Dan Pearson stumbled upon an unusual tree while working in Peru supplying miners with food. Pearson didn’t know it at the time, but what he found was the legendary white cacao bean called Pure Nacional. The bean lacks the typical bitterness found in most strains of the bean, and has an intense floral flavor.
The USDA confirmed this cacao bean was previously thought to be extinct after a disease wiped out the species in 1916, but confirmed its authenticity.
White beans fewer bitter anthocyanins, produce a more mellow-tasting, less acidic chocolate. The beans are made into what they call Fortunato No. 4, a 68-percent bittersweet couverture, a high-cocoa butter chocolate that’s easy to use.