Black Jaguar Bolivia Heirloom #1

Black Jaguar Bolivia Heirloom #1 - 77%

Cocoa Origin: Bolivia
Producer Country: Canada
Weight: 75 g

The cacao used here has been designated Heirloom by the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund, an organization working globally to identify and protect rare cacao varieties while supporting small-scale producers and biodiversity. These beans come from El Beni, Bolivia, grown by the Tranquilidad Wild Cacao Estate and Research Center, an influential estate led by agronomist Volker Lehmann, and featured in the book and documentary podcast Wild Cocoa by Rowan Jacobsen.

Thw bar opens with notes of browned butter and blueberry — stewed and slightly fermented — before moving onto notes of whiskey and oak, with a mesquite BBQ note that carries through the finish: smoky rather than sweet, giving the chocolate a savoury edge that feels grounded, earthy, and rustic. The finish is long and structured, with gentle tannins, echoing wood, smoke, coffee, and dark fruit.

$13.50

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Black Jaguar Bolivia Heirloom #1 - 77%

$13.50

Scott and Emilie are adventurers whose love for cacao took root during their travels across the cacao heartlands of Latin America. From planting cacao seedlings in the Amazon Basin of Bolivia to forging personal relationships in Nicaragua’s lush landscapes, their journey reflects a genuine connection rare amongst chocolate makers. Their work started in 2017 while filming an agroforestry documentary—a project that literally planted seeds in the area where cacao was first domesticated thousands of years ago. After years of exploration, they settled in Guatemala to work with cacao, laying the foundation for what would become Black Jaguar. Today, they craft exceptional chocolate on Vancouver Island, using beans exclusively sourced from heirloom cacao grown in La Dalia, Nicaragua, and certified by the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund, as well as cacao from the Bosawás Biosphere Reserve, the second largest rainforest in the Western Hemisphere and home to 13% of the world’s known plant and animal species. They also enjoy foraging on the Island, creating unique bars that weave together the flavors of cacao’s origins with the essence of their Vancouver Island home.

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Beni, a northeastern department of Bolivia, is characterized by its vast, flat terrain and sparse population, ranking as the country's second-largest but also second-least populated department. The region's landscape features large mounds connected by straight earthen causeways, believed to be remnants of ancient, advanced indigenous civilizations that thrived prior to European arrival. A tropical and humid climate fosters warm to hot temperatures year-round. Beni shares its borders with Brazil to the northeast and is predominantly covered by rainforest, pampa, and numerous rivers, all part of the Amazon basin. It is home to a diverse array of wildlife, including 400 unique species of fish. Wild cacao trees grow along the upper reaches of the Beni River where locals traverse the waterways in boats to
harvest fresh pods. In addition to agriculture, timber, and cattle ranching, Beni’s local economy is often linked to illegal narcotics activities, making wild harvesting in the region perilous.

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