Meya Farm Crash Course 3 - Fermentation

Fermentation is basically all about babying the cacao beans... and patiently waiting for magic to happen.

What is the very first step? Marching straight to the banana trees about ten meters away from the base of Meya Farm and trimming off fresh banana leaves in perfect condition - no yellow spots or brown edges allowed!

Turns out, banana leaves are like the conductors of this cacao bean orchestra, quietly guiding the wild yeasts and flavours as they slowly come alive.

During the first wo days of the anaerobic (oxygen-free) phase, the creamy-white cacao beans and sweet pulp are tucked in under layers of banana leaves. Lift the leaves after two days, and the aroma that greets us is surprisingly lively - juicy lychee notes, tropical fruitiness, and just the slightest whisper of alcohol.

Then comes Day 3: the start of our daily "homework."

Every morning, we gathered freshly cut banana leaves again to carefully line the bottom and sides of a large wooden fermentation box. This is where the real transformation begins. We "turn" the cacao beans by hand, mixing them up and finally introducing their new friend - oxygen.

And wow... the aroma changes completely. Now it smells like young green plum wine - fruity, sweet, bright, and gently boozy.

What we did not expect? Turning cacao beans by hand is quite the workout!

With this 120kg heavyweight cacao bean "baby," we mixed the beans from the outer edges into the centre again and again, layer by layer. Afterwards, the beans were gently tucked back in with fresh banana leaves and jute sacks,, almost like putting them to bed.

As the temperature slowly climbed toward 50°C, the flavours deepened and unfolded little by little, like an orchestra performing an enchanted piece of music.

What did we learn from this experience?

A much deeper respect for cacao farmers and the team who rely on all their senses - smell, touch, sight - while also balancing weather, temperature, timing, and years of experience to decide when fermentation is complete.

The more we learn about cacao, the more we realize how much love, labour, patience, and intuition are quietly hidden behind every piece of chocolate we enjoy.

Extremely grateful for Mr. Chiu guiding me through the six days of fermentation, Mr. Huang and Tony Huang for their advice!

Olivia