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Haiti - PISA 2022
$ 11.72
Origin: Haiti
Type: Trinatario
Certifications: Ethically and Sustainably Traded
Year: 2021
Flavor Notes:
Aromas of blackberries and chocolate. A slight sweetness of light molasses and dried cherry.
First impressions are nutty (macadamia) and a beautiful clear sweetness backed by a solid chocolate base. It is a soft and slightly meek or reserved flavor profile that opens up as you continue. There is a soft malic acidity that permeates the profile. It’s a low toned vs bright acidity. The kind of tang you get from dried blackberries. There are also tart bing cherry and strawberry and the overall impression of chocolate covered fruit.
Overall it left me very satisfied and thinking I've had that aforementioned fruit where the combo is the star, not the chocolate or the fruit if that makes sense. It is a real crowd pleaser.
Produits Des Iles SA (PISA) is a new cacao processor and exporter in Haiti's North. PISA entered the cacao market in order to introduce improved post harvest handling practices, and real competition, into a market previously plagued by poor quality and low-paying middlemen. Today, PISA works with an association of 1,489 smallholder farmers, 476 of whom are female. Together, they manage 974 hectares of organic certified land.
Profile Drum Roasting: I very often lean toward strong handed roasting as a way to coax out, nay, create flavors. There are certain flavors that don't take to that treatment or don't need that treatment. This bean has both such characteristics, namely very low natural astringency and nuttiness that when roasted traditionally can turn quite bitter.
The profile I used for this is 15:45/18:25/20:25 @ 245 F
The first thing notable is the almost 3 minute development time. Two minutes for this bean will turn it bitter. The other thing is that there is scant 2 minutes in the finishing phase when my standard recommended window is 3-5 minutes. You get away with this because you don't need to roast the inherent astringency out of the bean as it isn't there to start with. Finally, you end well before 250 F. Past that and again the nutty macadamia goes ashy and unpleasant.
Behmor: I am simply not a fan of roasting this bean in the Behmor unless you have modified it. (Modifying your Behmor). You can do it but you have to be very astute and conservative since you don't want to over roast it. Your best bet is to load it a little heavy. 2.5 lb is nice if you can. When you just begin getting aromatic notes, probably somewhere around 6 minutes left (12 minutes elapsed of the 18 minute start) drop the power to P4. Somewhere 3-4 minutes later you should start to get some other aromas. Drop it to P3 (50% power) and continue roasting for about another 3-4 minutes waiting for the aroma to either decrease or get sharp. At that point you are done. If it ever goes sharp in there turn the power down unless you are already at the end in which case you are simply done.
Oven Roasting: You will need an IR thermometer. Roast 2 lb of beans. Preheat your over to 325 F. Place your cocoa beans in a single layer on a baking sheet and into the oven. Stir the beans at 5 minutes and check the temperature. Continue roasting until the surface temperature reads 205-215 F (it may well vary across the beans). At that point, turn your oven down 10-15 F above your target EOR, in this case 245 + ~15 = 260 and continue to roast, stirring every 5 minutes until approximately 260 F. This is one bean that is going to take just fine to over roasting due to it's gentle nature.
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