I seem to be drawn to the subject of cocoa or chocolate. See my previous posts about cocoa in Trinidad and Moruga cocoa, for example. Whereas Trinidad is more known for its world class cocoa and fine chocolates, this time I write about cocoa production in the island of Tobago.
When I saw the ad for a tour of the Tobago Cocoa Estate, I immediately signed up for it. Directions were sketchy but we figured we could easily find the nearby Argyle Falls in Roxborough. We needn’t have worried as it was well sign-posted when we got there. The single lane gravel track winding up a hill was a little scary, but there was a good space for parking once we reached the entrance. It was a steep walk down on stone steps. Not sure how safe this would be if wet, but we were warmly greeted at the bottom.
We waited a bit for late comers, and set off at about 10:15 am. There were some who missed the tour completely. Our guide shared with us a brief explanation of the locally bred Trinitario cocoa beans , which are now prized internationally. Unfortunately, there were no healthy cocoa pods sticking out of the sides of the tree trunks and branches, because of the recent heavy rains. Still, it was a pleasant walk along the path, observing the small banana trees and very tall Immortelle trees planted to give shade to the young cocoa plants. The guide also pointed out some coffee trees from which he harvested coffee beans for his own use.
It rained slightly a couple of times and we took shelter in a gazebo where our guide burst open a cocoa fruit to show us the white coated beans. On the way back, he pointed out the mud oven where they usually bake bread for visitors. These tours have only just restarted since everything closed because of the COVID pandemic, and I suppose they weren’t totally ready yet.
We then saw where the beans were stored and processed and finally dried in the sun. No dancing of the cocoa here as that is only necessary to polish the beans to get a better price. These organic beans are all exported to France to be made into fine chocolates.
Finally, we got to sample some cocoa tea and chocolate while we viewed the various international trophies and certificates attributed to this lovely little cocoa plantation in Tobago.
I should mention that there is a wonderful chocolatier, Tobago Chocolate Delights, located in the Shore Things Café near Scarborough, though they do not source their cocoa from this estate. These decadent eats go well with a fine rum!
