Level 3 Certificate in Chocolate Tasting, 19 Nov 2023, Mexico

Our fourth cacao country Level 3 Advanced level course in Chocolate Tasting in Latin America will take place for the first time in Tabasco, Mexico, a region rich in cacao and chocolate history and one of the major producers of cacao in Mexico. The course builds on the Level 1 Foundation and Level 2 Intermediary courses and develops a deeper understanding of chocolate tasting and profiling through advanced sensorial work, following the flavor journey from cacao farming through to chocolate making.

The Advanced course will help you develop an in-depth understanding of the influence of cacao production and chocolate making on the flavor of finished origin chocolate bars and will include field visits to cacao farms, a germplasm bank and chocolate factories. The course will also include the sensory exploration of local flavors with traditional cooks and chocolate makers who will teach students how to use the grinding stone metate to make artisanal chocolate and regional drinks like pozol. Visits to Olmec, Maya, and Zoque archaeological sites in cacao-growing areas of Tabasco will illustrate Tabasco’s complex and ancient pre-Colombian past and its link to the Mesoamerican history of cacao and chocolate that still finds a lively expression in the hands of Tabasco women today.

The course will take place starting on the last day of the Festival del Chocolate Tabasco in Villahermosa, a public chocolate and cacao show that will also include the awards ceremony for the International Chocolate Awards Mexican chocolate and cacao competitions. Level 3 students can optionally arrive early to Villahermosa and visit the festival, which takes place from the 15th to the 19th of November 2023.

The course will be taught in English and Spanish with separate language groups led by Institute founding partners Martin Christy and Dr. Maricel E. Presilla in groups and collective joint sessions.

The course includes accommodation, lunches, two festive group meals in Comalcalco and Villahermosa, and all food and transport during the field trips through the region.

Flights or transport to Villahermosa and transfer from the airport to the Villahermosa hotel are not included.

Local bookings from Mexican students should first contact us at courses@chocolatetastinginstitute.org or Maricel at grancacao@aol.com for more details and a link to use for internal bookings.

Schedule

• 18 November – arrive to Villahermosa
• 19 November – attend Festival del Chocolate Tabasco in Villahermosa and visit La Venta (Olmec) Park Museum with local archaeologist
• 20 November – classroom sessions, Villahermosa
• 21 – 23 November – visits to farmers, projects, coops, germplasm bank, artisanal chocolate makers, and archaeological sites
• 24 November – classroom session, practical learning, exams and assessment
• 25 November – depart from Villahermosa

Other activities

• 8 – 11 November – Level 1 & 2 Certificate in Chocolate Tasting Courses in Villahermosa (Spanish)
• 15 – 19 November – Festival del Chocolate Tabasco in Villahermosa