By Theyo Team
To'ak produces the most expensive chocolate in the world. With prices in excess of €200 for 50 grams, To'ak is far ahead of other chocolate manufacturers. And so it is hardly surprising that the chocolate is tried with tweezers on their website. And we at Theyo have already been able to test the precious chocolate. But before we talk about the taste, let's take a closer look at the manufacturer To'ak.
The burgundy of cocoa
In To'ak chocolate, more than in any other chocolate, the cocoa beans literally make the music. It consists of the Arriba Nacional variety, one of the finest and oldest varieties in the world. Researchers suspect that the Mayo chinchips in Ecuador were already cultivating the Nacional variety 5,300 years ago. This is one of the reasons why it is rightly referred to as ' Heirloom Cacao '. And in order to be able to process this cocoa, To'ak pays the cocoa farmers well above the usual prices. Instead of a market price of around $12, To'ak pays producers around $24 per kilo. And above all, to create incentives for the producers. Because in Ecuador - more precisely in Piedra de Plata, the Burgundy of cocoa - the excellent but also very sensitive variety Nacional has been growing for ages. And that is exactly what needs to be preserved. Your biggest opponent? CCN51!Class instead of mass
What sounds like a Star Wars character is actually an Ecuadorian hybrid cocoa. Developed by Ecuadorian farmer Homero Castro, CCN51 is in stark contrast to Arriba Nacional as it is high yielding, disease resistant, low aromatic and cheap. A real mass product, easy to grow and with many buyers. And that is exactly what makes CCN51 so attractive to Ecuadorian cocoa farmers . As a consequence, there is less and less pure Nacional cocoa, the old variety is threatened with extinction and with it a part of the biodiversity.
The wine among the chocolates
While chocolate was once only drunk by kings and considered sacred by empresses, this type of appreciation has long been sought after in the 20th century. According to the Washington Post, chocolate is a cheap, mass-produced product that is still mostly child labor and extremely harmful to the environment . It is precisely this imbalance that To'ak wants to work on. They are committed to bringing appreciation back to the chocolate world. Because while there are many parallels between chocolate and wine, the biggest difference is still the price point. High prices for wine are not only common, but are often seen as a sign of quality. And it is with this very idea that To'ak come up with their chocolates. They want to bring quality and appreciation back to the chocolate world.
Barrel-aged chocolate
But the To'ak team is not only approaching wine in terms of price. The To'ak team ages their exquisite chocolates. But while aging has become something of a niche trend in the fine chocolate segment , To'ak is taking it one step further. They don't just age their chocolate. They store the chocolates in old whiskey and tequila oak barrels. The combination of the finest Nacional cocoa beans and light barrel aromas is not only exciting, but also uniquely delicious.
Outside hui, inside too
It is undisputed that To'ak sells the most expensive chocolate in the world at around €200. And also that their chocolate is unique. In addition to the finely processed fine flavor cocoa, the sustainable cultivation, the fair prices and the special storage techniques, the packaging must also be considered. Because for the high-priced special boards, special wooden caskets are also made. This makes the overall experience and - in our opinion - justifies the high price a bit more. Because the To'ak team doesn't just want to reserve the enjoyment for the richest 1% ;-) , their chocolates have recently also been available in cheaper packaging. And so you can now enjoy the exciting chocolate flavors with a (slightly) smaller budget. 
