You know when you're standing in line at the grocery store and there are all sorts of treats lined up at the counter set up nicely to entice you to make an impulse purchase? I remember standing in line once and seeing chocolate bark wrapped up neat and pretty, just waiting to be bought. That's… Continue reading Vegan Fruit-and-Nut Chocolate Bark
We make French press coffee every weekend. Last Saturday, it was extra special with the addition of about 2 tbsp. of cocoa nibs that had been soaked to make our latest batch of tasty home-brewed stout. The nibs give the coffee an earthy, bold mocha twist. You don't have to use stout-infused cocoa nibs, of… Continue reading Try This Home-Made Mocha Latte
When we visited KokoMana, an agri-forestry operation in Savusavu that makes artisinal chocolate, we brought back a bag of cocoa nibs to use for a home-brewed stout. A few days ago, hubby placed most of the nibs package in a cloth bag that Fijians use to hold kava powder when mixing with water. He soaked… Continue reading Cocoa-Infused White Rum
Vanua Chocolate is a chocolatier based in Fiji that sources it's cacao from local farms. The company is releasing a new product: a chocolate sampler with fruit infusions. It makes for a lovely little gift for yourself or others. The chocolatier does not use emulsifiers. This artisinal product is elegant in the simplicity of it's… Continue reading New Fruit-Infused Vanua Chocolate Sampler
Farm supervisor Joeli and senior cocoa grower Richard start the tour with an introduction in the shop.A praying-mantis-looking insect inside the shop's small conservatory.Pupae on a plant in the conservatory that will transform into butterflies.Preparing chocolate for packaging in the temperature-controlled kitchen.A flower from a cocoa tree.Cocoa trees.Vanilla beans.Kava.Roro (taro).Cocoa fruit.Joeli opens cocoa fruit to… Continue reading KokoMana: Artisinal Chocolate and Agri-Forestry
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