Forastero Chocolate
The historical catch-all for the world's everyday cacao. 51 Forastero bars on Chof, from 30 makers, at an average of 72% cocoa.
Chof's Forastero bars come mostly from Ghana, India and Uganda, and every bar lists Forastero the way its maker states it, not as a verified fact. Tasting notes that come up most often: coconut, woody, walnut, black tea, brownies and caramel.
What is Forastero chocolate?
Forastero is less a variety than a historical catch-all: for a century it meant "everything that is not Criollo", which turned out to be most of the cacao on Earth and a whole family of different Amazonian groups. Its bars tend to be rounder and less showy, with nutty, creamy, chocolatey notes.
For a century "Forastero" meant everything that is not Criollo, which turned out to be most of the cacao on Earth and, as DNA later showed (Motamayor et al., 2008), a whole family of very different Amazonian groups. So treat this as an umbrella, not a single identity.
In Chof, bars labelled Forastero behave like the world's everyday cacao: they come from the big bulk origins and their flavour is rounder and less showy than the fine-flavour varieties, with nutty, creamy and brown-sugar notes. If a maker names a specific group instead, such as Amelonado or Nacional, trust that more.
How to read a Forastero claim
Every Forastero bar on Chof shows the variety as its maker lists it, not as an independently verified fact. Of the 51 that name Forastero, 25 list it as part of a blend rather than on its own; open any bar to see the full bean line its maker gave.
- Forastero on its own usually means the maker either did not know, or did not say, which of the many Amazonian cacaos is in the bar.
- A named Amazonian group (Amelonado, Iquitos, Nacional) is more precise and more trustworthy than the bare word Forastero.
Best Forastero bars
Ranked by the Chof Score
- Rank 1:
FoundrySemuliki Forest 90%
90%darkUganda - Rank 2:
Dandelion ChocolateMaya Mountain, Belize 2022 Harvest
70%darkBelize - Rank 3:
Dandelion ChocolateRansiki, Indonesia 70%
70%darkIndonesia - Rank 4:
Heinde & VerreMellow & Wild Papua
55%milkIndonesia - Rank 5:
Heinde & VerrePure & Wild Papua 71%
71%darkIndonesia - Rank 6:
MaüaPerú 85%
85%darkPeru - Rank 7:
Lucid ChocolatierD6 72% Dark
72%darkIndonesia - Rank 8:
FossaKokoa Kamili 72%
72%darkTanzania - Rank 9:
20nord20sudMatô Sonhôto
100%darkSão Tomé and Príncipe - Rank 10:
20nord20sudTsarafandray 75%
75%darkMadagascar - Rank 11:
MaranáSan Martín 80%
80%darkPeru - Rank 12:
Barre ClandestineMaya Mountain 73%
73%darkBelize - Rank 13:
MIKE&BECKYRoça Sundy 90%
90%darkSão Tomé and Príncipe - Rank 14:
FoundrySemuliki Forest 70%
70%darkUganda - Rank 15:
Holy Cow100% Dark
100%darkIndia - Rank 16:
TamanIndonesia West Papua Ransiki 72%
72%darkIndonesia - Rank 17:
JULAID70% India
70%darkIndia - Rank 18:
Åkesson'sFazenda Sempre Firme
55%milkBrazil - Rank 19:
Coco CaravanLachuá 70%
70%darkGuatemala - Rank 20:
Chocolate MakersCongo 68%
68%darkDR Congo - Rank 21:
Gallette ChocolatesSouthern Bahia 85%
85%darkBrazil - Rank 22:
Standout ChocolateSemuliki Forest Uganda 100%
100%darkUganda - Rank 23:
SubkoWest Godavari 73%
73%darkIndia - Rank 24:
Chocolate MakersCongo 37%
37%milkDR Congo - Rank 25:
Chocolate MakersCongo 92%
92%darkDR Congo - Rank 26:
Åkesson'sFazenda Sempre Firme 75% Forastero Cocoa & Coffee Nibs
75%darkBrazil - Rank 27:
Moka OriginsUganda 72%
72%darkUganda - Rank 28:
Moka OriginsDark Milk 58%
58%milkGhana - Rank 29:
Åkesson'sBrazil 75% Forastero
75%darkBrazil - Rank 30:
Storm & BilleIndien 100%
100%darkIndia - Rank 31:
Monsieur TxokolaPérou 70%
70%darkPeru - Rank 32:
Moka OriginsGhana 72%
72%darkGhana - Rank 33:
TaucherliGhana 100%
100%darkGhana - Rank 34:
KaitxoDark Milk 50%
50%milkPeru - Rank 35:
Moka OriginsBlueberry 72%
72%darkGhana - Rank 36:
MeybonaTanzania 72%
72%darkTanzania
Where Forastero grows
Makers working with Forastero
Common cocoa percentages
Frequently asked about Forastero chocolate
Is Forastero bad chocolate?
No. Forastero is a broad umbrella for most of the world's cacao, and it reads as reliable and chocolatey rather than bad. It is less floral and showy than fine-flavour varieties, but a well-fermented, well-made Forastero bar can be excellent. The term is imprecise, not a quality verdict.
How many Forastero chocolate bars are on Chof?
Chof lists 51 Forastero chocolate bars, from 30 makers, at an average of 72% cocoa.
Which makers work with Forastero cacao on Chof?
The most-represented makers using Forastero on Chof are Moka Origins, Åkesson's, Chocolate Makers, François Pralus, Subko. Each bar links to the maker that made it.
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.
Related varieties
Learn more
Chof Monthly
One email a month: the bars and makers added to Chof, the highest Chof Scores among them, and where to buy them.
Scan a Forastero bar in Chof
Log your tasting, save the variety profile, and see how the claim on the wrapper compares with what you taste.
