Where Chocolate Comes From

Cacao Around the Globe 

Chocolate is a product of the cacao bean (also known as a cocoa bean) which grows in pod-like fruits on tropical cacao trees.

Ground up and roasted, cacao beans are the all-natural raw material for the chocolate we love. Most of the chocolate we eat has its roots in Africa, which generates about 70% of the world’s cacao beans.

Top Cacao Countries:

• The West African country of Côte d'Ivoire alone produces some 1.4 million tons of beans a year.
• Ghana is the world’s second largest producer with over 600,000 tons per year.
• Other top cacao-growing countries include Indonesia, Brazil, Ecuador, Togo, Mexico and Papua New Guinea.
• Cacao beans are grown also in other Latin American countries and the Caribbean, but their share of the market is smaller.

Chocolate’s flavor depends mainly on the kinds of cacao beans used to make it. Cacao beans vary widely from country to country and sometimes even from farm to farm.

Learn more about the different kinds of beans grown around the world and factors affecting their taste:

• Bulk Beans vs. Flavor Beans- The Workhorses and The Thoroughbreds
• Kinds of Trees: Forastero, Criollo and Trinitario
• Mixing Beans: A Blend For The Perfect Taste
• Ecuador: Flavor Capitol
• Factors Affecting Taste: The Origins of Flavor
• Flavors Across the Globe: Tasting Notes by Country

Bulk Beans vs. Flavor Beans: The Workhorses and The Thoroughbreds

When it comes to flavor, Africa is known for producing large quantities of good cacao beans, but Latin America and the Caribbean are known for producing beans with distinctive tasting notes.

Think of it this way: Africa is the cacao workhorse, producing a steady supply of dependable beans with classic cocoa flavor. The Caribbean and Latin America are the thoroughbreds, generating beans known for their unique taste and quality.

The official terminology used to describe the different grades of beans are “bulk beans” and “flavor beans.” The distinction begins with the kind of cacao plant the bean comes from.

Kinds of Trees: Forastero, Criollo and Trinitario

There are three main kinds of cacao trees grown throughout the world, each with their own flavor profiles and growth characteristics. There also are hundreds and hundreds of different hybrids.

• Forastero: Forastero, the main bulk bean, accounts for about 90 percent of all beans. It has a clean chocolate flavor with low acidity and is prized for its disease resistance and consistent performance.  While Forastero beans do not have fruity or aromatic flavors found in other beans, the bean’s dependability makes it a favorite for large chocolate producers.
• Criollo: Treasured for its complex, fruity flavor, Criollo is a flavor bean grown mainly in Latin America. Its susceptibility to disease and low productivity, however, means many cacao farmers have traded its rich flavor for hardier plants.
• Trinitario: A fusion of the two strains, Trinitario is believed to combine the best of both- good flavor and hardiness. Also considered a flavor bean, it gets its name from the island of Trinidad where it was first grown. Its flavor notes range from spicy to earthy to fruity to highly acidic.

Mixing Beans: A Blend For The Perfect Taste

As a general rule, Forastero beans are used as bulk beans and Trinitario and Criollo are used as flavor beans.

Many chocolate bars combine both kinds of beans: bulk beans for consistent chocolate flavor and flavor beans for unique tasting notes. But the overwhelming majority of cacao beans produced today are of the bulk variety.

A hundred years ago, flavor beans accounted for nearly half of all cacao beans. Now they account for less than 5%, in large part because the mass production of chocolate in the last century relied on a steady supply of inexpensive beans.

Look for the number of flavor beans to increase as chocolate makers begin to produce more upscale products, often recognized by the labeling of the amount of cacao present in each bar and consumers learn more about the subtleties and intricacies of chocolate’s flavor.

Ecuador: Flavor Capitol

The biggest producer of flavor beans is Ecuador which supplies more than half the world's supply, approximately 70 thousand tons a year. Fellow Latin American countries, the Caribbean region, Asia and Oceania make up the rest.

Other countries growing flavor beans include Colombia, Indonesia, Venezuela, Papua New Guinea, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica and Grenada.

Factors Affecting Taste: The Origins of Flavor

Like wine, chocolate reflects the distinct flavors of its region. The kind of cacao beans grown, climate conditions, and how the beans are dried and fermented vary from country to country. All these factors play an important role in defining a bean’s flavor characteristics.

What’s the end result? A range of flavors to explore. Consider: Beans from Trinidad have a cinnamon spiciness while those from Ecuador have a floral quality. Beans from Jamaica even hint of pineapple. Eating chocolate can be a never-ending flavor adventure.

Flavors Across the Globe: Tasting Notes by Country

Following is a list of unique flavor notes by country. The list was principally developed by the respected artisanal chocolate company, Scharffen Berger:

Africa:

• Madagascar:  Bright acidity. Light citrus flavors reminiscent of tangerines.
• Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire: Deep, classic cocoa flavors.  Lends balance to more complex beans.
• São Tomé: Bold, upfront chocolate notes with underlying roasted coffee tones.

Mexico and Central America:

• Mexico: Bright acidity
• Costa Rica: Fruity with a balanced cocoa flavor.
• Panama: Classic cocoa flavor highlighted by subtle fruit and roasted nut flavors.

South America:

• Colombia:  Deep cocoa flavor with moderate fruitiness. Slightly bitter.
• Ecuador:  Known best for the Arriba bean. Well-balanced floral (jasmine) and fruit notes. Also has herbal tones.
• Brazil:  Bright acidity.  Well-balanced cocoa flavors, often with subtle fruity notes.
• Venezuela: Complex fruit flavors.  Evokes flavors of ripe red plums and dark cherries. Very well-balanced.

The Caribbean:

• Dominican Republic (also identified on bars as Santo Domingo):  Deep earthy flavor. Fragrant tobacco notes. Some beans have delicate red wine and spice notes.
• Trinidad and Tobago: Complex fruitiness with appealing spiciness such as cinnamon.  Very well-balanced.
• Jamaica:  Bright and fruity, with appealing aromas. Complex and well-balanced.  Often recalls subtle flavors of pineapples.

Asia:

• Indonesia (also identified on bars as Java):  Well-balanced. Appealing acidity balanced with clean cocoa flavors.