Okay, that is a lie. I am not a Trini, but I would be proud to be one. Trinbagonians are damn cool considering their climate. It is hot. Hot and colorful and home to Carnival.

Our ten day spring trip to Trinidad & Tobago (T&T), which is in the West Indies, five miles from the coast of Venezuala, was an education in the world's finest flavor cacao. After spending four days on the beach watching massive leatherback turtles hoist themselves up the shore to lay their eggs, we headed into cacao country. With one excellent connection, we were catapulted into a whirlwind introduction to cacao on T&T.

On the island of Trinidad, we were lucky enough to meet a group of fifty farmers at a meeting of the Cocoa and Coffee Industry Board. One thing is for sure, Trinbagonian cacao farmers are few but proud of their fine flavor cacao. In the 1970s the agriculture industry was practically replaced by the oil industry after a devastating hurricane and discovery of large oil gas resources. Fortunately, there is currently an active movement to revitalize the agricultural sector on the islands. T&T cacao beans are the most sought after in their world, for their unique varietals and fine flavor. After a quick visit to a beautiful cacao estate on Trinidad, we took the high speed ferry to Tobago with our new friend, businessman, cacao farmer and soon to be sole maker of chocolate on the island of Tobago, Clement Bobb. Clement generously guided us around the island to nearly every cacao estate and amazing vista. The excellent food, great people and ridiculous beauty was overwhelming. I still have a craving for Carib and Roti. I am talking about the island as whole, not just the cacao. The cacao is just another fruit of a rich land.

While we are not able to purchase cacao beans from T&T at this time, we feel like we made some great friends down there and are hopeful that their cacao industry will move towards producing some organic cacao and boom back to production levels the days of old. Either way, there is not doubt that we will return to T&T again, to visit Clement and Leon, see baby leather back turtles hatch from their eggs, and have a cold Carib on the beach!