Chuncho Chocolate
The ancient heirloom cacao of Cusco, in southern Peru. 69 Chuncho bars on Chof, from 24 makers, at an average of 72% cocoa.
Chof's Chuncho bars come mostly from Peru and Nicaragua, and every bar lists Chuncho the way its maker states it, not as a verified fact. Tasting notes that come up most often: citrus, floral, nuts, fruity, honey and creamy.
What is Chuncho chocolate?
Chuncho is the heirloom cacao of La Convencion in Cusco, southern Peru: small-beaned, ancient, and genetically its own thing. Its flavour leans bright and aromatic, with fresh fruit, citrus and a distinct floral streak, low bitterness and high perfume. A genuine single-valley terroir story.
Chuncho is the heirloom cacao of La Convencion in Cusco, tied to the Matsigenka people who have grown it for generations. For years it was filed under other groups; DNA has since shown it is genetically distinct, so distinct that recent work (Motilal et al., 2026) splits it into two lineages, one sitting closer to the Purus group and the other to Contamana. It is one of the oldest continuously cultivated cacaos in the Amazon.
In Chof, Chuncho is emphatically Peruvian: almost all of its bars come from Peru. Its flavour leans bright and aromatic, with fresh fruit and citrus, then berry, and a floral streak that sets it apart from other Peruvian cacao. Because Chuncho is so tied to one valley, the name carries real provenance: a Chuncho bar is usually a single-origin Cusco story.
How to read a Chuncho claim
Every Chuncho bar on Chof shows the variety as its maker lists it, not as an independently verified fact. Of the 69 that name Chuncho, 2 list it as part of a blend rather than on its own; open any bar to see the full bean line its maker gave.
- Chuncho is closely tied to Cusco and the La Convencion valley, so a genuine bar almost always names that Peruvian origin.
- Expect low bitterness and a bright, perfumed, fruity profile rather than a heavy chocolatey one.
Best Chuncho bars
Ranked by the Chof Score
- Rank 1:
Lucid ChocolatierLucid Labs CAFÉ 62% Coffee Infusion
62%darkPeru - Rank 2:
ZOTOGanzo Qori Warmi
75%darkPeru - Rank 3:
Friis HolmChuno 70% Triple Turned Single Bean
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 4:
Friis HolmChuno 70% Double Turned
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 5:
PlaqChuncho
84%darkPeru - Rank 6:
Racine CarréePurupuru 85%
85%darkPeru - Rank 7:
ConvecaChocolate con Leche
50%milkPeru - Rank 8:
Vigdis Rosenkilde70% Quellouno
70%darkPeru - Rank 9:
ChokaicoChuncho 70%
70%darkPeru - Rank 10:
FoundryPichari Alta, Cusco 70%
70%darkPeru - Rank 11:
PumatiyCacao Chuncho 70%
70%darkPeru - Rank 12:
Lucid ChocolatierMuscat 78%
78%darkPeru - Rank 13:
Beaningful70% Urubamba Peru
70%darkPeru - Rank 14:
QantuChuncho
100%darkPeru - Rank 15:
KontitiJengibre 65%
65%darkPeru - Rank 16:
Gansett Craft ChocolateLil' Rhody Sea Salt
70%darkPeru - Rank 17:
Vigdis Rosenkilde70% Koribeni
70%darkPeru - Rank 18:
KarunaChuncho 100%
100%darkPeru - Rank 19:
Vigdis Rosenkilde70% Santa Ana
70%darkPeru - Rank 20:
Conveca70% Cacao Chuncho
70%darkPeru - Rank 21:
Coco Caravan75% Chuncho
75%darkPeru - Rank 22:
BeaningfulPeru Urubamba 80%
80%darkPeru - Rank 23:
Maychoco70% de Cacao de Cuzco
70%darkPeru - Rank 24:
PumatiyCacao Chuncho 85% Dark Chocolate
85%darkPeru - Rank 25:
Pumatiy70% Chocolate con Naranja
70%darkPeru - Rank 26:
ChokaicoCusco-Peru 70%
70%darkPeru - Rank 27:
Gansett Craft ChocolateMocha
50%milkPeru - Rank 28:
Beaningful70% Dark Chocolate Peru Qori Inti
70%darkPeru - Rank 29:
Pumatiy70% Chocolate con Ají
70%darkPeru - Rank 30:
Conveca97% Cacao Chuncho
97%darkPeru - Rank 31:
CacaosuyoCuzco 80
80%darkPeru - Rank 32:
SOLKIKIChuncho 70%
70%darkPeru - Rank 33:
MIKE&BECKYCusco 75%
75%darkPeru - Rank 34:
ConvecaArandanos 70%
70%darkPeru - Rank 35:
Vigdis Rosenkilde70% Kiteni
70%darkPeru - Rank 36:
ConvecaChocolate con Mango 70%
70%darkPeru
Where Chuncho grows
Makers working with Chuncho
Common cocoa percentages
Frequently asked about Chuncho chocolate
What is Chuncho cacao?
Chuncho is an ancient heirloom cacao from the La Convencion valley in Cusco, southern Peru, grown by the Matsigenka people for generations. DNA shows it is genetically distinct, and it is prized for a bright, floral, fruity, low-bitterness profile that makes it a genuine single-valley terroir cacao.
How many Chuncho chocolate bars are on Chof?
Chof lists 69 Chuncho chocolate bars, from 24 makers, at an average of 72% cocoa.
Which makers work with Chuncho cacao on Chof?
The most-represented makers using Chuncho on Chof are Conveca, Pumatiy, Kontiti, Vigdis Rosenkilde, Gansett Craft Chocolate. Each bar links to the maker that made it.
Sources and further reading
- 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.
- 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.
Related varieties
Learn more
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