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100% pod to block! Nothing added, nothing taken away! Retaining all the potency of the cacao, revered by Mesoamerica as The Food of The Gods. The process is very scientific and requires a real master to ensure the fermentation of the cacao is done correctly. This is where 80% of the chocolatey flavours of cacao comes from. The cacao should not exceed 49 degrees celsius during this process and can take up to 7 days to complete, requiring daily turning to ensure an even fermentation. Once fermented, the cacao is dried in the sun to take out any humidity from the bean. This also requires regularly turning. Once dried it is moved to the sorting station where the beans are selected for quality and organised into sizes. Size matters because when they are roasted it is is important they receive an even roast, if one bean is smaller than the others, this bean will burn in the roasting process and thus add a burnt flavour to the cacao you receive as paste (we like to call the finished product a Block - for obvious reasons!). Once roasted the beans need peeling to remove the shell. This is either done by hand or by running them through a special machine that cracks open the shell and then blows with air the lightest particles away from the nibs. We are working with small holders, the work is undertaken by two people at each farm, this is an incredible amount of work and care that is required to bring high quality cacao to the table. One error in any of the processes and the whole batch can be left tasting very bitter or burnt. But this is the glory of artisanal produce, the love and care is always present! This isn’t mass produced, this is batch produced. It is our dream to invite everyone who receives our cacao to come and visit us and to get to know your cacao more deeply, to take verify: don’t trust to the next level! Once you connect with the full circle of creation of this magical food, life does not remain the same! We shall be launching out into the US hopefully early next week once the packaging solution is delivered. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for further info. Have a magical day!