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Venezuelan Amazonas - 2012

Venezuelan Amazonas - 2012 - Image 1
Venezuelan Amazonas - 2012 - Image 2

Bean Profile
Crop Year
2012

Flavor Profile
Created on 12/5/2024 and last updated on 12/17/2025

Wild Harvest

 

Ethically and Sustainably traded.  I am planning on using that phrase a bit more.  Chocolate Alchemy is working with Tisano who is on the ground in Venezuela, working side by side with the farmers.  Since Chocolate Alchemy is not actually there, Direct trade is not quite the right term, and since these are farm purchased, not co-op, they are not eligible for Fair Trade status.   

 

I was told this is a rich Forastero full of flavour and considered to be a wild grown cacao from what many believe to be the birthplace of cacao. Amazonas is grown by an indigenous community two days canoe trip from the nearest road. Tisano had to travel two days against the current in order to reach the town and purchase the cacao.   Currently they are working with the USDA to get the genetic samples done from this region in our efforts to trace the origin of cacao and map the genetic varietals in Venezuela.
 
That all said, I would not peg this as a Forastero.  It has an amazingly light break, producing an almost milk chocolate colored chocolate.   It also have a very thin husk, and rather easily removable.  Again, traits I don't associate with Forastero.  Regardless, it really does not matter.  This is sort of the bean that breaks the rules of expectation.  So be it.

 

 

There is very little astringency and bitterness.   The roasting aromas are tangy and delicate.  I know this is going to sound very odd, but sometimes the aroma made me think of roasting pork.  Really.  Sometimes a 'meaty' aroma is a sign of over fermentation, but that is not what I am trying to convey.   There is a good mixture of flavors, but few that dominate.  There are some wood aromas and flavors (cedar) and a subtle earthiness, and chocolate to back it all.   I also get nuts (cashew), and the brightness of mango.

 

That then brings us to roasting.  Since this is breaking many rules, I'm not going to bias you by suggesting a particular roasting profile.  Frankly, just go for it.  Each roasting seems to bring out different aromas and flavors, and none have yet to be bad.