Cocoa Top! is how the direct translation will be for the name of gourmet cacao grain produced in Ecuador. And the name matches perfectly with the place it has as a top product in the world.
For more than 500 years Ecuador has provided the international market with a special cocoa of high quality and floral aromatic profiles that historians called Cocoa Arriba (Cocoa Top)
But… What Makes Ecuadorian Chocolate So Special?
The fact that about 5% of the cacao beans grown in the world are gourmet beans or ‘fine aroma’ cacao. Impressively, about 60% of these fine cacao beans are grown in this country located in the middle of the world.
Also there is a large variety of “floral notes” achieved with this special cacao bean. The richness of the soil and the special climate produces an amazing taste with “fine aroma.”
No wonder Ecuadorian cacao ́s raw material is required and coveted in European and North American industry for the manufacture of fine chocolates.
More than just good Taste
Cocoa contributes with more than USD 700 million to the country’s economy and continues to maintain its prestige through added value. Some authors even suggest that cocoa was the economic engine that allowed financing two great moments of national history: Independence and liberal revolution.
Taste it!
Want to taste this wonder yourself? You can try this and other Ecuadorian food at our “Gastronomic Tour in The Andes”
Benefits of eating chocolate:
- Improves the health of blood vessels and blood circulation
- Contains serotonin for the best performance of the brain.
- Reduces depression and improves the mood of the people who consume it.
- Contains good fats for the body.
- Helps concentration.
- It contains theobromine that stimulates the generation of endorphins which are the hormones of euphoria and joy.
- Dark chocolates are known to lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels and generate antioxidants.
Source: Harvard Medical School.
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