You don’t see Ting down here in the South (Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana). At least not to my knowledge. Can’t recall ever seeing it in Barbados either. So, some time passed before I was actually introduced to this icon of Jamaican non-alcoholic drinks – Ting, the carbonated beverage made from “Jamaican grapefruit!”.

ting "from Caribbean grapefruit"

And that’s exactly what it is – carbonated grapefruit juice. Tangy, not too sweet and fizzy you can see how it could catch on. It tastes good, and like it should be good for you. All that citrusy sizzle.

Of course, this bottle of Ting was bought in St Kitts, so it actually says “from Caribbean grapefruit”. In addition to Jamaica, it is now bottled in the OECS (Carib Brewery in St Kitts) as well, and you can find the drink in more Caribbean countries (still not down here). Notwithstanding the new “Caribbean” tag, I gather Jamaicans will still call it a Jamaican drink – my Jamaican colleagues in St Kitts were taken aback not to see the “Jamaican grapefruit” on the label. At least it’s made from Caribbean grapefruit!

Now I feel like I should go track down some other iconic soft drinks…like Solo Apple J “the champagne of soft drinks!”. Although I doubt very much that was made from Trini apples…

What do you think of as “national” non-alcoholic bottled drinks in your part of the Caribbean?

Home chocolate, or cocoa tea, isn’t the most beautiful looking of drinks, so maybe it wasn’t the wisest choice for a photo event. Particularly with my lack of experience on staging food, and perfectly lit places in my apartment. The natural oils in the cocoa can seep upwards, and the top of the drink gets a dark sometimes gritty sheen. If you boil it with the milk, you also can get a little cracking in that darkness. Not the creamy richness, or milky goodness of other hot chocolate drinks, topped with marshmallows or whipped cream (both of which, for the record, I don’t really like), but it’s good. And it’s home for me. I don’t know why certain chain cafes in Trinidad sell “Mexican Spiced” hot chocolate, when we have our very own spicy chocolate mixture. Sigh. Regard this as my bid to start commercial availability chocolate-tea, Trini-style, at all those trendy habitual hot-drink establishments.

Trinidad cocoa has a history behind it. We developed a pest resistant strain of fine cocoa, that survived ravages to the cocoa industry decades ago. The Wikipedia entry for cacao: “Trinitario, a hybrid of Criollo and Forastero, is used in about 10% of chocolate.”. But that’s not all that makes it famous; cacao trinitario is a gourmet item. We know our cocoa here…or we should. The truth is, the elite cocoa is sold almost directly from the Gran Couva estate to European chocolate purveyors. Valhrona created history, for example, in creating vintage chocolate by single domains. And Trini cocoa was used in one of the lines:

By creating Gran Couva, Valrhona was the first in the world of chocolate to produce the first vintage domain chocolate. Its taste is unique as it comes from a single domain.

In Trinidad in the Caribbean, on the domain of Gran Couva, some of the best cacao varieties are grown – the Trinitarios. We have selected the most promising cocoa beans from among the best batches of this Domain for their delightful aroma.

There is only a limited quantity of each vintage.

But what I had this morning was just good old home chocolate. I don’t know the vintage, or the precise estate and perhaps my nostalgia is the dominant element of my enjoyment. That’s not a problem. I present to you options for my entry into Click for January 2008.

I have until January 30 to submit my entry, and I don’t know which one to submit. If anyone has any ideas (other than re-shoot, since this is the 2nd attempt) I’d appreciate them! Right now, I’m leaning towards the first or last photo. I am not expecting to win any prizes (the current entries include some simply fantastic shots) but it’s hard for me to decide when I can only see the flaws.

I have now decided. After looking at them intermittently all day, I think the last shot should go to Bee and Jai for CLICK! I need to move away from my preference for closeups in food shots.