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Post by seneca on Mar 20, 2006 22:35:25 GMT -5
Even the so-called 'recovered criollos' are mostly being grafted onto Forastero rootstock, which is just one more piece of the puzzle. The fact is that there is simply no such thing as genetic purity in the world of Cacao today, and there won't be in the future either.
In my humble opinion the most logical course for the fine chocolate industry to persue is the AOC (apellation) model used in wine. Genetics are an interesting factor, but ultimately the location of production and the local expertise and technique exhibited in the fermentation and drying regimes have far more to do with the overall flavor outcome. And, as John mentioned above, it's the flavor and potential of the bean that we're all after, whatever the designation or claim of varietal purity may be...
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Post by Alan on Mar 20, 2006 22:57:54 GMT -5
Alan, Seeing as neither of the books you link to are reviewed by anyone on Amazon, I'd be really interested to read a more detailed review from you. In particular, I'd be interested to know how well illustrated they are (I love a good picture book!) Sam Sam, You got it! I'll post some reviews tomorrow. You are in luck, too, because both books have photos, and one is packed with at least 24 pages of full-color glossy photos. ;D Alan
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Post by Alan on Mar 21, 2006 11:36:41 GMT -5
Alright,
Here is the deal.
Cocoa by Wood and Lass:
Table of Contents:
1 History and development 2 Botany, types and populations 3 Environment 4 Planting material 6 Establishment 7 Shade and Nutrition 8 Maintenance and improvement of mature cocoa farms 9 Replanting and rehabilitation of old cocoa farms 10 Labour Usage 11 Diseases 12 Insects and Cocoa 13 From harvest to store 14 Quality and inspection 15 Marketing 16 Production 17 Consumption and Manufacture
As you can see, this book speaks more about cocoa before it ends up in a chocolate factory than otherwise. This is what makes it interesting to me. Minifie and Beckett have covered chocolate production quite thoroughly, but both of them spent only a nominal amount of time on the subject of cocoa before it makes it to the factory. This book, on the other hand, is the opposite sort of book, and covers the pre-fabrication subject quite thoroughly. However, in discussing cocoa pre-chocolate, the authors do not forget the whole point of growing cocoa in the first place, and therefore are always concerned to tie in, at every turn, the impact on the finished product of certain cocoa choices or certain drying methods, etc.
For this reason, this book will be of interest to the cocoa/chocolate enthusiast, and the small-scale artisan, who is searching for plantations bean sources and wants to know what methods, used by these growers, will result in the best finished product.
There are also plenty of diagrams and photos, by my count 87, that cover everything from pod types, to grading diagrams, to tree branch and root system diagrams.
At this point, if you would like to know more about this book, please ask specific questions. I will try to answer anything about it that you ask.
Moving on...
The Genetic Diversity of Cacao and its Utilization by B.G.D. Bartley
This book has 24 full-color pages (average of 4 photos to a page) packed with photos of different trees, blossoms, and pods from different types of cocoa trees in different locations. The main focus is on pods.
This book is far more technical than the former, and the author, a professor for the agriculture department at the University of Trinidad, looks at cacao as something interesting in and of itself, avoiding the topic of chocolate altogether.
The table of contents is:
1 The background to the subject: Concepts and brief history 2 The terminology specific to cacao 3 The indicators of variability 4 The manifestation of the diversity and its conservation 5 The foundations of the Diversity 6 The cultivated populations as secondary depositories of the diversity 7 The genetics of diversity 8 The relationships among populations 9 The utilization of the genetic resources 10 Epilogue
Chapter five is considerably longer than the other chapters, and would interest anyone wanting to read more about the diversity of Cacao. There are a number of black and white photos in this section, and other chapters, of different pod types.
Seeing as how this book is quite dense and technical, I will require more specific questions so that I can clarify the variety of topics that are covered.
I hope that this helps.
I would also like to note one further book that I discovered that does focus primarily on chocolate production. It is a bit dated (published in 1972), but has many useful details within it that Minifie's book seems not to cover in as much depth:
Chocolate Production and Use by L. Russell Cook
If I had great amounts of expendable money, I would buy all three books, but if I had to choose two, I would choose "Cocoa" and "Chocolate Production...." The third, more technical book, "The Genetic Diversity of Cacao..." is, by far, the most technical regarding the issue of cacao types/genetics, and therefore the least interesting to me since it does not tie the discussion in to chocolate production, though that is not to say that it holds no interest.
Hopefully this was helpful. I look forward to any questions about these publications.
Alan
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Post by Samantha Madell on Mar 21, 2006 22:11:28 GMT -5
Alan,
Would you mind consulting your books for definitive, botanical answers to the following questions for me, please?
* What exactly are Criollo, Trinitario, and Forastero? (Are they subspecies, varieties, or something else? For example, Trinitario is sometimes referred to as a "hybrid", but my understanding is that a hybrid results from human intervention.)
* Should the three "varieties" begin with capital or lower-case C, T, and F? (My understanding is that subspecies and varieties should always be lower-case ... but I guess that common usage might over-ride this convention).
* What exactly is Amelonado? I know that it is a "type" of Forastero ... but is "type" the right word? And what exactly does "type" mean in this context? And, what are the other "types" of Forastero? (I guess the Ecuadorean Nacional is one other example). Are there corresponding "types" of Criollo?
I hope this isn't too much home work for you - I would dearly love reliable answers to these questions!
Thanks, Sam :-)
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Post by Alan on Mar 21, 2006 23:44:08 GMT -5
Response:Here is what is contained within Cacao: Thus, both Forastero and Trinitario are T. cacao ssp. Sphaerocarpum according to this system of classification, though Trinitario has some features of Criollo. This book lists the following “types” of Criollo: Here are some interesting points from “The genetic diversity of cacao:” Actually, all three books note that Trinitario likely started from a cross between left over Criollo populations in Trinidad after a large-scale destruction, and imported Forastero varieties. Thus, Trinitario did develop from human intervention. Interestingly enough, the terms "type" and "population" seem to be used fairly interchangeably when talking about Forastero, Criollo, and Trinitario, but "variety" (usually), "type", or "population" can be used when differentiating between "types" of Criollo or "types" or Forastero, etc. That said, the "Genetic Diversity of Cacao..." had this to say: But that said, the author then proceeds to use the same terms He simply explains further that it is necessary not to use the terms Criollo, Forastero, and Trinitario too loosely and that there can be great variation within those groups. In all of the books, capitals are used without exception, including the most technical of the three. I believe the reason is that Criollo, Forastero, and Trinitario are not scientific names in the least, but proper names. An example, I think, would be how "Oak tree" would be capitalized. From Cacao: Forastero types: Dear Sam, I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any further questions. Alan
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Post by Samantha Madell on Mar 22, 2006 0:27:33 GMT -5
Wow Alan. Thanks for all that detail. Very illuminating!!
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Post by Alan on Mar 22, 2006 8:56:15 GMT -5
On that note, I will have a new "Criollo" available sometime in April I hope. It is again from Venezuela, but it is a new one from the Cuyagua region. THIS is what Criollo in my mind should taste like. It is markedly lighter in the nib, has a silkiness in the chocolate and unsweetened has NO bitterness at all. NONE. It was truly amazing. But, is it PURE Criollo - no, history and prior knowledge says it can't be. But breeding history, flavor, appearance etc makes it very close. Am I going to offer it because it is Criollo - NO. I am going to offer it because it is the best bean I have ever tasted an I was completely blown away by it. Am I going to play up it is Criollo. Again no. It will be label Criollo, but I am going to write it up like I do all my beans and let the flavor speak for itself. Oh, and it WILL be a little more expensive. Not too much more. But that is not because of the name - but because of the reality. It is a rarer bean, with less yield and it is very consistent and prepped well. Actually, I have decided to even drop my mark up on this one a little bit because I didn't like how much it was going to retail for. I would rather make a touch less on it and let more people enjoy it that price it out of some people's reach. This sounds good to me! Count me in as being among your first customers for that. Another thing that I have been wondering about in terms of bean possibilities is... Is it possible to get any good quality Nacional (Arriba); from Ecuador of course. I'd be very interested in that. Alan
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Post by Alchemist on Mar 22, 2006 12:31:33 GMT -5
This sounds good to me! Count me in as being among your first customers for that. Another thing that I have been wondering about in terms of bean possibilities is... Is it possible to get any good quality Nacional (Arriba); from Ecuador of course. I'd be very interested in that. Alan Ha, to late as the first customer :-) Someone already is ahead of you. As for the Ecuadorian Arriba, I have yet to find one I like. Either they are very bland and flat or down right bad as in bitter and astrigent notes. Of course I will keep looking.
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