First Roasts from Bisiesto: A New Cocoa Origin with Exciting Potential
Discovering a New Cocoa Origin: Bisiesto, Nicaragua
We love discovering new cocoa origins, and this week brought something special: a sample from Bisiesto, Nicaragua. Anytime we receive new cocoa, there’s a mix of curiosity and excitement—what flavors will this origin reveal? What will it take to bring out its best qualities in artisan chocolate?
Our Methodical Approach to Roasting Test Batches
To explore the potential of these Bisiesto beans, we rely on a specific roasting process. Cocoa roasting is where raw cacao begins its transformation into familiar dark chocolate flavors. With each new origin, we follow a detailed evaluation method to decide how we’ll develop it into chocolate.
For this Bisiesto sample, we roasted a small batch and extracted multiple samples at intervals throughout the roast. Each sample captures the cocoa beans at a different stage—lighter, mid-roast, and darker. These stages unlock different flavor notes, helping us decide which roast levels are best suited for making test batches of chocolate.
Photo: Raw cocoa beans from Bisiesto, Nicaragua.
Why This Matters for Chocolate Lovers
Roasting is one of the most important steps in crafting artisan chocolate. It’s how we shape the flavor foundation of every bar, especially when making 100% chocolate, where there’s no sugar or other ingredients to mask the cocoa's character. Each roast sample helps us understand what makes this origin unique—fruity or earthy, mild or bold.
What’s Next?
Next, we’ll make small test batches of dark chocolate using select roast profiles. We’ll taste, compare, and refine until we land on the roasts that best express this origin’s potential. Will a lighter roast reveal tropical fruit? Will a darker one draw out deeper cocoa richness?
We’ll share updates as our Bisiesto chocolate journey continues—from bean to bar.
Interested in learning more about cocoa roasting? Our blog post - Cocoa Bean Roasting: The Flavor-Defining Step in Artisan Chocolate - dives into details about our roasting process.