Cacao Varieties
The cacao variety on a wrapper tells you a lot, and is often wrong. Here is what each one really is, what it tastes like, and how to read the claim, with the best bars on Chof for every variety.
For a century, chocolate recognised three cacao types: Criollo, Forastero and Trinitario. Those names come from colonial-era Spanish, not botany. When researchers mapped the DNA of cacao, they found around ten genetically distinct groups, so the familiar three-name system is a useful shorthand rather than the real map.
That gap is why the variety on a wrapper is a hint, not a guarantee. Popular names like Criollo are over-claimed, and variety information is often lost as beans move from farm to maker. Each page below explains what one variety really is, what it tends to taste like, how to read the claim on a label, and the best bars on Chof that name it, shown as the maker lists it, not as a verified fact.
Trinitario
The hybrid where most real-world fine chocolate actually sits.
335 bars on ChofCriolloCriollo
The rarest and most over-claimed name in chocolate.
126 bars on ChofNacionalNacional / Arriba
Ecuador's floral, jasmine-scented fine-aroma cacao.
123 bars on ChofChuncho (Purus / Contamana lineages)Chuncho
The ancient heirloom cacao of Cusco, in southern Peru.
71 bars on ChofFolk umbrellaForastero
The historical catch-all for the world's everyday cacao.
48 bars on ChofAmelonadoAmelonado
The dependable backbone of the chocolate most people grew up on.
45 bars on ChofCriolloPorcelana
The most delicate cacao there is: a white-beaned Criollo.
24 bars on ChofPorcelana clade (Nacional-linked)Piura Blanco
A pale Peruvian bean that looks like Criollo but is not.
17 bars on ChofAmazonian (Bolivian wild)Beniano
The wild-harvested heirloom cacao of the Bolivian Amazon.
15 bars on ChofFrequently asked about cacao varieties
How many types of cacao are there?
The old classification names three: Criollo, Forastero and Trinitario. But those are folk categories from the colonial era, not botany. When researchers mapped cacao's DNA (Motamayor et al., 2008) they found around ten genetically distinct groups, so the three-name model is a useful shorthand rather than the full map.
Is Criollo the best cacao?
Not automatically. Criollo has a delicate, low-bitterness style many tasters prize, but variety only sets the potential. Fermentation, roast and the maker's skill decide whether a bar is good, so a well-made Trinitario can easily beat a poorly made Criollo. It is worth rating the bar, not the bean's reputation.
Does the cacao variety on the wrapper guarantee the taste?
No. Variety is a hint, not a promise. It is often lost or approximated as beans move from farm to exporter to maker, and popular names like Criollo are over-claimed. On Chof, every bar shows the variety as its maker lists it, not as an independently verified fact.
What is the difference between Criollo, Forastero and Trinitario?
Criollo is the rare, gentle heritage cacao; Forastero is the historical catch-all for most of the world's bulk cacao; Trinitario is the hybrid of the two, where most fine chocolate actually sits. Modern DNA work shows each of these labels spans several distinct genetic groups.
Sources and further reading
- Motamayor et al. (2008). Geographic and Genetic Population Differentiation of the Amazonian Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao L.). PLOS ONE.The DNA study that regrouped cacao into ten genetic clusters, retiring the old three-name folk model.
- Cornejo et al. (2018). Population genomic analyses of the chocolate tree, Theobroma cacao L., provide insights into its domestication process. Communications Biology.Dates Criollo domestication to roughly 3,600 years ago and ties pale, white beans to disrupted anthocyanin pigment.
- Motilal et al. (2026). Genetic structure of traditional cacao reveals four new genetic lineages in indigenous Amazonian sites in Peru. PLOS ONE.Splits Chuncho into two lineages (Purus and Contamana) and places the white cacao of Piura with the Nacional side, not Criollo.
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