How do cacao trees grow?

with proper conditions. pick pod when it shifts into the next color progression; green to yellow, green to red (rainbow), dark red to cherry red, etc... when ripe, pick with pruners to protect flower pad. cut pods, extract best beans of peak ripeness: fluffy fruit, good flavor, not much degradation of fruit ie, translucent, or dry. Ideal fruit is fluffy at first touch, yet sweet and delicious to impact the ferment in a positive manner.

collect nectar by way of straining the beans and collecting the nectar in a seperate vessel. I choose to use two 5 gallon buckets, first one with holes to strain beans and collect nectar in secondary bucket. cover with lid. heat somehow- heating pad, light, heater, sunshine etc. get temp above 90ºF. Stir beans on your own intuition- starting with 2-1-1-1 or 2-2-2-2-2 or 2-1-2-1-2-1 etc. Experiment and have fun. Like Drake says, "Your nose knows." Keep it sweet, vinegar, bread-like, and out of the funk, the blue and black molds. Beans start as purple, violet, pink or white. You're aiming for your beans to be brown on the inside when assessing with cut test.

Dry beans a few hours a. day in sunlight or use a dehydrator (24/5 200ºF).