Number 20      

  Making Chocolate in Costa Rica

Samaritan Xocolata

Canaan de Rivas, Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica

Within minutes of Rio Chirripo Hotel is a small 100% organic chocolate business, Samaritan Xocolata

(http://www.samaritanxocolata.com). 

The business began in 2005 and was moved to this location in 2011. If Hollywood were making a movie about this business, they could not have selected a more perfect location, nesting into a mountain side. Tao, a co-owner of Samaritan Xocolata works in this small space, producing the finest chocolate I have ever eaten. 

Roger and I signed up for her chocolate workshop (usually held by appointment on Tuesday or Saturdays). In total, it is a 2 ½ hour hands-on walk through of the entire chocolate making process. She purchases only local grown purely organic cacao beans from local farmers.  She takes you through the entire process of fermenting, drying, peeling, toasting and grinding cacao seeds.

The cocoa beans before and after peeling the skin off

 I was amazed at the number of steps there is to making chocolate.  Tao hires local women to “shell” the skin off the cacao beans which provides income to these women that might not have the chance to work.  In most mass produced chocolate processes the thin skin is not even taken off, just ground with the beans. It is bitter so to compensate most processes just add more sugar.  Here, when you purchase 90% chocolate that is exactly what it is… 90% chocolate with 10% sugar, nothing else.

The beans are ground and 

produce this thick liquid of pure chocolate.

  

It’s not totally smooth after the first grind so it goes into a stone on stone grinder to remove even the smallest lumps.  The chocolate is tempered in small batches and then molded into their final shape and flavors.

Tempering is the science part of making chocolate.  It has to be at exactly the right temperature

We decided to make almond bars.  All the other ingredients used here are also organic. 

The final product is cooled.  Gloves are worn (body temperature will melt the chocolate) to remove any excess spill over, and to make the bar look perfect.

I happen to mention that my all time favorite chocolate is orange creams.  Those are my “go to” chocolate; if I’m happy “go to” orange creams; if I’m sad “go to” orange creams.  I have literally bought orange cream chocolates around the world. 

Tao said let’s make some orange cream chocolates.  Now I am really happy!

I was totally confused when she took out a mold and began to fill it totally with 70% chocolate.  OK, now I’m thinking how is she going to get the cream inside? 

Tao laughs as she pours out the excess chocolate and leaves a coating on chocolate in the mold.  The orange cream consists of white chocolate with condensed sweeten milk.  Added to that mixture is the pure orange extract.   After the molds have cooled we begin to fill the molds with the orange mixture.  Then the chocolates are topped with a layer of chocolate to seal the cream inside.  Cooled again, then we all try the end result.

  

 These are not chocolates that you stuff in your mouth and eat.  They are like a glass of very fine wine.  Take a bite then let it sit on your tongue as your body heat melts the chocolate in your mouth, and the flavors explode.

Oh yeah they are that good.