Do you test for heavy metals?
As a production laboratory registered with the competent Italian authorities, we are subject to periodic checks on cadmium limits in chocolate.
However, each of our cocoas is tested with both chemical and physical analyses, obtaining very low quantities of cadmium, much lower than the limit established by the EU regulation.
*Ref. European Reg. Limit 0.8 ppm/kg
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Cuyancùa, El Salvador: 0.02 ppm/kg Lenca, El Salvador: 0.02 ppm/kg Qeqchi, Guatemala: 0.2 ppm/kg Nahua, Costa Rica: 0.6 ppm/kg Ulua, Honduras: 0.6 ppm/kg Tlaloc, El Salvador : 0.3 ppm/kg Atehuán, El Salvador: 0.4 ppm/kg |
None of these cocoa origins use pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Only organic ones are used.
Do you have a sales point?
Our laboratory is currently not open to the public.
To purchase our products you can do it through our virtual store, "vaicacao.com", or through our partners. If you have specific requests, you can always contact us at tel. + 39 0789 53857 or hello@vaicacao.com
How do you recommend drinking Ceremonial Cacao?
Heat (without boiling) 180 ml of mineral water. Chop the cocoa with a knife (about 20 grams), add the water and start mixing on low heat. Add cinnamon and chili pepper, and if you don't like it bitter, you can also add a teaspoon of honey, use a date, or maple syrup.
Or put everything in a blender for a few seconds, until completely melted. You can also use a simple milk frother to melt the cocoa and create the desired drink.
For more information on Ceremonial Cacao click here
What is the origin of COCOA?
Historical evidence suggests that cocoa was cultivated by the Olmecs as early as 1800 BC, by the Maya and Aztecs, at various historical times, in what is now partly Central America, historically known as Mesoamerica.
Mesoamerica included southern Mexico (Tabasco, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Yucatan), Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, part of Nicaragua, and part of Costa Rica.
In particular, they cultivated it in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador and northern Nicaragua. It is thought to be native to Central America, but some say it comes from the Amazon, although there is no scientific evidence.
In any case, it is known that the Olmecs, Maya and Aztecs, like other Mesoamerican indigenous peoples (Toltecs, Lenca, Nahuat-Pipil, Nahua, etc.) and other Mesoamerican indigenous peoples, used cocoa as money, and that they had learned to exploit its enormous properties to create energy drinks, aphrodisiacs often reserved for the wealthy classes, and for use in rituals and ceremonies.
The debate about the origin of the theobroma cacao plant is still ongoing. Some say it comes from the Amazon basin, and was later brought to Mesoamerica, where it was cultivated, honored as a sacred plant and used as currency. The debate is still open today.
Where does your cocoa come from? Is it ethical and sustainable?
Our cocoa comes from our plantation Finca Cuyancùa (Izalco) El Salvador. We also buy cocoa from other plantations always from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica (Central America). Although there is always a reason to improve, our cocoa is not the result of slavery, illicit activities and much less denigrates the life of the workers involved. On the contrary, our project would like to give a deep breath to this region, paying prices higher than market prices and giving added value to the entire supply chain.
How many varieties of cocoa are there?
The world of cocoa is very large and still little known in its complexity. The quality of cocoa depends not only on its genetic variety, grafts, local climate, etc., but also on adequate agricultural processes, including a good fermentation and drying process that occurs exclusively on the plantation or in the collection center.
In any case, there are three classifications on which there are then thousands of different genetics:
CRIOLLO (2%), TRINITARIO (8%) and FORASTERO (90%). Criollo, with a very fruity flavour, is characterised by white beans. Since it is a variety with little resistance to soil diseases, parasites and mould, it is difficult to find. The price of Criollo is very high compared to Forastero and it is increasingly difficult to maintain its purity.
Let's dispel a myth: having a "criollo" cocoa in your hands is very rare, and only a few fine chocolates are made of this variety, but it is still very difficult for it to be very pure. You will realize that it is a criollo simply by one fact: the price. If you pay very little for the cocoa, the cocoa nibs and the chocolate, then there could be a "non" truth behind the label.
Trinitario (or fine aroma cocoa), is a hybrid between criollo and forastero. Each origin, each "Finca", and local climate can favor a great aromatic yield of this cocoa. The grains are larger than forastero, and contain more monounsaturated fatty acids, minerals and antioxidants. This cocoa is the favorite of bean to bar chocolatiers, who love to highlight a thousand aromatic aspects of this fruit.
Forastero is the variety grown mainly in Africa, but also in South America. This cocoa has a poor aromatic yield, but if treated in an excellent way, it can give great satisfaction. Its prices are definitely lower if it is a commodity, compared to criollos and trinitarios. The quality of cocoa must always be verified from a visual, olfactory and taste point of view, but above all it is more important to understand the origin. And no, it is no longer enough to mention the country from which it comes to classify it as quality.
What is Ceremonial Cacao? How do you produce it?
Our Ceremonial cacao is what we consider a true elixir since it is made of stone-ground cocoa beans (cocoa paste). It therefore contains all the components of cocoa, and it is possible to dissolve it in hot water or vegetable drink. This compound is not to be confused with "cocoa powder", which is instead a semi-finished product, without cocoa butter.
It recalls the traditions of the Mesoamerican peoples where cocoa was stone-pressed using the "metate!", and drunk during rites and ceremonies together with other local spices without adding sugar. This very energetic drink is now used by the holistic sectors to facilitate meditation and conviviality in a modern way.
What is Bean to Bar chocolate?
This refers to the primary processing of cocoa beans, with subsequent roasting, cleaning, breaking, milling and shaping. We take care of carrying out the entire production process right from the cocoa beans. Most of the cocoa and/or chocolate in circulation has been processed in factories that do not belong to the individual brands. This is why it is important to ask the right questions: Who produces this product specifically?
Is your cocoa raw?
No, it is not raw and we say it with absolute transparency and serenity. Both fermentation and roasting in fact improve the digestibility of cocoa and promote the absorption of nutrients, including antioxidants (flavanols/polyphenols).
We roast cocoa at a controlled temperature, respecting and highlighting every cocoa origin. When the cocoa bean has been subjected to fermentation and drying, it has already undergone the first treatments, even if natural, but has already been exposed to temperatures above 42ºC.
There is still no scientific-legal definition of what the characteristics of raw cocoa should be (including temperatures). There is no third party that establishes the traceability parameters (as is done with ISO, and organic certifications for example), which can also guarantee that the "cocoa has not been exposed to temperatures above 42ºC (current parameter) during the agricultural processing phases. Fermentation for example reaches temperatures above 50ºC. Therefore, everything is based on the good faith of companies, people, who promote their products as "raw" and as healthier than others, without however offering scientific comparisons and specific analyses that can actually support these hypotheses.
Furthermore, the tempering method to make "raw chocolate" can only be carried out with temperatures ranging from 45/46ºC and 50ºC for dark chocolate. Therefore, it is not possible, by its very nature, to maintain temperatures below 42ºC. We believe that these are just strategic marketing efforts to disorient consumer preferences.
Of course, we invite you to take a tour of some cocoa plantations to understand what we are talking about, how it is processed from the very beginning and then make up your own mind. Instead, we think it is more important to focus on the "quality of cocoa", the artisanal processes (bean to bar, farm to bar..), origin, traceability, the people behind the supply chain, flavor profile, sustainability, history, etc.
What are cocoa nibs?
Cocoa nibs are shelled and crushed cocoa beans.