I am back from China and catching up on orders, e-mails and such. Once that is all taken care of, I will have two new beans available, both being sourced one step closer to the farmers. Not quite direct trade (although well above FT prices), but in both cases from micro lots that were purchased from those who worked directly with the farmers. Here is a little about the one from Mindo Ecuador "Mindo selects only certified organic, shade grown Nacional beans. We also select only the healthy beans. We see the beans in the fruit and do not purchase beans that are not in excellent condition. The beans that we refuse are sold to cocoa bean brokers. We pay twice the going rate for the healthiest of beans as the farmers are used to selling the unhealthy beans for the same price as the good beans. Mindo ferments the beans themselves in clean cedar boxes and we dry the beans on elevated drying beds away from dirt and debris, unlike most beans in the world that are unfermented and dried along side of the road. Fermentation mellows the flavor and begins to develop the precursors to what we know as chocolate flavor. "
The other is a Trinatario from Honduras. Great fruit and chocolate. More on both later when they go up.