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 109:
KarunaEdelschwarz Gin Infused 75%
75%darkTanzania - Rank 110:
TableMilk 61%
61%milkHaiti - Rank 111:
LivstoryNicaragua O'Tuma 100%
100%darkNicaragua - Rank 112:
CHOCOLATE TREECacao Fruit 100%
100%darkGuatemala - Rank 113:
Marou ChocolateTien Giang 80%
80%darkVietnam - Rank 114:
Svenska KakaoUganda 72%
72%darkUganda - Rank 115:
Åkesson'sBali Sukrama Farms 45% Milk with Fleur de Sel & Coconut Blossom Sugar
45%milkIndonesia - Rank 116:
KarunaDominican Republic 80%
80%darkDominican Republic - Rank 117:
SOMAGreen Tangerine
70%darkMadagascar - Rank 118:
Chocolaterie MorinPablino Noir 70%
70%darkPeru - Rank 119:
AUROPaquibato Single Estate Reserve 2018
70%darkPhilippines - Rank 120:
Friis HolmNicaliso 70%
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 121:
Coco CaravanLachuá 70%
70%darkGuatemala - Rank 122:
Heinde & VerreDutch Grown Vanilla Milk 53%
53%milkGrenada - Rank 123:
La Fleur de Chocolat72% Nicaragua Bean to Bar Chocolate
72%darkNicaragua - Rank 124:
Monsieur TxokolaInde 70%
70%darkIndia - Rank 125:
arokoSur del Lago
71%darkVenezuela - Rank 126:
ChocolatoaMadagascar Sambirano Valley 80%
80%darkMadagascar - Rank 127:
TableTanzania 72%
72%darkTanzania - Rank 128:
Standout ChocolateCloudberry Caramel 49%
49%milkDominican Republic - Rank 129:
KarunaLapsang Souchong Pearls
69%darkDominican Republic - Rank 130:
Marou ChocolateLam Dong 74%
74%darkVietnam - Rank 131:
Cacao DisidenteTierra Negra 75%
75%darkColombia - Rank 132:
KAICAO85% Uganda
85%darkUganda - Rank 133:
Svenska KakaoCardamom 70%
70%darkDominican Republic - Rank 134:
ChokaicoCusco-Peru 70%
70%darkPeru - Rank 135:
Barre ClandestineKilombero 73%
73%darkTanzania - Rank 136:
MinimalSavory
80%darkVenezuela - Rank 137:
BagaiFilippine 75
75%darkPhilippines - Rank 138:
Marou ChocolateBa Ria 76%
76%darkVietnam - Rank 139:
MaüaPulpa de Cacao 70%
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 140:
Fu Wan ChocolateTaiwan #8 Ping Tung Premium Roast
70%darkTaiwan - Rank 141:
Standout ChocolateSaffron 70%
70%darkHaiti - Rank 142:
Standout ChocolateSemuliki Forest 85%
85%darkUganda - Rank 143:
Fu Wan ChocolateTaiwan #9 Ping Tung Double Ferment Rough Ground Chocolate 70%
70%darkTaiwan - Rank 144:
AO Cacao60% Cacao Single Origin
60%milkPapua New Guinea
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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