A short while ago a friend went for a trip to chocolaty Saõ Tomé and she totally enjoyed walking through the cacao growing everywhere,… jealousy was not far away, an experience that is still on my bucket list! She was so utterly kind however to fly back some fresh harvested cacao pods and dried beans for me, to share everything cacao straight from the plantation.
I was really looking forward to taste the fresh juice or “pulp” which is often described as really fruity. And boy it did, I shared it with some friends and we tasted mango, lychee, banana, grapes and more all at the same time: now you would really understand why this is the ‘food of the gods’!
Having several of fresh cacao pods in my hands it was above all about really looking how this fruit works on the inside. And now I could finally see and taste fresh all these great aromas, which so far I only tasted in a finished chocolate bar and look at all the different parts. The inner structure is just beautiful and it’s amazing to see how sophisticated this fruit grows!
See for yourself, and thank you Helena (@imkedielen)!
I’ll pick up the Claudio Corallo bars soon 
Hello! I just found this blog, it´s great! Congratulations:)
I wanted to ask you if you know where can I study to become a chocolate sommelier in the US or any other country. I´ve always loved chocolate like many people but I´m interested in going further. I´d appreciate any information you can give me. Thank you very much in advance.
hi Ana!
thanks a lot for your comment and enthusiasm
You actually raise a very good point, I’m not sure if such a thing exists really as a study, but you give me an idea here
Most would just start sharing their built-up expertise, knowledge and passion on chocolate.
Reading books like ‘Discover Chocolate’ by Clay Gordon, and ‘The New Taste of Chocolate’ of Maricel Presilla are excellent reading for advancing in chocolate, amongst several others of course.
(See http://www.amazon.com/New-Taste-Chocolate-Cultural-Natural/dp/1580081436, and http://www.amazon.com/Discover-Chocolate-Ultimate-Tasting-Enjoying/dp/B001BSOUE2/)
What ways do you love chocolate and what would you expect from such a chocolate sommelier study to go further?