Trinitario Chocolate
The hybrid where most real-world fine chocolate actually sits. 299 Trinitario bars on Chof, from 93 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 299 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 37:
RaakaCoconut Milk
60%milkUganda - Rank 38:
Marou ChocolateTiền Giang 70%
70%darkVietnam - Rank 39:
PlaqKamili
76%darkTanzania - Rank 40:
PlaqRansiki 84%
84%darkIndonesia - Rank 41:
Willie's CacaoSan Vicente Gold
95%darkColombia - Rank 42:
PlaqMaya Mountain 84%
84%darkBelize - Rank 43:
Kasama ChocolateTanned Chocolate
54%milkPhilippines - Rank 44:
SOMACreole Gardens Dark- Haiti 70%
70%darkHaiti - Rank 45:
20nord20sudAnamalai 76%
76%darkIndia - Rank 46:
20nord20sudTsarafandray 75%
75%darkMadagascar - Rank 47:
20nord20sudKokoa Kamili
76%darkTanzania - Rank 48:
Dick TaylorBelize Toledo 72%
72%darkBelize - Rank 49:
20nord20sudKubaly Waslala 72%
72%darkNicaragua - Rank 50:
KarunaBelize 70%, Slow dried
70%darkBelize - Rank 51:
chocoMeChoroni 72%
72%darkVenezuela - Rank 52:
MaüaNicaragua 70% Flor de Sal
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 53:
MaüaNicaragua 75%
75%darkNicaragua - Rank 54:
20nord20sudPaquibato 75%
75%darkPhilippines - Rank 55:
ruvidoTombola
75%darkMexico - Rank 56:
MesjokkeD.A.R.C. Angel
72%darkNicaragua - Rank 57:
Barre ClandestineKilombero & Crème de Cajou 60%
60%milkTanzania - Rank 58:
SOMACreole Gardens Milk
55%milkHaiti - Rank 59:
KrakVietnam Anh Em B10 2021
70%darkVietnam - Rank 60:
AUROReserve 2017 Saloy Origin
70%darkPhilippines - Rank 61:
FoundrySemuliki Forest 70%
70%darkUganda - Rank 62:
FossaLuna
75%darkPhilippines - Rank 63:
Friis HolmDon Alfonso 70%
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 64:
mānoa chocolateKo'olaupoko 70%
70%darkUnited States - Rank 65:
Marou ChocolateCoconut Milk & Ben Tre 55%
55%darkVietnam - Rank 66:
FoundryPinalum, Malekula Is.
70%darkVanuatu - Rank 67:
ruvidoPassatempo
75%darkMexico - Rank 68:
SOMABến Tre, Vietnam 70%
70%darkVietnam - Rank 69:
TableDark 84%
84%darkMadagascar - Rank 70:
Bare Bones68% Dominican Salted Chocolate
68%darkDominican Republic - Rank 71:
ChocolatoaCosta Rica Nahua Plantations Maleku 75%
75%darkCosta Rica - Rank 72:
Friis HolmMedagla 70%
70%darkNicaragua
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 299 Trinitario chocolate bars, from 93 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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