Usually called as the food of the gods, considered as sacred by the aborigines in general and used as an exchange-paying method many years ago, cocoa has been really popular not only for its healthy properties but also for its marvelous taste, sometimes a little bit bitter, but as you consume it and feel more its flavor it starts becoming sweeter to your palate, like an “acquired taste”.
Currently you can find Costa Rican Cocoa in some farms that produce it such as Finca La Anita, Sibö and Nahua, in places like Upala and La Fortuna (home of the Arenal volcano) in the north side of Costa Rica, in Guácimo and Sarapiquí in the Caribbean side of the country, also in the south in Golfito, Osa or in the Bribris aboriginal reserve. Costa Rican Cocoa production is based in some fine steps you will be able to see in this farms or in some of the recently emerging cocoa tours, like the one at Tirimbina Rainforest Center, where you can taste it in its purest way between 85% and 90% the pure product, and in addition to try derivatives like cocoa liquor, chocolate, tea and some more options related to cosmetic such as cocoa aromatherapy, body lotions, and soaps, which are usually highly recommended for dry skin and frequently used in spas for treatments and relaxing sessions. Nowadays there are only about 5,000 hectares planted with Costa Rican Cocoa (12,000 acres approx.) but the number of farms is growing rapidly due to new cultivating techniques against deceases that attack the cocoa trees.
Once the fruit is ready to be picked after around five years waiting to this process to be done and having the tree totally grown, reaching between two or three meters high, the main raw material, in this case the seeds, are collected by the farmers and taken into a drying and fermentation process until it becomes made all into powder and is ready to be converted for its different uses; in fact, you will find that some of this farms sell the powder in its purest way, so you are able to decide what to do with it and perform your own creations for beverages, desserts, single dark or fruit mixed chocolate as it is usual or suggested to be processed, among other ways to consume it.
When you try cocoa you will be getting a lot of benefits such as antioxidants, where in some studies have been found more quantities of this property than in the blueberries just to provide an example, and this for sure makes cocoa an excellent way to prevent cancer and other illness. Furthermore you will have more than the 60% of iron and 50% of magnesium required in your daily diet, also it contains potassium, zinc and some other necessary minerals. In fact, it has been demonstrated that pure cocoa is really helpful in reducing high blood pressure and helping your heart to work better, and for this reason, cocoa is recognized as a “superfood”.
Finally, cocoa is directly related to happiness and wellness, since it contains a neurotransmitter already found by the experts in the brain which works as an antidepressant substance, thanks to the increase of serotonin and endorphins it is responsible for. Soon or later when you start consuming cocoa you will be able to feel an increase in your energy levels as well. In other positions it has been demonstrated that cocoa is not only good for your health and body, but also good to make business, having the chance to increase your sells and be a good mediator in negotiations, when in some experiences and social experiments it has been shown that cocoa improves all of this situations, because of the effect that it takes in the brain and as a consequence in the human behavior, of feeling more open, happy and relaxed.
So next time you visit Costa Rica do some tours considering Costa Rican Cocoa, a good ally for yourself and why not, if it applies, to your economy...
