Cocoa beans

Origin: Ghana
Crop Year: 2025
Genetics: Criollo, Forasterio, Trinitatio and more pending identification
Region: Ghana / Asante Akim - Women's Cooperative

What is extra special here is that this lot is prepared by a women run cooperative and quite similar to the 15 community standard lot that we are also offering.

The aroma is rich chocolate and hints of sweet spices. The flavor is a complex combination of rich fudge, the sweet spices and dried brown fruit and the flavor keeps going and going. There are dates and sweet dried plums in the taste along with the accompanying tang. Compared to the standard lot I find this more complex yet seemingly contradictory, less bold. You'd have to try them side by side to really see what I mean. That said, I might be hard pressed to tell them apart in a blind tasting, but I also think I like this lot a tad bit more due to the spices and cleaner type of sugar impression. That cleaner sugar pairs well with the slightly higher bitter note that puts me in mind of really good black coffee.

The profile ends with a clean earthiness that also contains hints of leather and prune supporting the previous structure and body. Overall this is a complex bold delight.

This is a very forgiving origin and a good one to start with and will go well in light milk chocolate all the way to brooding dark chocolates.

Drum Roasting

The drum roasting profile I used for the evaluation sample was 11:55/14:00/18:00 @ 264 F. After that, you can treat this bean pretty strongly as there is plenty of chocolate and fruit. You absolutely want to pay attention to the aroma and reduce your power/ramps if you smell it trying to be acrid but that is going to be pretty difficult with this bean. You will notice the Development time is a little over 2 minutes and barrels on strongly to the lower 260s.

Behmor Roaster

Roast 2 lb and use P1 on the one pound setting, for 16 minutes or until you hear a pop or two. Then take it longer. 2-3 minutes. It is virtually impossible to over roast in the Behmor with 2 lb in there. If you are using the current model with Manual control, turning down the power to P4 (75% power) when it starts to become aromatic (or smells sharp) is a nice way to keep the EOR tempering in check.

Oven Roasting

Pre-heat your oven to 350 F. Put 1-2 lb of beans onto a tray single layer deep. Check the temperature every 5 minutes, stirring at that time. When the beans are in the 205-215 range, reduce the oven temperature to about 15-20 F above your target EOR, so if you are going for 265 F, set it to 285 F. When the beans reach your desired temperature and/or are smelling sharp, another 15-30 minutes, remove them and let them cool. This should give you a nice fully developed roasted bean that is in little danger of being over roasted.

Overall it really isn't too fussy.

Ghana 3M Woman's Coop

What is special here is that this lot is prepared by a women run cooperative that is part of Three Mountains.

Three mountains that are part of UNESCO's reforestation and conservation program for tropical rain forests, the Three Mountains estate is set on historical family land that over 2,0000 farmers and 15 communities now call home to support their partner farmer communities directly, where regenerative farm management and organic practices are improving the health of communities. The co-operative also provides financial resources along with community and individualized support in the conversion to organic and Fairtrade certification.

Hand Sort: Yes

Size: Medium, Uniform Size

Fermentation: Heap with banana/plantain leaves as base and cover

Drying: Raised platform made from bamboo/wood, raffia palm drying mat, direct sun drying

Brewing
Milk Chocolate
Chocolate Lovers Cocoa
Semi-Sweet Chocolate
Dark Chocolate

Well Rounded, Deep, Heavy Bodied, Full Bodied, Approachable, Dark Sugar, Intense, Rich, Bold, Dried Fruit, Powerhouse

Please note, all bag orders shipping from warehouses not in Oregon have additional warehouse load out charge not listed ranging from $100-200 on
average, in addition to shipping that will be billed out later.