No discussion of good chocolate is complete without considering the origin of the fruit and its varieties. A good chocolatier, like any good wine or coffee producer, pays attention to the raw beans used to produce the chocolate.
Over 80% of the world's chocolate comes from low-quality loose beans of the forastero variety . Artisan chocolatiers use mostly fine, and sometimes rare, bean varieties to make some of the amazing chocolates we feature in our online shop .
Cacao trees and the origins of Theobroma Cacao
Scientists at the International Center for Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD) believe that the world's original Theobroma may be millions of years old, and that the particular species we now consider the cacao tree may be about 10,000 to 15,000 years old. The cacao tree first appeared in the Amazon basin and was likely domesticated by the Olmec civilization, before the Mayans .
For the next 5,000 years, Mesoamerican civilizations, including the Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs , cultivated and domesticated the cacao tree on a large scale. Fermented and dried cacao beans were considered the "food of the gods" and were also used as a form of currency.
Loose and super fine bean varieties
There are three main varieties of cocoa: forastero, criollo, trinitario
Both the criollo and forastero varieties originate from the Amazon basin. While the criollo is delicate and difficult to cultivate, the easier and hardier forastero variety made its way to the Spanish, Dutch, and Portuguese colonies in West Africa, South Africa, and Southeast Asia. The 1700s saw the emergence of a new variety of cacao bean in the Caribbean islands. Disease and disasters wiped out nearly all the criollo cacao, until island farmers planted forastero to strengthen what remained. This hybrid strain is now known as trinitario.
Forastero Cacao
The Forastero variety still dominates global chocolate production . The high-yielding Forastero plants made it an easy choice for growers, and even as late as the mid-20th century, growers substituted the low-quality Forastero for the Criollo variety for this reason. (Think of Forastero as your regular grocery store tomato, and Criollo as that family-owned tomato that creates explosions of flavor in your mouth.)
Forastero is primarily grown in West Africa and is known as loose cocoa . This cocoa is generally earthy and straightforward.
Cacao Trinitario
Trinitario beans , while not as rare as criollo, still account for less than 10% of total cacao production . This hybrid strain spread from the Caribbean islands to South America during the 19th and 20th centuries. Because Trinitario is the least pure, it has the widest range of flavors and profiles of any other variety.
The proportions of criollo to forastero and terroir greatly influence the complex flavors found in this bean.
Criollo Cacao
Due to its fragility, susceptibility to disease, and low production, criollo today represents less than 1 to 5 percent (experts vary on this figure) of the world's total crop production. Partly because of their rarity, and certainly because of their unique and complex flavor, criollo beans are considered superfine cocoas , and many heirloom varieties are sought after by artisan chocolatiers .
Within the criollo variety, we find porcelana, chuao, and ocumare beans , which refer to a particular terroir of the criollo bean. Criollo cacao is often a fruit, very aromatic, and with very little bitterness.
In recent years, many countries have begun investing in the cocoa industry , either in local farmers (as in the Philippines) or in those of a neighboring country (as in New Zealand's involvement in Timor-Leste).
With the explosion of the artisanal chocolate movement, some farmers are now growing cocoa for a high-end market. In some cocoa-growing countries, a single producer buys cocoa from local farmers or grows it on a single farm.
Here is a brief summary of the 3 main varieties of cocoa:
FORASTERO
- About 85% of world production
- Considered as ordinary cocoa , called "loose cocoa" or "consumer cocoa"
- Native to the Amazon but mainly cultivated in West Africa and Brazil
Exception: In Ecuador, Forastero is grown under the Nacional appellation and is considered a fine or aromatic cocoa.
This is the hardest part
CRIOLLO
- Less than 5% of world production
- Considered a fine or aromatic cocoa*.
- Native to Venezuela, cultivated in Latin America (Caribbean, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru).
The finest and most aromatic, sweet and slightly bitter
TRINITARIO
- About 10% of world production
- Considered a fine tasting cocoa
- A hybrid of the latter two varieties, developed in the 18th century on the island of Trinidad to compensate for the extensive hurricane damage to the more fragile Criollo trees. Cultivated in Trinidad, Venezuela, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, East Timor, Java, and Madagascar.
Exception: In Cameroon, Trinitario cocoa is considered ordinary "loose" or "consumer" cocoa.
Fine flavors, but less intense than those of the Criollo variety
Have you ever tried the cocoa in Thai chocolate?
