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 37:
Friis HolmO'Payo 68%
68%darkNicaragua14 awards - Rank 38:
Black Jaguar ChocolateRaspberry 77%
77%darkNicaragua - Rank 39:
Black Jaguar ChocolateDark Milk 55%
55%milkNicaragua4 awards - Rank 40:
Nordic ChocolateNicaragua 75%
75%darkNicaragua - Rank 41:
KakauChili 75%
75%darkNicaragua - Rank 42:
Storm & BilleKaffenibs 70%
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 43:
ZotterLabooko Nicaragua 70%
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 44:
TaucherliChuno 72%
72%darkNicaragua - Rank 45:
MaüaNicaragua 70% with Almendresa salted almonds
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 46:
AcaoyerNicaragua Waslala 70%
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 47:
MaüaNicaragua 70% with coconut sugar
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 48:
Friis HolmDark Milk 55%
55%milkNicaragua13 awards - Rank 49:
Friis HolmDark Milk 65%
65%milkNicaragua11 awards - Rank 50:
Duffy'sNicaragua Amarillo 100%
100%darkNicaragua - Rank 51:
Hasnaâ ChocolatsFlor de Pancasan 72%
72%darkNicaragua1 award - Rank 52:
Feitoria do CacaoNicarágua Nibs 57%
57%milkNicaragua9 awards - Rank 53:
ArgencoveBatch No 18 80%
80%darkNicaragua8 awards - Rank 54:
Allo SimonneRuban Rose Nicaragua 70%
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 55:
KocoatraitNicaragua Plain Dark 68%
68%darkNicaragua - Rank 56:
Cacao en BromaZeus 90%
90%darkNicaragua - Rank 57:
ArgencoveDark Milk 60%
60%milkNicaragua1 award - Rank 58:
ArgencoveCaramelized Cacao Nibs 70%
70%darkNicaragua7 awards - Rank 59:
ArgencovePecan Pie 35%
35%whiteNicaragua - Rank 60:
ArgencoveMasaya 70%
70%darkNicaragua9 awards - Rank 61:
ArgencoveMombacho 70%
70%darkNicaragua10 awards - Rank 62:
ArgencoveCocibolca 70%
70%darkNicaragua8 awards - Rank 63:
ZotterLabooko Milk Chocolate Nicaragua 60%
60%milkNicaragua1 award - Rank 64:
Duffy'sNicaragua Oh Juno! Milk 45%
45%milkNicaragua3 awards - Rank 65:
MaüaNicaragua 75% with olive oil
75%darkNicaragua - Rank 66:
MaüaAlmonds Inclusions
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 67:
MaüaSesame Inclusions
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 68:
DeseoCzarna Porzeczka 45%
45%milkNicaragua - Rank 69:
ArgencoveCaramelized White Chocolate & Almonds
35%whiteNicaragua - Rank 70:
MaüaInclusions with candied lemon peel
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 71:
MaüaPistachio Inclusions
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 72:
XocolatlMatagalpa Nicaragua 72%
72%darkNicaragua
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.
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