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Into The Harvest 2019

Into the Harvest 2019: Reserve Now

Into The Harvest 2019: Focus

The main focus of this week-long Mexican chocolate trip is to dive, as deeply and respectably as possible into the heart of cacao and chocolate. Cacao as a plant, a food, a medicine, and a god(dess). Mexican chocolate as a health food, as an ecological cornerstone, as political protest, as honouring ancestral traditions, and as a communal centre. We will explore the historical, cultural, and spiritual role of cacao, chocolate drinks and chocolate bars, chocolate pottery, cacao and other plants in the forest gardens, cacao as kin, and cacao and chocolate as a symbol of regeneration and resistance.

While we focus mainly on cacao and chocolate, they are not alone. We will also dive into plants and animals that allow cacao to thrive: pataxte (white cacao), coffee, vanilla, maize (corn), honey, and much more. We will learn about and taste this supporting cast with deep reverence for their role in the Mesoamerican diet and food forests.

Our various classes, meals, day trips and farm visits will ask you to not only proceed as a hospitable guest in a foreign land, but to understand that we might try, together, to learn differently, to not mine other culture’s traditions, but to honour them. You will be well cared for, but please understand travel is not meant to be easy, and so we ask for your well-earned understanding that this will be a week to learn, to be challenged, in the midst of the hospitality that Oaxaca has to offer.

Itinerary

Day 1: Airport Pickup & Orientation

  • Welcome Dinner / Regenerative Travel Talk

Day 2: The Roots of the Food of the Gods

  • Breakfast at Accomodation
  • Extended Food of the Gods Chocolate & Maize Session (includes lunch)
  • Rest: Overnight in San Jose Del Pacifico

Day 3: Cacao Food Forest Visit (Cacao “Rojo”)

  • Breakfast at Accomodation
  • Cacao Food Forest Field Trip & Chocolate Tastings
  • Lunch in Mazunte
  • Rest: Afternoon & Overnight on a Pacific Ocean Beach

Day 4: White Cacao & Sister Species Food Forest Visit (Cacao “Blanco”)

  • Breakfast at Accomodation
  • Cacao Blanco, Coffee, Vanilla, Honey & Beehive Farm Visits
  • Lunch in San Jose Del Pacifico
  • Return and Rest: Overnight in Oaxaca City

Day 5: Regenerative Chocolate at the Grassroots

  • Breakfast at Accomodation
  • Morning Free to Rest / Wander
  • Regenerative Mexican Chocolate Talk & Tasting w/ local Chocolate Makers
  • Lunch and Guided Tasting at Local Restaurant
  • Educational Mezcal Tasting (Optional)

Day 6: Deep in Clay Chocolate & Pottery Session

  • Breakfast at Accomodation
  • Ceremonial Chocolate Pottery Workshop & Burn
  • Traditional Oaxacan Lunch
  • Metate-Made Mexican Chocolate Demonstration + Tasting
  • Final Dinner & Fiesta

Day 7: Farewells & Drop off at Airport / Bus Station

Dates & Location

Dates: November 17-23, 2019

  Spring 2020 (Exact Dates TBD)

Location: Oaxaca City, the Oaxacan Pacific Coast, Oaxaca’s Sierra Sur

  • Choose your own dates! Already have a group of travellers you’d like to venture with? You can contact us to select your own dates.
  • Email us to inquire about and suggest future dates.

Pricing, Payment, and Reservations

Cost: $1,200USD includes 15% Early Bird Discount until August 2019. $1,400USD thereafter. Flights not included.

Deposit: Payment can be paid in full or in three separate instalments. Securing your reservation includes a $500USD non-refundable deposit. The remainder must be paid in full two weeks before the first day of the trip.

Payment can be made via Paypal (+3% Paypal fee), or for Canadians through Interac e-transfers.

What's Included

In-Country Transportation: Oaxaca Profundo Sessions covers all in-session transportation pertaining to the trip, as soon as you arrive at Oaxaca’s international airport (or bus terminal) until you depart. We’ll be taking a mix of shuttles and taxis.

Meals: All of your breakfasts and lunches, as well as your first and last night’s dinner/orientation are included in the price. These meals will also include Mexican and Oaxaca chocolate. Some of the daily activities will include food and drink as well. Your taste buds will thank you for indulging in Mexican cuisine. We are able to accommodate most speciality diets, we just need to know your dietary preferences at least a month in advance. Your dinners can be organized and purchased amongst yourselves, with an excellent selection of Oaxacan restaurants at your door!

Regenerative Tourism: We offer a fair wage to all of our cacao farmers and chocolate vendors, our drivers and staff, and ensure our trip partners are engaging in equally just practices.

Double Occupancy Accommodation (6 Nights): Our group will be staying at a highly-rated boutique bed and breakfast. Because the bed and breakfast is a small boutique establishment, rooms will be double occupancy. If you’re travelling with a friend you’d like to share a room with, please let us know. Single occupancy accommodation is available at an extra $200 USD

Clothing: We’ll be venturing to the Oaxacan coast for an afternoon of relaxation and swimming in the Pacific Ocean. Please bring any beach wear you might need to use. We will be spending a night in the high Sierras of Oaxaca. Bring one heavy sweater. We will also be spending some time in the jungle. Dress appropriately.

Support: We will have a local and foreign guides accompanying the group throughout our trip, offering participants their combined knowledge of the country, while making sure everything runs smoothly. In addition, Oaxaca Profundo Sessions staff are available to answer questions and assist with trip preparations.

Additional Expenses

Alcoholic Drinks: Oaxaca Profundo Sessions does not cover the cost of alcoholic beverages (*except where noted in itinerary)

Airfare: We’ve found that flights from the U.S. to Oaxaca range from approximately $500 – $1,000 depending on the airline and how far in advance you book. *Tip: If you are a more adventurous traveller and looking for a better deal, it is often more affordable to fly to Mexico City and take a bus or a separate flight to Oaxaca. We are available to help you arrange transportation to Oaxaca or put you in touch with a travel agent.

Flights from Canada often range between $500-1000 CAD, either to Mexico City or Oaxaca.

Personal Travel Insurance: We require all participants to have personal travel insurance. This will cover things like illness, trip and/or flight cancellations, theft, etc. We can help you arrange insurance with a provider. We will also require you to sign a liability waiver.

Gifts: While you will likely eat more than you can handle on this chocolate trip, there will be time throughout our days to purchase gifts. This includes Mexican chocolate, pottery, mezcal, and other souvenirs to take home for yourself or friends and family.

Getting There & Away

The Oaxaca Profundo Sessions: Chocolate Harvest Trip starts and ends at the Xoxocotlan International Airport in Oaxaca, Mexico. You get there and we’ll handle the rest. If you need help booking a flight, please contact us.

We ask that all travellers arrive before 5pm on the first day of our trip (Sunday, October 21) to ensure making our group dinner and orientation. It is sometimes wise to arrive the day before to provide time for delayed flights. If you choose to arrive a day early, we can help you arrange accommodation for the first night.

Other Information

Fitness Level Required: Intermediate. We require you to have a fitness level adequate enough to be walking up mountain hillsides, swimming well in the ocean, and walking sturdily across the cobbled streets of Oaxaca’s villages.

Packing: As part of the pottery tour, you will be going home with a medium-sized, traditional Mexican chocolate jarra or pitcher, so please ensure that you have enough space in your carry-on luggage to accommodate this. The pottery will surely be damaged if packed in a checked-luggage bag.

Vaccinations: Routine vaccinations, Hepatitis A and Typhoid are suggested by the US Center for Disease Control. If you are travelling from a country with Yellow Fever, it is mandatory that you have a Yellow Fever vaccination.

VISA: A VISA is not required for citizens of the United States if travelling to Mexico for under 180 days. If you are a citizen of another country you can check VISA requirements here.

Passport Validity: In order to enter Mexico, your passport must be valid for at least 90 days following your departure date. You must also have at least one blank page in your passport.

Questions? Let Us Know!

Latest from Instagram

Hola friends! We are celebrating our 4 year annive Hola friends!
We are celebrating our 4 year anniversary by reposting the video trailer for our Chocolate & Maize session.

Produced by: @trifasicfilms 
Music by: @auditorycanvas
Tonight! Come find us at @itanonioficial with @exp Tonight! Come find us at @itanonioficial with @expresionesdelmezcal for a 4/5-course guided tasting into the flavours and worlds of #cacao / #chocolate , #maize - #corn , and #maguey - #mezcal. 6pm in Colonia Reforma! See you soon!
Join us in Santa Maria Atzompa on February 29th to Join us in Santa Maria Atzompa on February 29th to discover the story, spirituality, and skills of Oaxacan pottery traditions with master potters, storytellers, and cooks. Details and tickets via link in profile. --------------------------------------- Únase a nosotros en Santa Maria Atzompa el 29 de febrero para descubrir la historia, la espiritualidad y las habilidades de las tradiciones de la cerámica oaxaqueña con maestros alfareros, narradores y cocineros. Detalles y boletos por el enlace en el perfil.

#clay #barro #pottery #ceramics #ceramica #oaxaca #atzompa #earthfirefood #comidatierrafuego #oaxsessions #oaxacaprofundo #regenerativetravel #deeplearning #slowtravel
Join the founders of @itanonioficial, @expresiones Join the founders of @itanonioficial, @expresionesdelmezcal, and @oaxsessions on February 20 (in Spanish) and February 27 (in English) for a guided tasting celebrating the worlds of Oaxaca's queens: chocolate, maize, and mezcal.

Reservations available at Itanoni Oaxaca (Av Belisario Domínguez 513, Colonia Reforma)

Link in profile //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Únase a los fundadores de Itanoni Flor del Maiz, Expresiones del Mezcal y Oaxaca Profundo Sessions el 20 de febrero (en español) y el 27 de febrero (en inglés) para una degustación guiada que celebra los mundos de las reinas de Oaxaca: chocolate, maíz y mezcal.

Reservas disponibles en Itanoni Oaxaca (Av. Belisario Domínguez 513, Colonia Reforma)

Enlace en perfil
Instagram post 17854549153750942 Instagram post 17854549153750942
EN Above / ESP Abajo We are excited to release th EN Above / ESP Abajo

We are excited to release the video trailer for our Food of the Gods: Spirits of Agave Session! Take a look below!

The Spirits of Agave: Fermented Drinks Session

In our Oaxacan market classroom, guests are invited to taste the pre-Hispanic flavours of the agave (or maguey) plant. We journey into the world of myth and into the past through this tasting that includes three unique, fermented ceremonial agave drinks. Join us and discover how these ancient drinks have changed over time, have informed the indigenous character of Mexican people, and how these delicious drinks are informed by and inform understandings of time, the moon, ceremony, blood, milk, gods, sacrifice, and elderhood.

Thursdays from 4-6pm in Oaxaca's Centro Historico

Full Details & Reservations at: www.oaxsessions.com/spirits-of-agave

Thank you to @velasco35mm for his talent and production in making the trailer. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡Compas! ¡Estamos emocionados de lanzar nuestro primer video trailer de The Spirits of Agave Session!

Los espíritus del agave: sesión de bebidas fermentadas

En nuestro sala del mercado, los huespedes están invitados a probar los sabores prehispánicos de la planta de agave (o maguey). Viajamos al mundo de los mitos y al pasado a través de esta degustación que incluye tres bebidas tradicionales de agave fermentadas únicas. Únase a nosotros y descubra cómo estas bebidas antiguas han cambiado con el tiempo, han informado el carácter indígena de los mexicanos, y cómo estas deliciosas bebidas están informadas e informan la comprensión del tiempo, la luna, la ceremonia, la sangre, la leche, los dioses, el sacrificio y ancianidad.

Jueves de 4 a 6 pm en el Centro Historico de Oaxaca

Detalles completos y reservas en: www.oaxsessions.com/spirits-of-agave

Gracias a @velasco35mm por su talento y producción para hacer el trailer.
There are hundreds of varieties of chocolate bever There are hundreds of varieties of chocolate beverages in Oaxaca. First of all, chocolate started as a beverage and now it has diversified widely, in each case using the ingredients that are known in specific regions. Like this variation of the chocolateatole that incorporates achiote, a red coloring seed, into the drink.
#chocolate #chocolateatole #cacao #corn #atole #foam #foodofthegods #teobroma #agriculture #food #oaxaca
El pulque es una bebida fermentada de la sabia del El pulque es una bebida fermentada de la sabia del maguey. Se podría decir que es una cerveza no carbonatada (sin gas) proveniente del maguey. Su proceso de producción es radicalmente diferente al del mezcal. Sólo algunas plantas de agave son buenas para su elaboración.
// Eng.
Pulque is a fermented beverage from the sap of the agave plant. You could say that pulque is a non carbonated beer derived from the agave. Its process of production is radically different form that of the mezcal. Only certain agaves are good for its production.
#pulque #agave #maguey #culture #fermentedbeverage #alcohol #oaxaca
Walk with us to learn the botany, transformation p Walk with us to learn the botany, transformation process and history of one of the most famous foods and beverages around the world. //
Camina con nosotros para conocer la botánica, proceso de transformación e historia acerca de una de las bebidas y comidas más famosas del mundo.

#cacao #chocolate #food #Oaxaca
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Reviews

  •   It was a pleasure to be guided by Chris around Oaxaca, learning about the significance of cocoa and maize to Oaxacans and how it is consumed and grown. I have... read more certainly developed a new found appreciation for the two and will take what I've learned with me moving forward. I highly recommend this experience during your trip to Oaxaca :)

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    jenspassport
    11/14/2019

      Our day trip to Benito Juarez to meet Jose, May and their family was wonderful. We learnt about the importance of their maize and cocoa ceremonial drink and how it... read more is made. They were welcoming and kind. Chris was a great host also, spiritual and knowledgable. I would recommend this trip to all.

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    rosieclayden
    11/13/2019
  •   I’ve gone on many walking and tasting tours but no one has taken me for such a deep dive into the anthropology of the subject matter like Chris. ... read more If you only want to taste a lot of chocolate this is not the tour for you. Big you want insight into the legend and lore of maiz and cacao you will find this a fascinating experience

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    Relax00902104700
    11/12/2019

      Highly recommend the Food of the Gods Tour! Chris has curated a journey through the story of chocolate and maíz. We very much enjoyed listening to the local perspective and... read more international expertise he has acquired on these foods. All while enjoying many delicious dishes, samples, lunch, and strolling through beautiful tour.

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    tegglita
    11/12/2019
  •   Loved it. I learned a lot about chocolate and maiz and how sacred they are to the people of Oaxaca. Thank you Chris for a great session!

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    Trindiful
    11/12/2019

      An excellent guide to the use of chocolate and its cultural significance from someone who obviously has a deep felt commitment to the history, culture and people of Oaxaca. ... read more It's worth the engaging walk through Oaxaca Centro alone.

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    travelerBilltraveler
    7/09/2019
  •   The Food of the Gods Chocolate & Maize tour is such a great way to venture through Oaxaca and dip your toes in the local markets. Chris has gathered so... read more much knowledge both around the history and culture of chocolate and maize in this region but also local knowledge of Oaxaca. Highly recommended!

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    Bryce H
    6/29/2019

      Highly recommend this tour visiting some hidden gems within the streets and markets of Oaxaca to taste and learn about the deep cultural connection to cacao in this region. Chris... read more makes this tour educational and a lot of fun!

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    KarenLAmom
    6/19/2019
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