Unpublished photographs of an award-winning Coffee + Cocoa

 
** Unpublished photographs of an award-winning Coffee + Cocoa

Context of a premature story The history of coffee in Venezuela is a bit complicated, first of all coffee is not native to Venezuela, it first arrived in the mid-1740s but it was not until 1830 that coffee crops were ready for export.
 

Until 100 years ago, Venezuela was a world power in coffee and cocoa, not counting the Production of Sugar, Tobacco and Rum. Even the family of Simón Bolívar, father of the independence movement, had large crops of these crops that were exported in volume to Europe.

With the exploratory beginnings of our first oil deposits, the decline of this crop was written. Memories and ventures of a new generation of coffee growers Some native growers from various areas of Venezuela belong to generations that have maintained the tradition, even after 100 years we have acclimatized species and after so many genetic crossings they have become native.

It is precisely these generations that are beginning to be noticed again in the international awards and national awards for Coffee and Coffee Growers. This year Bancoex (Foreign Bank of VENEZUELA) held a Barista competition where they participated in different categories of presentation and type of coffee used. To everyone's surprise, the winner was a Venezuelan Barista.

 
The event is very important because it has the approval of the international community of coffee farmers. The most interesting thing is that the technique with which this Barista won is very old in Venezuela, it is simple but requires many years of experience.
 
It is straining the coffee through a pedestal with what in Venezuela we call sleeve, it is a piece of cone-type fabric where the ground coffee is previously placed, then the water is heated to approximately 75 degrees Celsius to proceed to see you in said device.

The movements are circular and pouring the water little by little. Pauses are made for 1 minute and so on until all the water has been poured. This technique is what grandmothers teach to new generations. and it is the most traditional way of drinking coffee in Venezuela.
 
This is unprecedented and could be a start in changing coffee brewing techniques worldwide. Understanding that each country has a different style of growing and drinking this liquid, which is one of the most sought after worldwide.

There is also a broad movement around cocoa. I have already reviewed several proposals that include business diplomas in cocoa as an investment opportunity and applications to generate direct trade for businessmen who purchase this item of high international demand.
 
All the photographs were taken in the house of our friend Enrique Egaña, a coffee geneticist who has many years working on exclusive coffee and cocoa research. He told us that he was the one who planted and harvested the coffee with which the Barista participated in the competence The future is ours With a little effort we will be able to position Venezuela as one of the countries with the best cocoa with certification of origin that can authenticate and give value to our cocoa.

Currently there are many chocolate makers that use Venezuelan cocoa to make high-end chocolates. The problem is that our country is not seen as the creator of such impressive harvests.