Best Nicaragua Chocolate
The 99 best Nicaraguan chocolate bars on Chof made with cacao from Nicaragua, ranked by the Chof Score.
The Nicaragua regions named most often on these bars are Waslala, Matagalpa, Northern Nicaragua and Bosawás Biosphere Reserve. Makers most often list the cacao as Trinitario, Criollo and Nacional. On the dark Nicaragua bars, notes that at least 3 makers record include Nutty, Coffee, Floral, Red Fruit, Citrus and Honey.
Ranked by the Chof Score
- Rank 1:
Friis HolmBarba 70%
70%darkNicaragua12 awards - Rank 2:
Friis HolmMedagla 70%
70%darkNicaragua8 awards - Rank 3:
ZOTORugoso 75%
75%darkNicaragua1 award - Rank 4:
20nord20sudKubaly Waslala 72%
72%darkNicaragua - Rank 5:
Rosa CaninaNicaragua 80%
80%darkNicaragua1 award - Rank 6:
Friis HolmChuno 70% Double Turned
70%darkNicaragua18 awards - Rank 7:
MaüaNicaragua 70% Flor de Sal
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 8:
MaüaNicaragua 75%
75%darkNicaragua - Rank 9:
Friis HolmRugoso 70%
70%darkNicaragua11 awards - Rank 10:
Friis HolmNicaliso 70%
70%darkNicaragua16 awards - Rank 11:
Friis HolmDon Alfonso 70%
70%darkNicaragua3 awards - Rank 12:
SireneGiff's Criollo 73%
73%darkNicaragua - Rank 13:
ZOTOEl Castillero Trinitario Blend
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 14:
MesjokkeD.A.R.C. Angel
72%darkNicaragua - Rank 15:
ChocolatoaNicaragua Raan Comucor 70%
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 16:
Friis HolmNicaliso Green Cinnamon 70%
70%darkNicaragua8 awards - Rank 17:
Friis HolmJohe 70%
70%darkNicaragua11 awards - Rank 18:
Goodnow FarmsEl Carmen Nicaragua 77%
77%darkNicaragua8 awards - Rank 19:
The Heart of CacaoNicaragua O'Payo 70% Pure
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 20:
Friis HolmLa Dalia 100%, The Lazy Cocoa Growers Blend
100%darkNicaragua12 awards - Rank 21:
Friis HolmChuno 70% Triple Turned Single Bean
70%darkNicaragua17 awards - Rank 22:
LivstoryNicaragua O'Tuma 100%
100%darkNicaragua2 awards - Rank 23:
La Fleur de Chocolat72% Nicaragua Bean to Bar Chocolate
72%darkNicaragua - Rank 24:
Friis HolmRugoso 70% Bad Fermentation
70%darkNicaragua9 awards - Rank 25:
Friis HolmLa Dalia 85%
85%darkNicaragua14 awards - Rank 26:
Friis HolmO'Payo Milk Sansho 50% with Green Sansho Pepper
50%milkNicaragua14 awards - Rank 27:
MaüaPulpa de Cacao 70%
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 28:
MesjokkeWinter Spiced
72%darkNicaragua - Rank 29:
Standout ChocolateSwedish Fika / Coffee & Cinnamon Bun
69%darkNicaragua1 award - Rank 30:
TërtNicaragua O'Tuma
darkNicaragua - Rank 31:
Black Jaguar ChocolateEl Tuma Nicaragua 82%
82%darkNicaragua - Rank 32:
Friis HolmO'Payo Milk 50%
50%milkNicaragua14 awards - Rank 33:
Nordic ChocolateBlåbär
65%darkNicaragua - Rank 34:
Rosa CaninaNicaragua 80% Nibs
80%darkNicaragua - Rank 35:
ArgencoveApoyo 70%
70%darkNicaragua9 awards - Rank 36:
BonnatEl Castillero 75%
75%darkNicaragua2 awards
Bars with awards
43 bars with cacao from Nicaragua have award results on Chof. Showing the 12 with the newest results. How Chof lists awards
Barba 70%
by Friis Holm
Batch No 18 80%
by Argencove
Cardamom & Orange 70%
by Argencove
Chuno 70% Double Turned
by Friis Holm
Chuno 70% Triple Turned Single Bean
by Friis Holm
Dark Milk 55%
by Friis Holm
Dark Milk 55%
Dark Milk 60%
by Argencove
Dark Milk 65%
by Friis Holm
Don Alfonso 70%
by Friis Holm
Johe 70%
by Friis Holm
La Dalia 85%
by Friis Holm
What is Nicaragua chocolate known for?
Nicaraguan chocolate is smooth and nutty, with caramel, soft red fruit and a mild acidity that makes it easy to like. Cacao grows mainly around Matagalpa, Waslala and the Rio San Juan, and the country retains Criollo genetics that give its best bars a gentle, rounded character.
Nicaragua sits in a comfortable middle ground between the bright acidity of Madagascar and the deep cocoa of West Africa. Expect nuts, caramel and a restrained fruitiness rather than anything sharp, which makes Nicaraguan bars a good introduction to single-origin chocolate.
The country holds pockets of old Criollo and Criollo-influenced cacao, prized for low bitterness. Growing areas in the north around Matagalpa and Waslala, and in the south by the Rio San Juan, supply a steady flow of beans to craft makers across Europe and North America.
Makers with the most Nicaragua bars
Popular cocoa percentages for Nicaragua
Frequently asked about Nicaragua chocolate
What does Nicaraguan chocolate taste like?
Gentle is the word: toasted nut and caramel with a restrained fruitiness and none of the sharpness of high-acid origins. If you are choosing a first single-origin bar, Nicaragua is one of the most likeable places to start.
Which regions of Nicaragua grow cacao?
Chiefly Matagalpa and Waslala in the north and the Rio San Juan area in the south. Between them these regions supply much of the fine Nicaraguan cacao used by craft makers in Europe and North America.
What Nicaraguan chocolate brands are there?
Chof lists one Nicaraguan chocolate brand or maker: Argencove. 40 makers on Chof use Nicaragua cacao, wherever they are based.
Which makers work with Nicaragua cacao on Chof?
Of the 40 makers using Nicaragua cacao on Chof, the three whose top Nicaragua bar has the highest Chof Score are Friis Holm, ZOTO and 20nord20sud.
How are the best Nicaragua chocolate bars chosen?
The Nicaragua bars are ordered by Chof Score, which is built from what the maker discloses: how precisely the origin is named, how clean the ingredient list is, how much of the fermenting, drying and roasting is documented, and what lab evidence exists. Community ratings do not change the order.
How many Nicaragua chocolate bars are listed on Chof?
Chof currently lists 99 chocolate bars made with cacao from Nicaragua.
What cocoa percentages of Nicaragua chocolate are most common?
The most common cocoa percentages for Nicaragua cacao on Chof are 70%, 75%, 72%, 65% and 50%.
Cacao varieties in Nicaragua chocolate
Bean varieties the makers of these bars list for Nicaragua, as stated on the label. Open one to see what it is, how it tastes, and how to tell a real one.
Learn more
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