By Theyo Team
Did someone say chocolate?
The whole camp smells like fresh chocolate! A shipment of Originals Beans chocolate has just arrived at Theyo's warehouse and everyone is excited. Because among the bars and chocolate drops that have arrived there are new varieties. Even after thousands of chocolates tested, it's still a highlight for the whole team! Especially with Original Beans - one of the few brands that we do not source directly from the countries of origin. Why? Because Original Beans chocolate is incredibly delicious and we are pursuing a common mission: We want to make the chocolate world better. You can read about the change approaches Original Beans is pursuing here.
Original Beans chocolate
One or the other knows original beans from the local organic shop or from our tastings. Most people know the brand as a sustainable, high-quality chocolate brand with pretty packaging. But few realize how much more is behind it. Because the team doesn't just start with the chocolate. As the name suggests, they are passionate about preserving original and endangered cocoa varieties and work with local cocoa farmers to promote biodiversity conservation. They pay a multiple of the world market price for this, so that people and nature can live in harmony.
Chocolate against climate change?
What sounds absurd at first glance is understandable at second glance and, above all, delicious. Original Beans founder Philipp Kauffmann was previously at the UN, where he previously worked in the field of biodiversity. With the production of chocolate from cocoa beans, which come from so-called biodiversity hotspots, he and his team are actively promoting biodiversity and in direct exchange with farmers. Scientists have defined these hotspots as places with a particularly high level of biodiversity. They are considered to be the most biologically diverse places on earth and should be particularly well protected for this very reason!
Products in the Theyo test
And this commitment pays off in several ways: the effect not only unfolds on the local cocoa farmers, but also on the tongue. The Original Beans team manages to "translate" the particularly fine aromas of the fine flavor cocoa varieties into chocolate in a perfectly balanced way. How exactly does that taste? Here we present some of our current Theyo Picks. Of course it's worth trying all the varieties... #justsaying
Vegan friendly and (nevertheless) super tasty: 50% Vegan M!lk from Original Beans
We admit it: if it were up to us, all the chocolates in our chocolate shop would be exclusively vegan. Because fine dark chocolate is naturally vegan, this is already the case for the majority of our range. Unfortunately, even in 2023 there will still be far too many inedible vegan chocolates. These are often far too sweet or taste unpleasantly strong of the respectively integrated plant milk. Fortunately, there are more and more delicious alternatives in the fine chocolate sector. One of those bright spots is Original Beans' 50% Vegan M!lk. The contained almond milk is perfectly complemented by the fine chocolate aromas; the chocolate comes across as nutty nougart and malty, with a subtle note of honey and a pleasant almond character. It is very mild with low astringency and with its 50% Ecuadorian cocoa content and 17% almond content, it only needs 33% sugar. 💯 % recommendation!
By the way: If you like Ecuador as Interested in the country of origin as much as we are, read our report on our last journey of origin here.
Fruity and happy special feature: 75% original beans chocolate from Peru
Perhaps you have never tasted such a chocolate! A fruity taste explosion: raspberry aromas, dried plums, red fruit notes and citrus - with an extremely pleasant melt. And that's just one of the special features of this fine chocolate from Peru. Because this bar was made from a very special cocoa: the white Porcelana cocoa from northern Peru. Almost threatened with extinction, fine chocolate manufacturers such as Original Beans now use the rare light variety for very special bars. The result is the preservation of an original cocoa variety and a special experience for your taste buds! We recommend: Try this fruity, astringent chocolate in the form of dark drinking chocolate . With a (plant) milk of your choice, you can soften the acidity and concentrate fully on the fruity facets.
The dark side of chocolate: Original Beans 100% chocolate
A secret obsession on the Theyo team is 100% chocolate. That's why we were particularly excited when this original beans variety arrived. We love the little sugar-free energy kicks for in between. At the same time, 100% chocolate can quickly taste too sour or - in the worst case - feel like dust coming out of your mouth. So we always approach the panels with a healthy skepticism. With Original Beans, however, this was completely unfounded. A wonderfully delicate melt paired with an intense, slightly fruity chocolate aroma! Apart from small, fine pieces in between, we love the 100% chocolate above all as drinking chocolate , where we add our favorite spices and a touch of maple syrup according to our mood. Try it!
Original Beans in the Theyo Test kitchen
Some of the '50 World's Best Chefs ' work with Original Beans chocolate. So it seemed only logical that we should also try out our chocolate experiments with Original Beans in our Theyo test kitchen. The result is a lot of recipes (you can find them on our blog ) as well as our small, fine range of drinking chocolate . We can only warmly recommend the delicious chocolate as hot chocolate or as iced chocolate !
At a glance - that's why a lot of chocolate love goes to Original Beans:
🍃 Sustainability : Original Beans places the highest value on ethical and environmentally responsible (even environmentally positive) sourcing and manufacturing practices.
😋 Unique flavors : Original Beans sources rare and original cocoa beans, which is reflected in the finest and unique flavors in the chocolates.
🤝🏻 Social Impact : The chocolate company is strongly committed to making a positive impact on the local communities they work with. This is done through direct trade, fair prices, joint nature conservation efforts and, above all, cooperation on an equal footing.
🕵🏻 Traceability : Original Beans offers traceability from bean to bar ( read more about bean to bar here ) so you can learn more about the provenance and history behind the chocolates.
🥇 Highest Quality : Original Beans makes premium quality chocolate from carefully selected, ethically grown cocoa.
The only thing that remains to be clarified is: where can you buy Original Beans chocolate?
Are you just as convinced as we are and do you really want to try the chocolates or do you urgently need supplies? Do not worry! In urgent cases (and if you live in a larger city) you should go to the nearest organic supermarket or well-stocked organic shop. If you have a little more time, you can of course take a look at our selection or go directly to Original Beans in the online shop . Bon appetit!
