Colombia - Betulia B9 (1KG)

REGION AND COUNTRY
North-western province of Antioquia, Colombia.  

THE STORY
Cultivated since colonial times, cocoa was a steady Colombian export until the 1920’s. Colombia was famous for its criollo varieties such as the Cacao de Montaña from Santa Marta and the Antiguo Real from San Faustino. Cocoa made a comeback as a national export in the mid 1980’s. By then, the criollos had  become a rarity and had been replaced by a mix of Trinitario hybrids. Seven years ago, Hacienda Betulia was established by a Colombian-Swiss family nearby the town of Maceo. Their  cacao is grown under an agroforestry scheme on 15 hectares,  alongside 30 hectares of protected native forest boasting a rich biodiversity. The Hacienda selected its own Criollo trees - known locally as  Betulia - to propagate a collection of light coloured beans with rare and complex flavours.  

HARVEST
December – April (main crop) August – September (mid-crop).  

GENETICS
Criollo clone named Betulia 9 after the tree number selected by the Hacienda from its collection of trees.  

POST HARVESTING PROCESS
5 days fermentation, 3 turns in wooden boxes.The beans are then dried for 8 days on wooden tables.

Flavour profile
Powerful body with refreshing notes of ripe pineapple  and exotic star fruit and cream.