There are probably hundreds of different hybrid varietal subspecies of cacao beans, broadly grouped into three main types: criollo, forastero, and trinitario. A fourth sub-type is the Nacional bean, a forastero type with criollo characteristics that originated in Ecuador.

Cacao beans are grouped into two major categories, fine flavor (or aromatic) cacao, and “ordinary” cacao.

Criollo beans fall into the fine flavor category of bean. Criollo beans produce chocolate with much richer and more intense flavors but at the same time more subtle than the other types of beans. Criollo trees are less resistant to disease, mature later, produce for fewer years, and produce fewer pods than forastero or trinitario trees. Perhaps the most highly prized criollo variety—it is certainly one of the rarest—is Porcelana, which comes from the Spanish word for porcelain, referring to the very pale color of the flesh of the fresh bean.

Forastero beans fall into the ordinary category of bean. Forastero trees are hardier, mature earlier, produce for more years, and produce more pods than criollo trees. Forastero beans now comprise more than 95% of the world crop.

Trinitario beans are also fine flavor beans. Trinitarios are a deliberate hybrid of criollo and forastero beans developed on the island of Trinidad (hence its name). The trinitario is easier to grow than the criollo, but, while more nuanced in flavor than the forastero, is not as rich as the criollo. Trinitario hybrids are grown pretty much everywhere cacao grows.

Nacional is technically a forastero, but it produces beans with strong criollo characteristics and is considered a fine flavor cacao variety. A properly processed, fermented, and dried nacional bean grown in Ecuador has a very specific flavor redolent of jasmine and orange that has its own name - arriba; so-called because these beans “arrived” from up-river of Guayaquil. (Nacional beans grown outside of Ecuador do not exhibit the full varietal strength of the bean due to differences in terroir.)

Previous Questions and Answers:

1. What colour is the chocolate made of Criollo beans? In other words is the chocolate light-brown in colour, dark reddish brown or almost black? :: Ranji, The color of a chocolate is dependent mostly on the roast of the bean and the amount of milk (if any) of the bar. Criollo beans have a tendency to be quite pale and cannot be roasted heavily without destroying their delicate flavors. Thus most chocolate made from criollos is going to be lighter than a chocolate made from a bulk forastero bean with the "same" roast and percentage cacao. As for the hue of the bar (reddish, brownish), Criollos tend to be on the neutral side, slightly warmer and staying away from purplish colors. :: Clay
   Posted by  on  12/18  at  12:38 PM