This Easter, we found ourselves in Costa Rica. Far away from pastel-colored eggs, foil wrapped chocolates, or baskets of goodies from the Easter Bunny.
But this absence didn’t mean we were giving up on our chocolate fix. Instead, I booked us three tickets for the Rainforest Chocolate Tour near La Fortuna, Costa Rica.
Nestled in the rainforests near Arenal Volcano, this organic chocolate farm provides hands on eco-tours through their groves of cocoa trees. Their daily tours are part education, part environmental stewardship, and all-you-can-eat chocolate fondue at the end!
Where does your chocolate come from?
When we arrived, we started the tour by learning a little about the origins of the cocoa. Once considered a “gift of the gods” in early Mesoamerican cultures, it was used in ceremonial drinks hundreds of years ago.
Cocoa may be native to the Americas, but it’s since been exported to other equatorial countries around the world. Four of the top five cocoa bean producing countries are now west African nations. And the leading producer of cocoa, the Ivory Coast, harvests a whopping 30% of the world’s cocoa annually.
Unfortunately, this cash crop isn’t all good news for Africa. The UN, U.S. Department of Labor, and other international sources report child labor, slavery, human trafficking, harsh working conditions, and a loss of educational opportunities go hand-in-hand with the Ivory Coast’s quest to be #1 in cocoa production.
Demand for cheap cocoa beans to produce inexpensive candy bars, chocolate flavored drinks, and sugary confections is a leading contributor to this slave labor problem. Conversely, buying fair-trade certified cocoa ensures the farmers are paid a living wage, and that child labor isn’t being used in cocoa production.
Some US brands out there (like Justin’s peanut butter cups and Trader Joe’s chocolate) are willing to put their ethical values over high profits. But, unfortunately, most major chocolate manufacturers are still lagging behind.
Cocoa Production
After learning some of the realities of this dark industry, we moved into the groves of cocoa trees grown on the farm to explore and learn more. We discovered that Rainforest Chocolate Farm grows three varieties of the theobroma cocao (or cocoa tree).
One cocoa tree variety produces green pods, which turn yellow as they ripen. Another produces dark red pods, which turn orange when ripe. And most beautiful is the Trinidadian variety – a hybrid tree that can grow both color pods simultaneously.
Flowers dots the entire tree, and any one of these buds can produce a cocoa pod. Unlike most fruits, the cocoa pods are not limited to growing on the end of branches. Thus, you might see cocoa pods growing near the base of the trunk, in the middle of a branch, or anywhere in between.
As an organic farm, Rainforest Chocolate Farm cannot spray the trees to protect these cocoa pods from natural pests. The most notorious ones in Costa Rica are the squirrels and woodpeckers who like the sticky sweet coating around the seeds inside each pod. So instead of spraying, the farm opts to plant other more attractive foods (like bananas) nearby to distract these cocoa predators.
Harvesting your chocolate
After walking through the groves, we learned how these pods transform into the delicious chocolate we all love. Harvesting the cocoa pods occurs year-round in tropical climates. But the months right before the rainy season (i.e., June and July) seem to yield the highest production in Costa Rica.
Once the pods are harvested, they are cracked open to expose the wet seeds inside. These seeds have to go through a lengthy process of fermenting, drying, and roasting. Through each stage though, you can detect a more “chocolatey” smell being produced from the bean.
Our group got the opportunity to grind some of the roasted beans into a paste and give it a taste. It reminded me of a very strong raw brownie batter.
Then we mixed this paste into a traditional indigineous cocoa drink with cornstarch, chili, and salt. It was incredibly strong in flavor, and it’s easy to see why it the locals ascribed such godly powers to cocoa.
Fondue time!
After the educational experience of the tour, it was finally time for the part we all were waiting for. We got to try some real quality chocolate produced from local beans.
Our guide brought out a dark chocolate fondue for us to taste, with nearly twenty different jars of additional ingredients we could use to jazz each sample up.
My first spoonful was a classic – just some dark chocolate fondue with a sprinkle of sea salt. Delicious.
I went back for a second spoonful – this time trying our tour guide’s favorite combination – hibiscus, orange, vanilla, and ginger. It was a fruity, with an almost marshmallow-like flavor.
As I sat there enjoying my blissful chocolate overload for the day, other members of the group kept returning for more spoonfuls sprinkled with other ingredients, like anise, cardamom, nutmeg, chili, cinnamon, etc.
There were two hungry teens in our little tour group, but we weren’t the most indulgent crowd they’d seen at the farm. Apparently, one young man once went through the line and consumed 55 consecutive spoonfuls of fondue!
I can’t imagine how sick he must had felt that evening. There really can be too much of a good thing!
A little chocolate for later
Although the Rainforest Chocolate farm produces the cocoa beans on site, they don’t actually manufacture or sell any chocolate products themselves.
However, they do has a small gift shop at the end of the tour. Inside you’ll find products from nearby local partners who produce fair trade artisan chocolates.
I have to admit, I’ve always preferred “good” chocolate over a grocery store candy bar. But, in the past, I always seemed to need an excuse to splurge. Perhaps for a holiday, anniversary, or special event.
Now that I’m a bit more educated about the unseen costs of those last expensive, lower quality products – I’m willing to indulge in my “good” chocolate with a little less guilt. After all, those products cost more for a reason.
Looking for other ideas of other fun things to do in Costa Rica?
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