I’m always thrilled to offer a new product., and this case I mean REALLY new. This is reminiscent of when, some 15 years ago, I first offered cocoa beans by the pound when they were not available ANYWHERE else.
First and foremost, this is not classic cocoa. It is not Theobroma Cacao. It is Theobroma Bicolor and also goes by the common names Macambo, Jaguar Cocoa and Pataxte (pa-tash-tee). I’m partial to the later.
I've heard the flavor described as similar to the most delicate of porcelano. I can't quite say I agree with that but it does give you an idea of how mild they both are. There is no cocoa flavor, with the predominant flavor being a cross between macadamia and cashew. It is a unique flavor that once you have tasted it is easily recognizable.
Below you are going to find a ton of information. And I had thought about distilling even more into the article but really, let’s be honest, that would be a LOT of information and I find it better to let you read it all for yourself. Check these out:
Cacao’s Unlucky Cousin: Pataxte, a superfood in the making
Introduction to the Pataxte form of cacao in Mayan Ethnobotany
Those are great historical and in depth pieces…but the don’t tell you a ton about what to do with it, so that is what I’m going to dig into.
Theobroma Bicolor contains less fat and more protein and fiber than Theobroma cacao. Little is known about the genetic diversity of Bicolor due to the low economic importance and lack of commercial plantations across Latin American. Bicolor is processed similarly to cacao but with different things to consider. Due to the lower fat content, it can be roasted higher than cacao. There does not appear to be a correct or incorrect roasting profile, it can be roasted up to an End of Roasting Temperature of 280 F, and 300 F is not out of the question.
The lower fat content of Bicolor (about 20%) compared to cocoa (about 55%) makes it a harder bean to work with. Cocoa butter must be added to the melanger or it simply won't flow. When doing formulations, I use a working number of about 20-25% fat. I've seem references that it is higher, but the extra fiber requires more extra butter. An extra 20% cocoa butter seems to be about the minimum you can use. This of course means you can't have a 100% or 2 ingredient bar.
My go to starting recipe is this:
500 g roasted Pataxte nibs
200 g cocoa butter
300 g sugar
I have to say I'm not a huge fan of pure Pataxte bars, primarily due to the subtle nature. It plays lovely with it's cousin, theobromo cacao, either by making a Pataxte 'milk' bar or an incredibly aesthetic swirled bar
I'll mention that just like cocoa is often traditionally hand peeled in Oaxaca, so is pataxte. I don't have the patience for that though and found no down side from cracking and winnowing them as usual. Before you panic, I'm here to tell you the separation is not as great due to how the husk both clings to the nib and that it is slightly heavier. Your nib waste is also going to be a bit higher since the bean doesn't fracture as cleanly as cocoa. That all said, I've compared painstakingly hand peeled pataxte to some that I winnowed, and aside from a slight darkening in the final product, couldn't taste ANY difference.
Of the two pataxte we currently have, the Bicolor II hand peels a bit easier that this Bicolor I, but also has slightly less flavor very generally speaking.
We are offering these roasted but not as nibs, the later due to the extra clean out work required in the winnowers.
Pataxte does not take to profile roasting like cocoa does. It does not do it any harm but due to its extreme mild flavor there is also not much to pull out and develop either. In this case I want you to just to think about toasting/roasting nuts. Just like many nuts, although raw is not unpleasant, roasted nuts are much more enjoyable in most cases.
I have used both the Behmor and the oven for roasting. P1 (automatic mode) works great, loaded with 2 lb. I prefer a little less so the temperature can get a little higher. I usually take the end of roast temperature to around 270-280 F. I've taken them up to 300 F without an issue.
If you want to toss these in an oven, the procedure is similar to cocoa but you have more leeway and less need to turn them down. I recommend preheating to 350-375 F, putting in a single layer, and stirring every 5 minutes or so until the surface temperature (as checked with your IR thermometer) reached that same 270-280 F. I've also had good luck getting them to about 260 F and just turning the over off and letting them coast up to your final temperature and then cooling naturally.
It was also quite common to use a mixture of Pataxte in drinking chocolate, lending an extra depth of flavor and mouthfeel. If you want to try that, don’t hesitate cranking up that final temperature into the mid 300s. You can even blend it into some of our Brewing cocoa.
You will temper pataxte just like you would any other chocolate, mostly due to the fact that is contains added cocoa butter. It works just great with Silk also.
So that’s it. In short, treat it like you would cocoa, but relax a bit more with it.
Roast it as you will.
Crack and winnow it as normal and don’t stress about a little extra shell
Refine it as usual and maybe a little less if you want - but don’t forget that extra butter
Temper as usual.
Enjoy.