Copán Bundle

70% Chumphon Cacao fermented for 144 hours.

Cacao produced by husband and wife team, Khun Boom and Khun Suriya, in the Chanthaburi region of Thailand.

Contents Ground Chocolate, Thailand - 200g (7.05oz) Chanthaburi, 70% Chumphon - 53g (1.9oz)

Regular price: $28.00
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Sale price: $28.00
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In the bundle you will find the following:

Chanthaburi

Single-origin chocolate bar

Over our many visits we have been stunned by the Thai landscape; the numerous micro climates and terroirs, the passionate and welcoming people. This lush green terrain has an incredible potential to produce very high quality coffee and cacao, and over the coming years we are committed to finding partners in both fields. This release is our first venture into sourcing cacao in Thailand.

Thailand

Ground Chocolate

Cacao produced by husband and wife team, Khun Boom and Khun Suriya, in the Chanthaburi region of Thailand.

Ground Chocolate is a natural extension of our cacao project. After years of searching for a high quality hot chocolate to serve in our own cafés, we finally have the opportunity to create our own, using cacao sourced and roasted by La Cabra.

Ground Chocolate doesn’t go through the final tempering stage of chocolate making, meaning it melts at a much lower temperature when combined with warm milk. We recommend a 1:6 ratio of Ground Chocolate to your favourite milk or plant-based alternative. We steam the mixture on an espresso machine’s steam wand, but it can also be heated gently on the stove.

Producer

Khun Boom

Varietal

Chumphon Hybrid 1

Fermentation

Wooden box, 144 hours

We are excited to be the first chocolate maker in Europe to partner with a Chanthaburi cacao producer.

Chanthaburi

Thailand

Our new cacao release comes from the Chanthaburi region of Thailand. We’ve been taking a great interest in Thailand since we opened our location in Bangkok; travelling often to the city and outwards into the country. Over our many visits we have been stunned by the Thai landscape; the numerous micro climates and terroirs, the passionate and welcoming people. This lush green terrain has an incredible potential to produce very high quality coffee and cacao, and over the coming years we are committed to finding partners in both fields. This release is our first venture into sourcing cacao in Thailand.

The genetic homogeneity allows Boom to be very precise in her fermentation protocols, leading to a bright flavour profile with notes of lemon, lime and dried berries.

Chumphon-1

Chanthaburi

Chanthaburi is a beautiful region, located on the coast just a few hours drive southeast of Bangkok. During our recent visit to Thailand we took the drive to meet husband and wife team Khun Boom and Khun Suriya at their small farm. Boom spent time walking the fields with us, and taking us through their exacting post-harvest processing protocols. Her attention to detail was impressive, translating into the best quality Thai cacao we have tasted yet.

The Thai cacao industry is very small, but aims for very high quality.

Producers

Khun Boom and Khun Suriya

Boom is one of a small group of producers in Chanthaburi that’s pushing the boundaries of quality for Thai cacao. Thailand is an incredibly small producer of cacao, having only started producing in the mid 20th Century, mainly using low quality hybrid varieties originating from the Philippines. This small production and relatively low quality meant that many local chocolate processors closed their doors, after years of having to import cacao to keep up with demand. This lack of local demand effectively ended production of cacao in Thailand, dropping to below 120 tonnes over the past 10 years.

The Chumphon-1 varietal dominates in Thailand, leading to greater genetic homogeneity than we see in many other countries.

The Chumphon Hybrid

However, Thailand is a very interesting origin in terms of quality cacao. As cacao is self-pollinating, there is an incredible genetic diversity around the world, caused by involuntary hybridisation on farms. On our visits to farms in other origins, it’s possible to see this in the varying sizes and colours of pods, even within what can be deemed ‘Trinitario’ cacao. However, in Thailand, a recently released hybrid varietal dominates the cacao lands. Chumphon-1 was hybridised from two Trinitario strains in order to suit Thai conditions, yielding high and consistently. The genetic homogeneity was clear to see while walking with Boom and Suriya. Similarly sized pods, and a much more uniform colour. As well as the high yield, the uniform genetics lead to more consistency in processing, both within batches and from year to year. This means that Boom has been able to develop a post-harvest protocol that brings the best out of her cacao, every time.

The Thai cacao industry

A new wave

This new wave in the Thai cacao industry has been driven mainly by local demand. The appetite for quality in the bigger cities has led to a growth of Thai boutique chocolate makers, all looking for high quality, locally produced cacao. It’s only in recent years that the external market has begun to take an interest, and we are the first chocolate maker in Europe to partner with any of the Chanthaburi producers. Boom’s cacao is an excellent example of this movement, and really reflects the flavour profile we’ve been searching for; a high acidity reminiscent of lemon and lime, alongside a deep sweetness of dried berries.

Continue to explore:

Single-origin chocolate bar

Ground Chocolate

Thailand

Chanthaburi

Khun Boom and Khun Suriya

The Chumphon Hybrid

A new wave