitting for our first cacao release. This means that the farm lies at a relatively high altitude compared to many cacao farms in the region, and has a great deal of shade, biodiversity, and rich volcanic soils. The polyculture farming practices used here, with organic matter and by-products from the farm used for crop nutrition and soil conservation, cement Cyrille’s modern approach to high quality cacao production. The varietal grown here is Trinitario, fermented in wooden boxes for 7 days before drying. The combination of the excellent raw material and careful fermentation leads to a flavour intense cacao, with a note that reminds us of ripe banana.