Pataxte (aka Jaguar)


This chocolate bar is the result of one of Chocolate Alchemy's chocolate-making kits. When I first opened the contents, I thought that I had received a large bag of oats (not such a strange concept since many chocolate makers use oats / oat milk powder as a dairy substitute in chocolate making). However, the bag actually contained roasted Pataxte nibs, which are commonly known as Jaguar Cocoa.

The unusual, beige colour of the bean comes from the fact that it is theobroma bicolour, not theobroma cacao (classic cacao). Theobroma bicolour contains less fat and more protein and fiber than theobroma cacao.

According to John Nanci (the Chocolate Alchemist), "[t]here is no cocoa flavour, with the predominant flavour being a cross between macadamia and cashew.  It is a unique flavour that once you have tasted it is easily recognizable...Bicolour is processed similarly to cacao but with different things to consider. Due to the lower fat content, it can be roasted higher than cacao...The lower fat content of Bicolour (about 20%) compared to cocoa (about 55%) makes it a harder bean to work with. Cocoa butter must be added to the [grinder] or it simply won't flow." 

The kit included cocoa nibs from Maya Mountain Cacao from southern Belize in addition to the Pataxte nibs from San Felipe de León in the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca. Due to the mild flavour of the Pataxte nibs, this bar is a blend of both nibs and creates a chocolate that begins with a light fruit flavour, then carries into a blend of vanilla, coffee and roasted nuttiness before ending with a slight earthy herbaceous note. I also ended up adding 10% more cocoa butter to John's recipe because the grinder was struggling a bit.