Gourmet Chocolate- It’s the Beans

One of the primary differences between gourmet chocolate and common grocery store chocolate is the quality of cacao beans used.  Cacao, more typically and incorrectly referred to as cocoa, is the raw fruit that ultimately makes chocolate.  Just as the flavor of a fine wine is strongly influenced by the type and quality of the grape, so too is the flavor of a gourmet chocolate bar.

There are 3 main types of cacao: Criollo, Trinitario, and Forestero.  The first two are referred to in the industry as “flavored” cacao because the beans are very aromatic and have subtle flavor notes such as tropical fruit, citrus, grass, wood, coffee, honey, and even green olives.  Unfortunately, the vast majority of chocolates use low grade Forestero beans that are considered “unflavored” because of their relatively bland taste and complete lack of complexity.

It gets a bit confusing as some experts debate whether there is a 4th type of cacao bean, the Arriba Nacional.  Others, just consider this bean the only Forestero worthy of praise.  At Bella Cabosse, we’re more focused on the taste and this is favorite because it tends to produce a very chocolate forward taste, with limited bitterness and very light fruit flavor notes.  A word of caution, some prefer a more subdued chocolate taste, you’ll have decide for yourself. 

Criollo beans are generally considered the best.  Again, a word of caution, everyone’s palate is different, so we recommend trying a bunch of gourmet chocolates to form your own opinion.  Criollo comes under many different names, such as Chuao, Porcelana, Ocumare, etc.  These beans are very hard to find and represent less than 10% (some say less than 1%) of all cacao beans.  They are highly regarded because they can have very complex flavor notes and subtleties that are simply a joy to explore.  These beans are used very expensive chocolates as the typical crop yield is much smaller than the heartier Forestero bean

The Trinitario is actually a genetic cross between the Criollo and Forestero.  This makes them a little more resilient to disease and pests than the Criollo and therefore they have higher crop yields.  While this makes them less expensive than the rare Criollo, they still are more expensive than the Forestero.

As for the Forestero, this is the bean of choice for mass produced chocolates.  Their high crop yield makes this a very affordable bean.  Unfortunately, they just don’t have much flavor.  When used in truffles and other enrobed chocolates, the filling can mask the blandness of the chocolate, but in a bar the difference is huge.  As a general rule, chocolates at a traditional grocery store will use this low grade cacao and should be avoided.

The old saying “Garbage In, Garbage Out”, is very applicable to chocolate.  Even the most gifted gourmet chocolate makers can only do so much with poor quality cacao beans.  We encourage an exploration of the different cacao beans as a great culinary experience and learning opportunity.