Single-Origin Chocolate
Trinidad80%
The island that gave the Trinitario its name.
The taste of Trinidad 80%
- Cocoa
- Bitter
- Fruity
Origin
The Home of the Trinitario
Trinidad lies in the southern Caribbean, only a few kilometres off the coast of Venezuela, shaped by hilly land and a mild north-east trade wind that blows almost all year round. Originally only Criollo cocoa grew here. In 1727 a natural disaster destroyed large parts of the stock. The island was replanted with the sturdier Forastero from the South American mainland, presumably from the Venezuelan Orinoco region. Its natural cross with the surviving Criollo trees gave rise to a new cocoa family: the Trinitario, named after the island on which it originated.
Today the picture is more complex, as genetic studies show that the world's cocoa goes back to several original groups. Trinidad still preserves varieties from many cocoa regions and is therefore one of the most important foundations for new breeding.
You can taste this origin later in the chocolate bar: powerful, cocoa-forward, with a delicate nuttiness.
Fair cultivation
San Juan Estate
Trinidad has shaped the cocoa world like hardly any other place, and this can be traced back to Gran Couva. Almost a hundred years ago the Imperial College Selections were planted here, a selection of the best Trinitario trees that to this day counts among the foundations of single-origin cocoa cultivation. The University of the West Indies is home to the largest cocoa gene bank in the world, and its roots reach into exactly these estates.
Our single-origin cocoa also comes from Gran Couva. Our partner is the San Juan Estate, one of the oldest and most traditional cocoa farms on the island. Since 2017 we have worked directly with the farm and its owners, without intermediaries. So we know exactly where our cocoa grows and who grows it.
Single-origin cocoa
Washed for the shine
Cocoa needs shade, and on Trinidad Immortelle trees have provided it for generations. They temporarily lose their leaves and then stand in full, fire-red bloom, a firework of colour above the cocoa gardens, before they sprout new leaves. Other fruit trees often grow in between. This combination, known in technical terms as agroforestry, keeps the soil alive and the growing area diverse.
The Trinitario trees themselves are mostly propagated by grafting in order to preserve their special genetic traits. A leaf bud from a selected mother tree is transferred onto a suitable rootstock so that the young plant is genetically identical to it.
After harvest, Trinidad has a traditional step that sets the island apart from many other origins: the beans are washed, known in the trade as ‘polishing’, which gives them their characteristic shine.
The taste of
Trinidad 80%
- Cocoa
- Bitter
- Fruity
- Nutty
On Trinidad, Trinitario single-origin cocoa grows with a powerful aroma of strong character.
The precise balance of origin, recipe and 80% cocoa content combines intense cocoa aromas with fruity nuances, delicate nuttiness and distinct bitterness.
Selected single-origin cocoa meets Rausch's many years of chocolate expertise.
