Hone Creek
by CariBeans
Impact
Cocoa beans crafted into chocolate by Paul Johnson, a 4-P play (planted, produced, processed & packaged) at the source in the tropics. Paul works directly with cacáo growers / Bromans on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, hence the name CariBeans.
Once part of a hallowed zone of ancient groves extending throughout Mesoamerica, Costa Rica's cacáo fortunes have flagged recently. He & his cohorts hope to revive the grand traditions thru an agro-tourism model to attract all the eco-travelers destined for the country. Other examples of this count Grenada Chocolate Company, ki'Xocolatl in Mexico's Yucatán, & elsewhere.
Success hinges on many factors... including buy-in from Northern consumers.
Once part of a hallowed zone of ancient groves extending throughout Mesoamerica, Costa Rica's cacáo fortunes have flagged recently. He & his cohorts hope to revive the grand traditions thru an agro-tourism model to attract all the eco-travelers destined for the country. Other examples of this count Grenada Chocolate Company, ki'Xocolatl in Mexico's Yucatán, & elsewhere.
Success hinges on many factors... including buy-in from Northern consumers.
Appearance 3.8 / 5
| Color: | pewter purple |
| Surface: | mold of optically scored opposing lines |
| Temper: | matte |
| Snap: | right on the plunk |
Aroma 7.2 / 10
wild cacáo verde -- CR typically exudes picholine & this contains the olive leaf too, along with leguminous climbing vines, palm fronds, the whole forest foliage with wood chips for the campfire
modest cocoa, mineral brine, & some stone werks for a civilizing influence
modest cocoa, mineral brine, & some stone werks for a civilizing influence
Mouthfeel 11.4 / 15
| Texture: | shreds apart |
| Melt: | thin puckering grip |
Flavor 35.7 / 50
brown sugar -> light molasses -> dark cocoa / coffee, black olive backing -> soft bark (nisparo / yellow kasha trees) -> licorice -> dead ends a haystack in a mangrove
Quality 13.1 / 20
Hone Creek, 9 km north of Puerto Viejo Costa Rica along the Caribbean coast right across the border from Panama.
An area of some of the larger producers in country, typically organic. Bromans there often encounter too much pulp for the typical 5-day ferment & thus experience difficulty sun-drying their seeds (picked up in the latter stages of the Flavor as some festering mold).
Whatever the circumstances, CariBeans applies its standard roasting curve (low 'n slow) followed by a moderate grind / conche (roughly 2 days).
Technically adequate (enough) if a bit organileptically blunt (due to a humble seed type & post-harvest methods).
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, raw sugar
Reviewed February 5, 2013
An area of some of the larger producers in country, typically organic. Bromans there often encounter too much pulp for the typical 5-day ferment & thus experience difficulty sun-drying their seeds (picked up in the latter stages of the Flavor as some festering mold).
Whatever the circumstances, CariBeans applies its standard roasting curve (low 'n slow) followed by a moderate grind / conche (roughly 2 days).
Technically adequate (enough) if a bit organileptically blunt (due to a humble seed type & post-harvest methods).
INGREDIENTS: cocoa mass, raw sugar
Reviewed February 5, 2013