Trinitario Chocolate
The hybrid where most real-world fine chocolate actually sits. 306 Trinitario bars on Chof, from 96 makers, at an average of 72% cocoa.
Chof's Trinitario bars come mostly from Tanzania, Dominican Republic and Madagascar, and every bar lists Trinitario the way its maker states it, not as a verified fact. Tasting notes that come up most often: honey, fruity, caramel, citrus, floral and nuts.
What is Trinitario chocolate?
Trinitario is not one cacao but a whole family of Criollo-and-Amazonian hybrids. It carries some of Criollo's finesse and most of the workhorse's vigour, which is why it grows almost everywhere and why its flavour is the widest of any group, from fresh fruit and berry to nutty, spiced and caramel.
Trinitario is what happens when delicate old Criollo crosses with hardy Amazonian cacao (Motamayor et al., 2008). The result is the most successful compromise in chocolate: enough of Criollo's aromatic finesse to be interesting, enough hybrid vigour to actually grow. That is why it is the most common variety in Chof and grows across the tropics. The name comes from Trinidad, where the cross is usually dated to the eighteenth century, after disease swept the island's Criollo and hardier cacao moved in; the exact date is told differently from source to source, so treat the story as well established in outline, not in detail.
Because Trinitario is a family rather than a single type, its flavour is the widest of any group. A Trinitario from Madagascar and one from the Philippines can taste like completely different fruits. Treat "Trinitario" on a label as a starting hint, not a promise: it tells you the bar probably has some fine-flavour parentage, but the specific cross, origin and maker decide the taste. Some cultivated Trinitario clones even carry more of their Amazonian than their Criollo parentage, another reason the word is a broad hint rather than a precise identity.
How to read a Trinitario claim
Every Trinitario bar on Chof shows the variety as its maker lists it, not as an independently verified fact. Of the 306 that name Trinitario, 85 list it as part of a blend rather than on its own; open any bar to see the full bean line its maker gave.
- Trinitario is an umbrella term, so the useful detail is usually the origin and the maker, not the word itself.
- Many bars labelled "Criollo" are genetically Trinitario, so a "Criollo, Trinitario" blend line is honest labelling worth trusting.
Best Trinitario bars
Ranked by the Chof Score
- Rank 1:
MaüaPanamá Finca Río Uyama 72%
72%darkPanama - Rank 2:
chocoMeChoroni 72%
72%darkVenezuela - Rank 3:
NaiveDouglas Dager
75%darkCosta Rica - Rank 4:
Dick TaylorQuinoa Crunch Milk Chocolate
55%milkBrazil - Rank 5:
definiteMallano 90% Dark Chocolate
90%darkDominican Republic - Rank 6:
NaiveLas Trincheras
70%darkVenezuela - Rank 7:
Pump StreetSaint Thomas 75%
75%darkJamaica - Rank 8:
FossaLuna
75%darkPhilippines - Rank 9:
Crayfish Bay OrganicsGrenada Single Estate 75%
75%darkGrenada - Rank 10:
Friis HolmBarba 70%
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 11:
chocoMeChuao 72%
72%darkVenezuela - Rank 12:
Goodnow FarmsEsmeraldas Ecuador 70%
70%darkEcuador - Rank 13:
Green Bean to Bar ChocolateStarbucks Reserve Madagascar 70%
70%darkMadagascar - Rank 14:
SOMABejofo, Madagascar 70%
70%darkMadagascar - Rank 15:
FjåkMadagascar 70% Åkesson's Estate
70%darkMadagascar - Rank 16:
Friis HolmMadagascar 64% Fast Dried Organic
64%darkMadagascar - Rank 17:
Friis HolmDon Alfonso 70%
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 18:
Friis HolmMedagla 70%
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 19:
FoundryKorosim Microlots Solomon 70%
70%darkSolomon Islands - Rank 20:
Svenska KakaoTanzania 74%
74%darkTanzania - Rank 21:
Marou ChocolateTien Giang 80%
80%darkVietnam - Rank 22:
FoundrySemuliki Forest 90%
90%darkUganda - Rank 23:
Beau CacaoSingle Estate Chocolate
73%darkMalaysia - Rank 24:
PlaqMaya Mountain 76%
76%darkBelize - Rank 25:
KrakBelize Peini Plantation 70%
70%darkBelize - Rank 26:
Standout ChocolateSambirano Madagascar 70%
70%darkMadagascar - Rank 27:
Dandelion ChocolateZorzal Comunitario 70%
70%darkDominican Republic - Rank 28:
Racine Carrée72%
72%darkPeru - Rank 29:
ruvidoSuper Santos
75%darkIndonesia - Rank 30:
Heinde & VerreMellow & Wild Papua
55%milkIndonesia - Rank 31:
Fu Wan ChocolateTaiwan #1 Ping Tung 100%
100%darkTaiwan - Rank 32:
KrakMadagascar Mava Ottange
70%darkMadagascar - Rank 33:
Marou ChocolateBen Tre 78%
78%darkVietnam - Rank 34:
Marou ChocolateDak Lak 70%
70%darkVietnam - Rank 35:
Standout ChocolateMaya Mountain Belize 85%
85%darkBelize - Rank 36:
Marou ChocolateBa Ria 76%
76%darkVietnam
Where Trinitario grows
Makers working with Trinitario
Common cocoa percentages
Frequently asked about Trinitario chocolate
What is Trinitario chocolate?
Trinitario is a family of hybrids between Criollo and hardy Amazonian cacao. It inherits some of Criollo's aromatic finesse and much of the vigour Criollo lacks, so it grows widely and is where most real-world fine-flavour chocolate sits. Its flavour is highly variable and depends on origin and maker.
What does Trinitario chocolate taste like?
It varies more than any other group. Across Chof bars, Trinitario shows fresh fruit and berry, nutty and creamy notes, brown-sugar sweetness and a lift of citrus and spice. The specific cross and origin matter far more than the word Trinitario itself.
How many Trinitario chocolate bars are on Chof?
Chof lists 306 Trinitario chocolate bars, from 96 makers, at an average of 72% cocoa.
Which makers work with Trinitario cacao on Chof?
The most-represented makers using Trinitario on Chof are Standout Chocolate, Askinosie, Marou Chocolate, Friis Holm, SOMA. 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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