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Western Venezuela; the cradle of the Criollo cacao. These are distinguished by being elongated fruits that end in a fine point. It has a soft shell and round beans, white to very soft violet, sometimes pink, sweet and with a pleasant flavor. The cob is recognized by having ten well-marked paired grooves along its length.
Criollo cacao is a highly valued product in international markets, especially by chocolatiers, due to its flavor and aroma characteristics that make it something unique.
The book “Cacao in Venezuela” by Reyes and Capriles (2000) presents a list of characteristics of each type of cacao.
One of the commercial markers known to maintain good content of this Criollo genetics is “Sur del Lago“. It is a cacao with soft cacao notes, and flavors of molasses, nuts and a very pleasant low fruit acidity. Its delicacy is its greatest attribute, and it is felt on the palate when it is transformed into a finished product.
In the center, east and south of the country, Trinitarios cacaos occupy most of the plantations. Areas such as Aragua, Barlovento, Sucre, Delta Amacuro, Monagas and Amazonas have this variety.
Understanding Trinitario as the result of a cross between rustic and Criollos cacaos , it is good to note that it has resulted in a cacao of the highest quality and our Trinitarios continue to have a special touch of criollo DNA in their genetic composition, which gives them flavors and exquisite aromas such as fruit, molasses, and some notes of dried fruits, lower than those of “Sur del Lago“, but also present.
Some of the best-known commercial markers are the “Carenero” in the Barlovento area, Miranda State and the “Rio Caribe” in the Paria area, Sucre State. Together with them we are marketing an origin that is little known commercially, which is the “Orinoco“, produced in the south of the country, and which has its genetic origin in Trinitarios from the northern center of Venezuela.
While it is true that Trinitario cacao is a well-studied hybrid, in Venezuela we have many hybrids between the cacaos originating from each locality, the pure Criollos and the Trinitarios. This explains the wide variability of cacaos at the national level with a high proportion of Criollos. And hence the wide variability of sensory characteristics.
Orinoco Overview
The southernmost state of Venezuela stands out for its largely wild surface and for housing the most important plant lung in the world: a way and style of life so natural that it ends up being indescribable. And as an example of the benefits of this green and hidden land, quality cacao is produced, of great purity and exquisite flavor with aromas of citrus and sweet fruits, malt and flowers and a surprising and coveted aroma of wood.
The processed cacao moves on rafts along the Orinoco River, giving it a mystical and unique touch. The post-harvest process is carried out by members of the original tribes of the Piaroa, Curripaca and Yekuana ethnic groups, among others.
Carenero Overview
Carenero is an exclusive Trinitario cacao bean, a hybrid with an important content of DNA of Criollo cacao plants. Is a fine aroma cacao bean, which with the passing of ancestral harvests is reference of the quality of our native cacao from the north coast of Venezuela.
Cacao represents an important source of work in the area. The cacao plantation is an ancestral activity that is transmitted from generation to generation. All the members of the family are incorporated in the benefit of the almond, which represents a sentimental value.
Sur del Lago Overview
The history tells that during the colonization, the indigenous people who cultivate cacao in the south coast of the lake of Maracaibo, to western Venezuela, guarded it in the mountains, to avoid any action of the Spaniards against the fruit. This ancestral protection is part of the legend of the Criollo cacao. There are those who claim that their sweetness lies in the love that the indigenous people timoto-cuicas ethnicity professed to their cultivation.
In the grounds to the margin of its south coast is the part of the world where the coveted, and exclusive, hybrid of the Criollo cacao Porcelana y Guasare, recognized worldwide for its organoleptic properties.
Cacao specialists claim that its aroma, flavor and texture as delicate as porcelain are completely different from other cacao varieties throughout the world. It is a cacao which, tastes like sugar cane, nuts, dried fruits, malt, and is very aromatic.
Río Caribe Overview
One of the best cacaos of Venezuela and on the planet is planted here: the Trinitario Rio Caribe cacao, native to the Paria peninsula. Like Carenero, it is a direct descendant of Criollo cacao, which leads it to be considered the best fine aroma cacaos.
Rio Caribe cacao is grown deep in the mountains of Paria. Surrounded by the tropical jungle, characterized by its greenery and the softness of its breeze combined with the aroma of the Caribbean. Its quality has its origin in its genetics that have remained intact. The entire cultivation process and its benefits are completely free of the use of chemicals.
COMERCIALIZATION OF VENEZUELAN`S FINE CACAO BEANS
