This week I was able to visit a beautiful Chocolate farm with the family I travel nanny for-you can too with Cabarete Coffee Tours! We got to make REAL hot chocolate. No powder involved! Dominican Republic is one of the largest producers of cacao beans in the world.
The cacao beans grow in pods on trees in places where it is shady.
They have a long pole with a sharp blade to cut down the pods.
You can taste the pulpy insides, it tastes sweet and sour. It was very sticky. The beans are inside.
They leave the beans in the sun to dry them out.
They cook them till the outer shell is crispy and loose.
Then, at the expense of your finger tips you peel off the paper like outer shell from the hot beans.
They add brown sugar, cocoa powder, water, fresh leaves from orange trees, whole cloves, and a stick of cinnamon.
BEST hot chocolate you will EVER have!!!!