Central Trinidad is mostly agricultural, dotted with small villages and townships, winding lanes and the trappings of a rural life: small churches, village schools, and fiercely contested cricket matches.
Chocolate was once a very important crop here and in parts of the Northern Range. Originally only the finest Criollo beans from Venezuela were grown, but a hardier strain was needed so the Trinitario bean was created, these days ranked only just below the Criollo by aficionados.
A revival in gourmet chocolate is bringing old estates to life, and some can be visited by special arrangement.
Meanwhile look for a bar of Valrhona's 'Gran Couva' in your local delicatessen-sourced from the San Juan estate.
Rum distilleries include the top-ranking 10 Cane, owned by Luis Vuitton Moët Hennessey and distilled locally to cognac standards from cane produced by small farmers, and the more affordable mass-market Angostura, which has a visitor centre in Port of Spain.