Colombia - Arauca 2021

 Origin:  Columbia - Arauca

 Region: Sierra Nevada

 Crop: 2021

 Flavor Notes:

The chocolate starts off with a rich toasted biscuit, rich chocolate and red fruit aroma that starts the mouth watering.  The chocolate flavor is full and deep with a melange of sun warmed ripe Italian prune plums and a balancing vibrancy of orange citrus hints.  The overall profile is round, full, creamy, succulent and eminently satisfying.

That vibrancy is clean and comes across as a noticeable but not bracing acidity balanced by a little macadamia nuttiness and just a hint of tanned leather like tannin notes.

The Arauca region lies on the border of Colombia and Venezuela along the Arauca River basin. The region is rich in ecological resources, biodiversity, and fertile floodplain soil where some of the best cacao in the country grows. Cacao is an important source of employment for female heads of households and has helped in the recovery of peace to the region. The cacao from Arauca is full of depth with a sweet aroma and comforting flavors of nectarine, honeysuckle, cream, and cashew.

Over 600 species of birds populate these fertile river banks where the cacao trees grow to sweet perfection. Arauca beans come from a private farm run by Elizabeth Agudelo who is a second generation cacao farmer. Elizabeth has identified Arauqita5 which is a native cacao on her farm. The production capacity of this farm is about 10MT, and the farm meets the fermentation and drying standards set by Cacao de Colombia and Uncommon Cacao, ensuring high and consistent quality for these delicate and delicious beans.

On the Behmor I would suggest P1 as your starting point and a solid 20 minutes.

The drum roasting profile I used for the evaluation sample was 11:15/13:45/19:15 @ 258 F.  You can likewise take this bean a little farther EOR since the bean is bolder in flavor than many..

Due to the nutty nature keep your attention focused on sharp aromas that can make the nut go extra bitter.  Overall it is a durable bean, so just be mindful.  It isn't a delicate flower of a bean.