For my final adventure on the island of Dominica, I headed to the village of Calibishie to tour a local chocolate factory! Join me on this sweet adventure as I close out my time on the island in style at Pointe Baptiste Estate!
Pointe Baptiste Estate is owned by a man named Alan, whose family came to the island in the 1930s. They’re the only chocolate factory on the island!
Alan showed me the cacao trees on the property. I could see many cacao pods growing on the branches. Down the path, we headed to the hut where they ferment the cacao. They place the white cacao beans in wooden crates and cover them. During the fermentation process, they change to a reddish-brown color.
After fermenting, they spread the beans out to dry for an entire week. There are over 200 cacao trees on the property, and each pod contains 20-60 seeds. They make a lot of chocolate here!
After drying, the cacao is roasted and broken into pieces, which includes the skin and the cacao. They then put it into a vaccuum machine that separates the skins from the beans.
Once they only have the beans left, they pour the cocoa beans into the grinder, which grind the beans into a paste. The heat from the friction makes them a liquid. Then, they go through a tempering process to get the proper crystal formation for the chocolate.
After that process, they place the liquid chocolate into the molds and cool them in the refrigerator. Then, we went to go try some chocolate. They make lots of different types and flavors, including 60%, 80%, 90%, and 100% dark chocolate, cocoa nibs, mint, ginger, spice (with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves), hot pepper, coffee, tangerine, milk chocolate, and lemongrass!
The 60 and 80% chocolate with ginger had a nice ginger flavor throughout, as well as a nice sweetness. The hot pepper chocolate was spicy and my favorite so far! I also liked the cocoa nibs, which were nutty, while the tangerine was fruity and citrusy.
The chocolate coffee was fantastic, as were the warm flavors of the spiced coffee. The lemongrass chocolate had a nice sweetness and herbal flavor. The 100% dark was bitter, while the 80% salt chocolate had a nice savory and sweet flavor profile.
They also have mangos, bananas, and other fruits dipped in chocolate. I loved the mango! Then, I met back up with Alan and watched him put the liquid chocolate in the molds. After that, he weighs the molds, makes sure they’re evenly distributed in the molds.
The solid chocolate is then taken from the refrigerator, removed from the molds, and placed in bins. And that’s it, the entire process of making chocolate at a chocolate factory in Dominica!
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