Forastero Chocolate
The historical catch-all for the world's everyday cacao. 40 Forastero bars on Chof, from 22 makers, at an average of 72% cocoa.
Chof's Forastero bars come mostly from Indonesia, India and Ghana, and every bar lists Forastero the way its maker states it, not as a verified fact. Tasting notes that come up most often: woody, coconut, 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 40 that name Forastero, 22 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 37:
François PralusGhana 75%
75%darkGhana - Rank 38:
François PralusFortissima 80%
80%darkEcuador - Rank 39:
SubkoAgave Barrel Aged 70%
70%darkIndia - Rank 40:
SubkoThekkinthandu Milk 45%
45%milkIndia
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 40 Forastero chocolate bars, from 22 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
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