 Symposium Explores Kona's Sweet Tooth by Carolyn Lucas Ed Seguine crunches a piece of dark chocolate, swishes the melted blend, runs it over his tongue and against the roof of his mouth. Nodding repeatedly, the Guittard Chocolate Company vice president of research and development searches for a description -- "Spicy with moderate bitterness and an edge of tobacco ash."
Cocoa beans of various origins and intensities bring subtle differences in the flavor of chocolate. Thus, the growth of cacao plantings in the state will determine the future flavor and quality of what will be recognized as "100 percent Hawaii chocolate." Monday morning, Seguine led a chocolate tasting during the Hawaii Cacao 2005 Symposium at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and Spa. He helped participants develop and refine their tasting skills by exploring the flavor and texture of 11 different chocolates. Seguine urged them to "pay attention to when the flavors emerged." Their goal: To determine the flavor nuances a chocolate manufacturer must capture to satisfy a market. Approximately 60 people attended the first day of the symposium, which concludes today. It was sponsored by Ecole Chocalat Professional School of Chocolate Art. Throughout the day, the past, present and future of Hawaii's cacao industry was discussed. Gary Guittard is the forth generation in his family's chocolate business, founded in 1868 by his great grandfather. As a boy, he molded tiny chocolate guitars and peddled them to neighborhood stores. Today, he is the president of Guittard Chocolate Company, which produces premium-quality chocolate in syrups, blocks, large chips and powders for home cooks and wholesale customers like See's Candies. Guittard Chocolate Company is also one of 10 "bean to bar" chocolate manufacturers in the United States. In the opening speech, Guittard explained how bean sources are blended to achieve balance and consistency in flavor. There are many variables in creating chocolate -- the cacao bean, the weather, soil conditions, time of harvest and finishing processes. "The flavor of chocolate is determined by the quality of the bean, then by the precision of post-harvest processing methods that include the drying, fermentation, roasting and grinding of the beans," he said. Guittard stressed the importance of preserving the uniqueness and mysterious nature of chocolate, claiming "the origin can take us back to its earliest experiences." Throughout the symposium, participants learned some chocolates can be spectacular or putrid. "He who tastes knows," Guittard said. Some attendees described the featured chocolates as: mushroomy, gym socks, foul meat, bad hamburger, silky, bananas, floral, Jasmine tea, coarse, caramel, citrus, peppery and wow. "Chocolate is not food," Seguine said. "Chocolate is passion, romance, excitement and interest. We don't need it for energy. We eat it for enjoyment and sell it like perfume." In attendance was state Rep. Corinne Ching, who introduced a resolution in 2003 supporting the benefits of Hawaii grown chocolate. "Not many people know that historically chocolate has been used for medicinal purposes," she said. "It has a calming effect on the brain, reduces fatigue and stimulates appetite. Not only that, the name theobrama cacao is translated into English as 'food of the gods.'" Each year, the chocolate industry produces $45 billion worldwide, according to the state House of Representatives. "This industry," Ching said, "could heighten the state's economy with job creation and increased revenue from diversified agriculture, production and processing." Cacao facts
SOURCE: Gini Choobua, president of the Cacao Growers Chapter of the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers. Copyright © West Hawaii Today, 1997 - 2004 |
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