Chocolate and Cacao have been a part of the Mayan culture for many centuries. Throughout constant innovation surrounding its preparation, chocolate remains to be of the utmost relevance to Guatemala. In other words there is no way of unlinking cacao from Guatemala, and yet it is unusual for travelers and locals to experience chocolate the way they do at Fernando’s Kaffee, Antigua Guatemala.
For almost two decades Fernando has been dedicated to perfecting the process of high quality chocolate making. He acknowledges that this process doesn’t even begin with him, but rather at the farms. He selects the farms with the best practices that harvest the finest cacao beans in Guatemala and pays beyond the “fairy-trade” price because he knows good chocolate can never be made with bad cacao.
So when you go to the Bean to Bar workshop you get to absorb Fernando’s insight, dipping your toes into the broad world of chocolate. But you also experience chocolate in a unique way. As they take you through the process you get to see, smell, taste, and work with cacao throughout all the physical and chemical transformations on its way to become a chocolate bar. This translates to learning about roasting, refining, and then getting hands-on with tempering, molding, and EATING.
By the end each person leaves with a keen dose of high quality chocolate –made by themselves– and with great insight about cacao and the “From Bean to Bar” process. Plus, if you have any other questions around the topic, we guarantee, Fernando’s got you covered!
For those living in the United States and Canada, you can now get your fix of Guatemalan cacao products through Fernando’s new joint venture: Kinship Chocolate. The same chocolate, now closer to you!
https://www.fernandoskaffee.com/
