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 73:
XocolatlPure 100% Dark
100%darkNicaragua - Rank 74:
MaüaHazelnuts Inclusions
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 75:
MaüaCandied Orange Inclusions
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 76:
MaüaGinger Inclusions
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 77:
MaüaCocoa Nibs 70%
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 78:
Nordic ChocolateKvanne 65%
65%darkNicaragua & Ecuador - Rank 79:
ArgencoveCardamom & Orange 70%
70%darkNicaragua1 award - Rank 80:
ArgencoveBanana Cinnamon Clove 70%
70%darkNicaragua6 awards - Rank 81:
MaüaNicaragua 70%
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 82:
MaüaNicaragua 75% with Moyà Sweet Herbs
75%darkNicaragua - Rank 83:
MaüaNicaragua 75% with Vermouth
75%darkNicaragua - Rank 84:
MaüaCandied Orange and Ginger Inclusions
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 85:
Duffy'sNicaragua Amarillo 72%
72%darkNicaragua4 awards - Rank 86:
Choco TalesDark 70%, Nicaragua
70%darkNicaragua - Rank 87:
Markham & FitzSouthern Pecan
52%milkNicaragua - Rank 88:
The Organic HouseBanana Foster 65%
65%darkNicaragua2 awards - Rank 89:
ZotterLabooko Milk Chocolate Nicaragua 50%
50%milkNicaragua - Rank 90:
chocoMeRugoso 70%
70%darkNicaragua2 awards - Rank 91:
EthiquableCoco Passion 75%
75%darkNicaragua - Rank 92:
ZotterLabooko uno Thank You
50%milkNicaragua - Rank 93:
EscalierWinter Spices
65%darkNicaragua1 award - Rank 94:
Black Jaguar ChocolateWild Forest Sea Salt 77%
77%darkNicaragua1 award - Rank 95:
CLAROExtra Puur 92%
92%darkNicaragua - Rank 96:
ZotterLabooko Weiße Schoko White Chocolate
35%whiteDominican Republic & Nicaragua - Rank 97:
MaüaDubai
darkNicaragua - Rank 98:
BlanxartNicaragua 85%
85%darkNicaragua - Rank 99:
OmnomCaramel Milk
50%milkNicaragua2 awards
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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