Like other tree fruits, cacao is infused with flavours from its terroir. Its seeds are full of nutrition and when harvested, fermented and dried with craft, they reveal the unique character of their distinct origins. Since 2008, our Bean Team travels to the rarest places on earth to bring “original beans” to you. Each of our beans has a story to tell. We invite you to taste them all.
No place is too high (the 1200m at which our Cusco Chuncho grows) nor too hidden (the wild Beniano that can only be reached by boat) to collect the rarest of beans. These chocolates’ flavours travel to the far reaches of the imagination.
MIGHTY
Sacred Cusco Valley, Peru
VIVID
Beni Amazon, Bolivia
These ultra rare beans (nearly extinct in the case of Piura Porcelana and Papua Kerafat upon their rediscovery) are aromatic time capsules from the earth’s remotest regions like the amazingly biodiverse Udzungwa Mountain National Park.
BRIGHT
Piura Valley, Peru
PLAYFUL
Udzungwa Park, Tanzania
Filled with nature’s abundance and diversity (from the rich landscapes of Virunga National Park to the mists of Esmeraldas’ last cloudforests) these rare beans put pure deliciousness and purposeful consumption within reach.
EARTHY
Virunga Park, Congo DR
STRONG
Virunga Park, Congo DR
GENTLE
Esmeraldas Coast, Ecuador
SILKY
Esmeraldas Coast, Ecuador
BARE
Yuna River, Dominican Republic
At Original Beans we taste chocolates and cacao beans daily. To compare, improve, and ultimately enjoy them best, we have developed a flavour wheel. It's simple, so everybody can use it and join. Everybody can taste. Some people have more training and sensitivity, but each of us can recognize and enjoy flavours.
The art and fun of tasting starts with experiences. If you have never tasted a cherimoya fruit, you will not find its flavours in a chocolate. So jump right in! Moods play a role, time of day, the ingredients of your prior meal, even your own body chemistry.
Of course the product, too... Our chocolates are hyper-local and every harvest tastes a bit different. With our flavour wheel we have tried to capture each bean character in broader strokes.
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