Pangoa cacao: Indigenous cacao from the VRAE

Region

Pangoa, Junín, VRAE

Altitude

600–1,400 m

Genetics

Mainly native VRAE types and local natives, some Criollo and Trinitario

Flavour

Fruity and floral, like a spoon of jam, with herbal notes

Where it grows

Peru's central jungle is home to native cacao types that scientists label VRAE-15 and VRAE-99, growing next to old Criollo and Trinitario trees. The cups here are fruity, floral and often herbal, a little wilder than the coast.

Its story

Pangoa is farmed by the Nomatsigenga and Sonomoro Indigenous communities. The name is thought to come from an Asháninka word for home, and that feels right: it is a warm, rounded cacao. The beans ferment for six days, then dry first in small mounds in the sun and then in the shade, about a week in total.

Like the rest of the VRAE, Pangoa has received long-term support to turn farms toward cacao and coffee, and the region is now known as a source of organic fine-flavour beans.

In your cup

Pangoa is warm and jammy, a comforting cacao for evening ceremonies and for coming home to yourself.

How it is processed

Beans ferment for six days in tornillo boxes. They dry in small mounds in the sun for two to four days and then for another three to four days in the shade, about a week in total.

Peruvian cacaos on our list

• Sumaq Cacaosito · Chuncho
• Kawsay Cacaosito · Kichwa-Lamista communities
• Moruga · Chuncho Chuncho
• Pure Kakaw · Cusco Cusco
• Ritual Cacao · Peru Asháninka Asháninka

Tasted one of them? Give it your score from 1 to 5 on the ranking. Scores come only from people who drink cacao and are never for sale.

More Peruvian cacao origins

• Piura White cacao
• Chulucanas cacao
• Salitral cacao
• Awajún cacao
• Macambo
• VRAE cacao
• Satipo cacao
• Tsiriari cacao
• Chuncho cacao
• Why Peru is the birthplace of cacao
• How Peruvian cacao is fermented and dried
• Which Peruvian cacao for your ceremony?

Learn about cacao