Because we can't grow our own cacao here at Finca Timaná we had to find a farm with owners similar to us who handle everything themselves and take pride in their work & finished product. After a long search and many samples we found the perfect partner to make Zentimana chocolate. Finca Blansilvestre is located in Santander, Colombia a place widely known for their high quality cacao. Each month we source our cacao directly from them to produce our one-of-a-kind chocolate made here at our farm Finca Timaná.
By using just simple, organic ingredients we give our customers the opportunity to experience what REAL chocolate is all about. Not some chemically filled, overly processed barely even chocolate that most people are used to eating. Ana handles everything here when it comes to the making of Zentimana chocolate.
By using this farm direct cacao from the farm owner/grower themselves we set ourselves apart from others who make chocolate from cacao that's made long journeys over extended periods of time, changing multiple hands along the way...A long chain with many links. With our cacao it's a farmer-to-farmer relationship, a very short chain with very strong links!
Our mission is to give our customers a true farm-to-table experience, whether it's our coffee or chocolate....You're getting the freshest products possible, made by the people who grew it, right to your door! We work exclusively with one farm in nearby Lebrija, Santander which is known for their high quality cacao grown in this region of Colombia.
At Finca Blansilvestre the cacao is grown, harvested, cleaned & sorted and then finally fermented which is the crucial step for the development of all the amazing flavors we experience in fine chocolate.
By controlling every step of the process (like we do here at Finca Timaná with our coffee) Finca Blansilvestre can be sure each step has been performed at the highest standards to make a superior product.
No shortcuts, no compromises, attention to detail is what makes all our products at Café Zentimana special.... along with the love & satisfaction of doing the job right. After fermentation the cacao is sun dried for several days and then gently roasted on site at Finca Blansilvestre and crushed into nibs by hand.
After this the nibs are ground into a thick brown liquid called a "cacao mass" which consists of rich cacao butter and fine cacao particles. By the way.....when making our cacao powder the "butter" is pressed out at this time to separate from the cacao leaving only dried cacao powder. That same cacao butter is also made into our white chocolate!
The "cacao mass" is then made into large solid blocks and shipped to us here at Finca Timaná where it gets processed into Zentimana chocolate.
Hand-made Zentimana chocolate begins with the melting down of the "cacao mass" and placed into our stone wet-grinder called a"melanger". For several hours the micron size of the chocolate is reduced to give it that smooth, creamy feel we all love about high quality chocolate. This is also when organic Colombian cane sugar is added to blend perfecty into a delicious 75% dark chocolate. After about 10-14 hours in the melanger the chocolate is then ready to be "tempered" and put into molds. Tempering is the process of raising and lowering the temperature of the chocolate to alter the crystal formation & once this is done correctly it gives off a glossier look, a smooth creamy mouthfeel, a "snap" when you break it apart, and keeps the chocolate from melting to easily.
After the delicate and sometimes frustrating process of tempering the chocolate is finally ready to be molded in all kinds of shapes......chocolate bars,individual pieces, or covering/mixing with a variety of delicious treats like almonds, coffee beans, peanuts, coconut, or even 100% nibs! Once the molds are cooled and ready they immediately get packaged & stored for our monthly order shipments. All of these Zentimana goodies are hand-made by Ana herself....Farm fresh chocolate made just for you!
