Trinitario Chocolate
The hybrid where most real-world fine chocolate actually sits. 363 Trinitario bars on Chof, from 125 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, citrus, caramel, nuts and floral.
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 363 that name Trinitario, 102 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 145:
MalagosHeirloom 72%
72%darkPhilippines - Rank 146:
Moka OriginsTanzania 85%
85%darkTanzania - Rank 147:
Coco CaravanLachuá 70%
70%darkGuatemala - Rank 148:
Monsieur TxokolaInde 70%
70%darkIndia - Rank 149:
Malmö ChokladfabrikSambirano 70%
70%darkMadagascar - Rank 150:
KarunaDominican Republic 80%
80%darkDominican Republic - Rank 151:
AUROPaquibato Single Estate Reserve 2018
70%darkPhilippines - Rank 152:
La Fleur de Chocolat72% Nicaragua Bean to Bar Chocolate
72%darkNicaragua - Rank 153:
arokoSur del Lago
71%darkVenezuela - Rank 154:
Åkesson'sBali Sukrama Farms 45% Milk with Fleur de Sel & Coconut Blossom Sugar
45%milkIndonesia - Rank 155:
FjåkTumaco, Colombia, Dark 70%
70%darkColombia - Rank 156:
Svenska KakaoUganda 72%
72%darkUganda - Rank 157:
Ór Dubh ChocolateHonduras Wampusirpi 75%
75%darkHonduras - Rank 158:
Ór Dubh ChocolateTanzania 2017
70%darkTanzania - Rank 159:
Ór Dubh ChocolateUganda 75%
75%darkUganda - Rank 160:
Ór Dubh ChocolateMadagascar 70%
70%darkMadagascar - Rank 161:
Ór Dubh ChocolateTanzania 70%
70%darkTanzania - Rank 162:
TableTanzania 72%
72%darkTanzania - Rank 163:
ChocolatoaMadagascar Sambirano Valley 80%
80%darkMadagascar - Rank 164:
AO Cacao60% Cacao Single Origin
60%milkPapua New Guinea - Rank 165:
Beskid ChocolateIndonezja 70%
70%darkIndonesia - Rank 166:
ChokaicoCusco-Peru 70%
70%darkPeru - Rank 167:
Beskid ChocolateKuba Baracoa 70%
70%darkCuba - Rank 168:
Beskid ChocolateMleczna 50% Peru
50%milkPeru - Rank 169:
Barre ClandestineKilombero 73%
73%darkTanzania - Rank 170:
MinimalSavory
80%darkVenezuela - Rank 171:
BagaiFilippine 75
75%darkPhilippines - Rank 172:
KarunaLapsang Souchong Pearls
69%darkDominican Republic - Rank 173:
Friis HolmO'Payo Milk Sansho 50% with Green Sansho Pepper
50%milkNicaragua - Rank 174:
Fu Wan ChocolateTaiwan #8 Ping Tung Premium Roast
70%darkTaiwan - Rank 175:
Standout ChocolateCloudberry Caramel 49%
49%milkDominican Republic - Rank 176:
Casa BosquesSea Salt 70%
70%darkMexico - Rank 177:
AO Cacao88% Single Estate, Pingtung County
88%darkTaiwan - Rank 178:
Kina ChocolatesXocolata Amb Llet 50% Cacau San Martin
50%milkPeru - Rank 179:
Beskid ChocolateBelize 50%
50%milkBelize - Rank 180:
Standout ChocolateSaffron 70%
70%darkHaiti
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 363 Trinitario chocolate bars, from 125 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, Beskid Chocolate. 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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