Boundless Belize

— Belize is located in Central America, adjacent to Guatemala, and is home to lush rainforests that cover ancient Mayan pyramids.

Boundless Belize was Ora’s introductory step in bringing ceremonial cacao to the world. Growing on ancient Mayan lands, it inherits pure traditions, deep respect for the being, and profound understanding of the local ecology

Discover its terroir below, and go through our tasting notes and effects feedback to learn more about this beautiful cacao!

Cacao Guide

Ora Cacao

"It was definitely inviting us toward an external journey. Rather than falling into introspection, this cacao made us want to be active."

N.B. : This article contains an affiliate link leading to a 10% discount available for a first purchase. These advantages are here to compensate the time and work we put in our project. Yet, we’re dedicated to staying objective in our analyses.
Enjoy them if you want to try new cacaos while supporting us 🙂

Terroir

ORIGIN COUNTRY

BELIZE

REGION

TOLEDO & SOUTH STANN CREEK – SOUTHERN BELIZE

POST-HARVEST HANDLER

MAYA MOUNTAIN CACAO

HARVEST YEAR

2021

BEANS VARIETY

[DNA-ANALYZED] – Amelonado + Upper Amazon Forastero (80%), Nacional + Criollo (20%)

STORY & INFORMATION

The 420 small farms (from 1 to 5 acres) growing this cacao are located in Toledo and South Stann Creek districts in Southern Belize.

Some of them are directly adjacent to tropical rainforests. The landscape of the area is dominated by limestone mountains and caves that are reverred by the Maya people.

Three quarters of the farmers involved in the production of those beans are indigenous Q’eqchi’ and Mopan Maya families who have been producing cacao for generations. They combine cacao with other crops such as hardwood and fruit trees (banana, coconut and mango).

After being harvested, the beans used in the making of Boundless Belize are handled and prepared by Maya Mountain Cacao.

MMC plays two important roles in the beans’ journey.

Firstly, they buy and gather what is called « wet cacao » from more than 400 organic small family farms

Wet cacao means that beans are bought fresh —wrapped in their flesh— and periodically, following harvesting schedules.

It allows MMC to handle the intricate steps of fermentation and drying at their own centralized facility. These fundamental steps require a level of expertise in order to find the right balance to avoid defective notes and put out the best flavor a bean can carry.

Secondly, they sort beans by hand, pack and export them to fine chocolate and cacao makers such as Ora, so that the latter can handle the end of the process.

From a farmer’s point of view, this model allows to let go of complex steps of beans processing that require time, material and skills. Plus, it gives added-value to their crops as they spend less time handling beans and can focus only on the care and harvest.

From MMC’s point of view, it allows control and consistency in delivering fine quality beans.

MMC is owned by Uncommon Cacao, a fine cacao beans sourcing & exporting company.

Ora then takes up the making process by lightly roasting, winnowing, grinding, conching and tempering the whole in order to transform beans into pure ceremonial cacao discs.

Details

IN HANDS

COLOR – Dark Brown
SMELL – Blond tobacco, slight raspberry note, chocolate mousse SHAPE – Discs

IN CUPS

COLOR – Terra Cotta / Clay with little orange hues
SMELL – Dairy-like, creamy or buttery, with a woody background
FOAM – Very light beige with orange hues

Tasting notes

Aromas:

Tangy to acidic at first, it turns toward a mossy note that quickly clears the way to the core note we identified as being green pepper. The end of the cup develops a light walnut and white almond aroma.

Remarks:

We were surprised by the rather uncommon notes this cacao shared with us. On the whole it has a pretty vegetal profile that we aren’t used to in ceremonial cacaos.

Looking for the core note was a fun one, Mathieu was trying to match an aroma with a vegetable he couldn’t find, when Romane said « it’s weird but it somehow reminds me of the feeling when I used to make barbecues ». Then it clicked! It was the specific taste of grilled green pepper that was hiding from us.

This cup’s taste was somehow full-bodied, because every note we could find were aiming in the same vegetal direction. Unexpected notes that could deserve to be sublimated with a sweetener.

Effects experienced

→ Outward | Active | Elevating

The whole journey felt like we were smoothly energized, supported in any of the things we would have wanted to accomplish.
« Lighter » is a word we both used several times when trying to focus on how we felt, and this feeling seemed very tangible when bringing our attention to our heads.

Our senses felt like they were slightly sharpened. It was definitely inviting us toward an external journey. Rather than falling into introspection, this cacao made us want to be active.
We could picture ourselves either dancing or singing or hiking.
In the moment, in our own context, we felt like getting up and go for a walk in nature.

We effectively noticed the change it brought to our mood. It elevated us when we were in a calm and cozy place.

A good setup in which we envisionned ourselves using it purposefully was when sitting with friends, willing to have a deeper connection with them.

We hope you enjoyed this content! If you’d like to try Boundless Belize, feel free to use our 10% discount by clicking this link, available on your first order.