Name: Mexico Rayen 2023
Brand: Chocolate Alchemy
SKU: 47481974620414
Price: 10.11 USD
Availability: InStock

Mexico Rayen 2023

Country: Mexico
State: Tapachula, Chiapa
Type: Soconusco, Chiapas influences
Crop Year: 2023

What a unique chocolate this is.

The aroma is starts out with bright, tart cherry and persimmon. The flavor is of dried fruit, the slight astringency of not quite ripe persimmon and a nice chocolate flavor. There are back notes of very slight smokiness and a distinct earthiness. The sweetness is strong and dark and balances out the slight astringency. It puts me very much in mind of a good quality loose leaf lapsang souchong black tea.

I would lean toward using this sweeter dark chocolate or milk chocolate unless you are a strong lapsang souchong fan. In that case, enjoy it above 75%.

Profile Drum Roasting:
The profile I used for this is 12:40/14:40/19:10 @ 258 F. You are welcomed to take a strong hand on this roast. The abundant chocolate will benefit. 2 minutes in the development phase to bring out the chocolate and fruit flavors. After that, you want to turn the roast down a little, only slowing it as you note non-vinegar sharpness in the nose. Feel free to stretch out the Finishing phase to 5 minutes. If you are a fan of brightness, the upper 240s and lower 250s are really going to sing sing more as the sweetness will be lower.

Behmor:
Due to the cold start of the the Behmor, you can just set it on the 1 lb setting with 2.5 lb of cocoa and go. When you begin getting aromatic notes, somewhere around 4 minutes left (14 minutes elapsed of the 18 minute start) drop the power to P4 (75% power) and continue roasting for about another 6-8 minutes, waiting for the aroma to either decrease or get sharp. This is all of course if you don't have a thermocouple in the beans (Modifying your Behmor) If you have that you can follow the profiles above.

Oven Roasting:
You will need an IR thermometer. Roast 2 lb of beans. Preheat your over to 325-350 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 260 + ~15 = 275 and continue to roast, stirring every 5 minutes until approximately 260 F. There will be variation but the beauty of this method is having turned the oven down it is difficult to over roast. The important part here is to get good momentum going in a hot oven and then basically coasting to finish. You may not get much chocolate or brownie aroma with this one.

About RAYEN

Situated in the vibrant Soconusco region of Tapachula, Chiapas, the RAYEN cooperative represents a dynamic blend of tradition and innovation. Founded in 2016 and led by Eder Herrera López, this cooperative has transformed local farmland into a flourishing cacao operation with a deep commitment to biodiversity. With more than 100 dedicated farmers, RAYEN combines age-old practices with modern techniques to enhance both the environment and local incomes — their high-quality cacao has made a notable impact on the international market since their earliest harvests.

RAYEN works in collaboration with Conservation International Mexico and the Autonomous University of Chiapas, with a shared mission to rescue heirloom cacao varieties in the Soconusco region and promote the appreciation of fine Mexican chocolate.