Cachao – Chocolate that is good for you!
I have been known amongst my friends as someone who once ate over three kilos of assorted chocolates within about a week and got quite sick after that. This was a gift from a friend from Germany, while I lived in England, and when it comes to commercial chocolate we all know which country wins!
Ever since that little binge, I have been looking into “healthier”, “better for us” chocolate that still tastes as good as the “regular” bars. I even wrote a paper on that at my last job in the UK, so I do consider myself as a bit of an expert.
Sadly, there is not that much choice when it comes to high quality, bean-to-bar chocolate here on the island. Even less – if one is looking for the raw stuff. That is why I decided to talk to Tino Wolter, a master chocolatier who has been making some pretty amazing chocolate in Santa Catalina in Palma for the past eight years.
Tino Wolter is a professional chef and pastry chef. His goal was to be a pastry chef in a Michelin star restaurant and he achieved this early on in his career. He then worked in a confectionery shop, making wedding cakes and pralines, and afterwards again as a pastry chef in a restaurant. All this was in Berlin. From there, Tino was invited to Mallorca to develop a project with Christine Leja of BConnected, a well-known name in the world of architecture, design and real estate on the island. Christine financed the Cachao project, while Tino brought years of experience and the idea of making the first bean-to-bar, raw, organic, vegan chocolate on the island.
When we met, Tino recounted many months of experimenting, of trials and errors while making chocolate without any stabilisers, without any refined sugar, all the while trying to achieve a familiar taste and the texture.
I asked Tino how his chocolate is different from any other chocolate around, what makes it unique. He told me that the starting point of difference were the beans – sourced from specific organic, fair trade plantations in Peru and Ecuador. The second point was using raw cocoa, full of iron, magnesium etc. He drew a comparison with raw vs. cooked vegetables, and we all know what is better for us there. Another interesting fact he told me was that raw cocoa butter was like cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, or avocado, or omega oil from fish. Never thought of it that way, but it totally makes sense. Furthermore, Tino does not add any sugar, but uses coconut nectar instead, meaning that his chocolate is suitable for diabetics and has low GI. We got into all the technical talk about conching, tempering etc., but I will not bore you with all that, except to say that it takes Tino four days to get from the bean to the chocolate (more to add flavours).
This concept might sound “too good” to be appealing to an everyday consumer. Raw chocolate might take some getting used to for someone who has only ever eaten commercial stuff. However, I assure you that once you do try it, and once you start appreciating all the work that went into it – from the fact that each bar and each square is completely hand-made and all the ingredients aside from the cocoa are locally sourced – you will not want to go back to your usual favourites ever again.
I have a friend who is a fan of 100% cocoa bars, or anything as close to that as he can find. I am not quite there yet, but I do increasingly appreciate a high cocoa content, with as few ingredients as possible. At the same time, I am all about the flavour, and there are some very interesting flavours at Cachao, such as rosemary and nuts, apricots from Porreres and lavender (my current favourite!) or orange peel from Soller oranges. Their latest is raspberry and I like that very much too!
Cachao store has recently been refurbished, and (in the coolest possible way!) it now looks more like a very stylish lab than a sweets shop. All their chocolates have been rebranded with creative help from Patrick from We are Yellow and I absolutely love the new packaging. From the smallest 30g bar to the signature box, these are high end treats that catch the eye as well as the palate.
This year, just like the last few years, Tino will be making his Christmas trees, consisting of discs of raw dark chocolate, generously sprinkled with dry fruit and nuts. These little delights make a perfect gift for any seasonal party and a healthier alternative to tonnes of chocolate consumed at home in December and all the way till Three Kings.
Have a happy, healthy and sweet 2023!
Till next month…
Yours sweetly,
Mia
Cachao – Authentic Chocolate
Plaça de la Navegació 14ª, Santa Catalina, Palma
WhatsApp: +34 673 45 82 16
Web: https://es.cachao.eu
Instagram: @cachao_chocolate
Opening hours
Mon-Fri: 10am – 5pm
Sat: 10am – 2pm
Text: Mia Naprta
E-mail: mia.naprta@gmail.com
Instagram: @mianaprta
Photos: Santiago Gallardo
Mobile: +34 722 25 51 19
Instagram: @santiagogallardooficial
