CACAO FERMENTATION 143 



Cacao simply dried and unfermented is sometimes in 

 demand on the market ; but, in general, well-fermented 

 cacao takes precedence, and the higher the quality the 

 better the price. It follows, therefore, that where suitable 

 conveniences exist for carrying out the process, fermenta- 

 tion is regularly adopted, and unless special calls arise, the 

 preparation of unfermented cacao is left to those who are 

 not prepared with suitable apparatus to carry out the 

 fermentation process. 



There can be no question that the result of chemical 

 examination has paved the way for closer determination 

 of the changes produced by fermentation than formerly 

 existed, and progress has been made ; but the inquiries as 

 yet do not appear to have affected to any considerable 

 extent the quality of cacao as seen upon the market. The 

 reason for this probably rests in the unlimited amount of 

 variation which exists in every cacao-growing country, and 

 in the quality of the primary produce obtained from the 

 field, especially in those countries where mixed strains 

 have been induced by the importation of cacao of different 

 character. In Trinidad, the original native Criollo of the 

 forest has been completely dominated by the Forastero 

 introduced from the mainland of South America ; and 

 again the quality in general of the produce of the island 

 has been largely improved by introductions from Vene- 

 zuelan estates where the Venezuelan Criollo is the prominent 

 type. The produce of estates will vary therefore in quality 

 in exact accordance with the strain of cacao grown, entirely 

 independent of any method of preparation or fermentation, 

 and the produce of such estates should not be credited 

 as quality produced by the manipulator in the fermenting 

 bins and on the drying floors, but instead to the individual 

 quality of each particular strain. 



There is probably as much original difference between 

 cacaos as there is between the crab-apple and a " golden 

 russet," or between a quince and a " Jargonelle pear," 

 and one might as well try to give " body " to a thin wheat 

 grain, or weight to an oat, by preparation methods, if they 



