210 COCOA 



CHAP. 



of finer quality, such as the Criollo, the Western Vene- 

 zuela Forastero, and the " Arriba " cocoa of Ecuador, 

 which need very little fermentation for the development 

 of their aroma and tonic properties. Moreover, in the 

 case of these finer varieties the fresh seeds are less 

 bitter than in the case of the coarser kinds, and for this 

 reason also a short fermentation is sufficient. 



It is often said that one of the objects of fermenta- 

 tion is to remove the sugary pulp, but from the fore- 

 going it will be clear that this view is wrong. The 

 disappearance of the pulp may only be regarded as a 

 happy coincidence. Moreover, in the case of those seed 

 varieties which require only a short fermentation, a 

 great deal of the pulp remains adhering to the seeds. 

 This constitutes a drawback, for such cocoa is very 

 subject to mildew when packed in bags, and this is the 

 reason why in Venezuela arid Trinidad the cocoa is 

 treated with dry earth after fermentation and drying. 

 This method will be explained later. 



The beans are generally subjected to fermentation 

 in fermenting or "sweating" boxes such as those used 

 in Surinam (Fig. 67), and are turned over into a fresh 

 box every day (Surinam) or every other day (Trini- 

 dad). This system is in use in Surinam, Trinidad, the 

 other Antilles, San Thome, and indeed all countries 

 where long and thorough fermentation is necessary. 



In Java, on the other hand, larger fermenting floors 

 (Fig. 68) are generally used, perforated like the bottom 

 of the " sweating" boxes and often raised one above the 

 other, like the steps of a staircase. The dimensions 

 vary considerably : sometimes they are about 16 feet long, 

 7 feet broad, and raised lj> foot above each other. They 

 are surrounded by a little wall 2 feet high. The cocoa 

 is first brought into a heap on the upper floor, and 

 covered with banana leaves. After twelve or twenty- 

 four hours the heap is shovelled to the second floor ; 

 here it again remains for twelve or twenty -four hours ; 

 and the third day it is shovelled to the third (lowest) 

 floor. Sometimes four floors are present, when the 



