Are there only three varieties of cacao? Which one is best?

It’s been said that variety is the spice of life. That’s no less true when it comes to making chocolate. Most of the chocolate in the world comes from one “type” or a narrow genetic spectrum of cacao trees. When in fact there are many varieties of cacao, and even more cultivars of these varieties.

The three varieties of cacao

You may see often that the three varieties of cacao are Criollo, Trinitario, and Forastero. Criollo is said to be the crème de la crème of cacao. Forastero is said to be the worst. And Trinitario is said to be in between. The truth is of course, that it is much more complex than that. As well, many (but certainly not all) within the fine chocolate industry are moving past this triad of cacao varieties.

Criollo is still considered a varietal in its own right. Forastero is said to be a “catch all” for many, and often associated with “poor” quality cacao (although this can be debated), and Trinitario is not really a variety, but a cultivar (a hybrid of Criollo and “Forastero”).

The 10 varieties

Figure 1. Image By Bean To Bar World. Note: These are not actual pod shapes of each variety, but just a simple illustration I created which lists the various varieties of cacao.

Due to a great deal of genetic research by many people, but particularly papers published by J C Motamayor, there is now suggested to be 10 “wild” or “natural” varieties of Theobroma cacao. These include Amelonado, Criollo, Contanama, Curaray, Guiana, Iquitos, Maranon, Nacional, Nanay, and Purus.

These are what are being considered as genetically unique separate varietals of cacao. However, there are then subspecies or cultivars (which may be considered hybrids, heirlooms, and such).

Many strains of cacao around the world are often given industry code names, which is important for tracking and tracing which strains exist where.

There are complications of course. Many regions go by nomenclature that is not clearly defined, and so leads to confusion of which strains actually exist there. Not every farmer or farm will have it’s trees genetically sampled and analyzed. The Chocolate Tree by Allen M. Young does a nice job explaining some of this. To be honest, there is no one book or text on cacao genetics which has all the information in one place. One needs to read a few sources at least to get a good idea.

The bottom line is that cacao genetics is more complex than most people in the chocolate industry give credit to. Most people in the chocolate world don’t discuss cacao genetics because genetics can be a challenging area for most people to understand - even for many who studied life sciences. However, the sad part is that genetics of cacao is a grossly underestimated factor in the flavour of fine cacao and the flavour of fine chocolate. This is why most rely on topics of “roasting” or “terroir”, which both have an impact, but neither of which is as great as the genetics of the trees itself.

And this goes beyond “varieties” as well. Many overgeneralize varieties. Just like many plants and animals, varieties that diverge can take on unique characteristics. Even single trees within a plantation of the same variety can produce fruits and seeds different than those around them. Even within a variety such as Amelonado, which is often deemed unfavorable or poor quality, can one find very aromatic and floral cacao in said variety as discussed by researchers such as Bertus Eskes. The more you dig, the more complicated and fascinating it gets.

Which one is best?

Image by @perrytheimp

No Criollo is not the best. There are many bars on the market made from “Criollo” cacao (although some say there really is no pure Criollo anymore), which will not necessarily fascinate you than bars made from other cacao. Genetics is important. Varieties do take on some unique characteristics. That said, there are many factors involved that will determine the end flavour of a cacao, and the final flavour of a chocolate made from that cacao. Do not make assumptions based on variety, heirloom, or cultivar that is being marketed on the bar or by a company. It may be a wonderful cacao, but what the maker does with it is very important. How the growers cured it is very important.

I like to use the story of heirloom tomatoes. I used to buy incredible one-of-a-kind heirloom tomatoes from real local farmers who knew their tomatoes well. They knew how to select for them, grow them, water them, and harvest them properly. The flavour were like no tomatoes you have ever had. Then, I can see the exact same heirloom variety sold at a local grocery store. Not any grocery store, but a better one that sells higher quality produce. Those same heirloom tomatoes tasted no different than the bland commercial tomatoes you can get anywhere else in Canadian grocery stores. How can this be? They were the exact same genetic variety. They looked the same. They certainly cost the same. However, it came down to how they were grown, watered, and harvested. Not doing that properly basically made them just like any other bland mass grown tomatoes. Cacao is not exactly the same as tomatoes, no, but the idea here is the same.

It’s important to know and understand cacao varietals. However, at the end of the day what really matters is the flavour and quality attributes of the beans in questions. Whether you are a customer buying the bar of a specific variety, or a maker buying this specific variety, what matters more than what variety it is, is how those beans or that bar actually tastes. True fine chocolate (like other fine foods) goes beyond the superficial. It goes beyond marketing cachet, labels, and being told what is good. It’s about substance. It’s about the reality of the quality of the product in question.

Basically what I’m saying is that it will be more of a challenge to prove one variety mentioned above is better than the others, than to say that great flavourful cacao can be found within any of those varieties mentioned. Cacao genetics and flavour is a complicated world - and overgeneralizing varieties will not help promote the craft of flavour-first quality in chocolate. If we want to encourage and sustain the crème de la crème of cacao, we need to promote whichever region or farmer is growing and caring that cacao regardless of what it is labeled as.

If you are interested in cacao genetics, I encourage you to dig. You’ll need to be persistent, as the information is not so neatly found in one place as I mentioned. However, as you search your respect for the craft of cacao growing and chocolate making will grow tremendously.