Rainy Day Cocoa Bean Drying
Pouring rain for days, how to dry cacao beans after the ferment? I decided to try what's become my panacea for kitchen problems: the instant pot.
In some areas, cacao pod harvesting occurs in the dry season, making dying their fermented beans straight-forward (although climate change is altering that sweet deal). Here on the Hāmākua coast of Hawai‘i, we enjoy rain any season, so having a rainy day plan for bean drying is essential.
For the first few days of drying, I’ve found that airflow is the most important factor. During a previous rainy week, I successfully dried beans in our spare bedroom with a floor fan blowing across. The first day is the most critical - your beans need to get from soggy to not sticky so that they don’t mold.
This week’s heavy rainstorm caught me with two batches of beans half-dried. They began their drying adventure out in full-spectrum sunlight but were still to damp to store. Normally I would cycle them in and out of the oven at this stage. A more sane person would use a dehydrator. While I should have a nice large Excalibur, given all the food and tea processing I do, I’m holding out for a solar food drier. This downpour gave me a great excuse to see if my instant pot and air fryer lid would be up to the task.
The beans did not fit on the tiny shelves, but I stuffed them in anyway. I set the controls to the lowest setting, 105°F. Every few hours I switch batches, letting one rest in an air-tight container. This gives the beans time to equilibrate so that the centers become as dry as the shells, and they all are at about the same moisture level. The process is working fine. An example of using what you have.
While not being able to work outside has been disappointing, the wonderful thing about our current rainstorm is the cold. Perfect for tempering chocolate! It’s perfect weather for drinking hot chocolate, too.
Pour yourself a mug of chocolate and let me know how you like to dry cacao in the rain.
News:
Omnivore Books in San Francisco has picked up One Cacao Tree! I’ll let you know when they are on the shelf. Some of O‘ahu’s Down to Earth shops will soon host books, too.
Who is interested in a tempering workshop in Hilo?
Hi Raven! I hope you've had a nice holiday!! I wondered if you ever wash your beans before drying or are you drying from the fermented stage? I've heard you can wash them and then dry them again in a dehydrator. I thought it could be a good idea since packing and transport from other countries can be dirty. The other thing I heard from a coffee maker is that they spray beans when they're in the shipping containers. I'm wondering if I should try to wash any chemicals off of my organic beans? Am I fooling myself by buying organic beans? Any insight would be great! I'll send this questions to Mackenzie from The Next Batch as well.
Cheers!
Scarlett Kilzer
Miam Cacao