Episode 17- Kyle Bellinger (Osito Coffee & Cacao)

Episode 17- Kyle Bellinger (Osito Coffee & Cacao)

Episode details

“Osito exists to champion coffees of the single growers and grower associations throughout all of Colombia. They work to cultivate long standing relationships between roasters and farmers all built on a basis of fair pricing and unparalleled quality.”

 

I have been following Osito Coffee for a while on social media when one day I stumbled across a post announcing that they were about to import their first ever work with cacao from Colombia. I just had a feeling there was something about this cacao that was special and had a story to be. I quickly reached out to Kyle and just as quickly had a reply back. They asked how much I wanted for a sample as this was their first foray into chocolate. A few days later it arrived on my doorstep.

 

The absolute most important thing for me when thinking about a new origin is the relationship I will have with the importer and equally as important is their relationship with the farmers where the cacao is grown. I have seen the efforts they put in to helping their coffee producers, so I just knew that if they were bringing this cacao in, there had to be something special about it.

 

The beans are truly beautiful. Barely any need to be sorted out and even after my very first test roast, fireworks were going off. Currently I make a 70% bar and sipping chocolate with this origin but soon a few restaurants will be using it in their desserts, and I have many other plans for news bars, hot chocolates and who knows what else.

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