Porcelana Chocolate
The most delicate cacao there is: a white-beaned Criollo. 21 Porcelana bars on Chof, from 16 makers, at an average of 69% cocoa.
Chof's Porcelana bars come mostly from Peru, Venezuela and Mexico, and every bar lists Porcelana the way its maker states it, not as a verified fact. Tasting notes that come up most often: citrus, honey, jasmine, caramel, cashews and cream.
What is Porcelana chocolate?
Porcelana is the most delicate cacao there is, a white-beaned Criollo whose beans are so pale they look like porcelain, most famously from Venezuela. With almost none of the pigments that carry bitterness, it is prized for a soft, creamy, nutty, low-astringency style that barely tastes like dark chocolate at all.
Porcelana is a white-beaned Criollo, its beans so pale they look like porcelain, most famously from Venezuela and now grown in Peru, Mexico and Colombia too. Its beans carry almost none of the anthocyanin pigments that make cacao bitter and astringent, the same pigment loss domestication left in pale Criollo (Cornejo et al., 2018), so it is prized for a soft, creamy, low-astringency style.
In Chof its bars lean exactly that way: nutty and creamy notes, gentle fresh fruit and berry, and a touch of citrus, at one of the lowest average cocoa percentages of any variety, because Porcelana does not need a high percentage to taste rich. One important distinction: not every pale Peruvian bean is Porcelana Criollo. The white cacao of Piura is a different lineage entirely, which is why Chof keeps them as separate varieties.
How to read a Porcelana claim
Every Porcelana bar on Chof shows the variety as its maker lists it, not as an independently verified fact. Of the 21 that name Porcelana, 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.
- Genuine Porcelana is a white-beaned Criollo, usually named to a heritage origin such as Venezuela, and tastes exceptionally soft and creamy with almost no bitterness.
- A pale Peruvian bean from Piura is not the same thing: it is the Nacional-linked Piura Blanco, a separate variety with a brighter, more citrus profile.
Best Porcelana bars
Ranked by the Chof Score
- Rank 1:
ZOTOBetulia Ocho
70%darkColombia - Rank 2:
Heinde & VerrePristine Nativo Peru 71%
71%darkPeru - Rank 3:
arokoPorcelana
72%darkVenezuela - Rank 4:
Barre ClandestineChulucanas 71%
71%darkPeru - Rank 5:
Barre ClandestineMorropón & Lait Caramélisé 62%
62%milkPeru - Rank 6:
Goodnow FarmsAlmendra Blanca Mexico 77%
77%darkMexico - Rank 7:
PlaqGran Nativo Lait de Brebis
50%milkPeru - Rank 8:
Idilio OriginsPorcelana Criollo Puro 74%
74%darkVenezuela - Rank 9:
Heinde & VerreGold Piura Peru White 37%
37%whitePeru - Rank 10:
SOMAPorcelana
70%darkVenezuela - Rank 11:
SOMAAncestral 70%
70%darkVenezuela - Rank 12:
Barre ClandestineMorropón 72%
72%darkPeru - Rank 13:
Feitoria do CacaoMéxico Almendra Blanca 72%
72%darkMexico - Rank 14:
CacaosuyoPiura Nibs
70%darkPeru - Rank 15:
ZotterLabooko Peru 82%
82%darkPeru - Rank 16:
Ara ChocolatPorcelana 70% Criollo
70%darkVenezuela - Rank 17:
CacaosuyoEl Ganso 70%
70%darkPeru - Rank 18:
Nordic ChocolateJordgubb
70%darkPeru - Rank 19:
AmedeiPorcelana 70%
70%darkVenezuela - Rank 20:
Casa BosquesAlmendra Blanca 74%
74%darkMexico - Rank 21:
Piety and Desire ChocolateAlmendra Blanca 77%
77%darkMexico
Where Porcelana grows
Makers working with Porcelana
Common cocoa percentages
Frequently asked about Porcelana chocolate
What is Porcelana chocolate?
Porcelana is an elite white-beaned type of Criollo, famous from Venezuela, whose beans are almost white. Lacking the pigments that make cacao bitter, it tastes soft, creamy and nutty with very low astringency, and is considered one of the most delicate cacaos in the world.
How many Porcelana chocolate bars are on Chof?
Chof lists 21 Porcelana chocolate bars, from 16 makers, at an average of 69% cocoa.
Which makers work with Porcelana cacao on Chof?
The most-represented makers using Porcelana on Chof are Barre Clandestine, Heinde & Verre, SOMA, Cacaosuyo, ZOTO. Each bar links to the maker that made it.
Sources and further reading
- 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.
- 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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