A THOUSAND YEAR CHOCOLATE JOURNEY AT FINCA LUNA NUEVA
All our guests will, on their farm tour, visit our cacao (or in English, “cocoa”) plantation and see our more than 300 cacao trees, most more than 30 years old. After seeing how we use regenerative practices to grow the trees, the next step is to learn how chocolate has been made, both by ancient civilizations and by modern techniques. We’ll take you on a thousand-year chocolate journey, and you’ll make both the ancient “Drink of the Gods” and modern chocolate confections.
You will first roast and then grind fermented cacao beans. For the grinding you will use an ancient “metate” or grinding stone, thought to be almost a thousand years old and carved by indigenous people from volcanic rock. Once the task of grinding is completed, you will add the desired spices and flavors to your drink, selecting from New World ingredients such as Vanilla, Jamaica or Allspice, Spicy Chile, and Achiote or Annatto. You can also opt for a more modern “hot chocolate” experience, using milk and sugar as first introduced in Europe.
Drinking this chocolate with different flavors will be a unique opportunity to appreciate and value the spiritual and mystical healing power of chocolate.
Once you’ve experienced the Drink of the Gods, you will participate in one of the most celebrated uses of cacao – the process of making chocolate. We have professional equipment to make organic chocolates using spices and other ingredients from our own farm. Let your imagination run wild!
The time required for this activity is 1.5 to 2 hours.
- The tour starts at our reception desk
- The tours are scheduled by reception, upon request
- Duration: 1.5 hours
- Recommended ages: 5- 100+ yrs old. You’re never too old for chocolate!
- What to bring: Your love of chocolate, your imagination, and your camera
- Minimum: 2 people.
