Myth: Soil & Climate (Terroir) Influences The Flavour Of Cacao
This is one of the biggest myths within the fine chocolate world. It’s a big myth, because the idea of terroir is used and marketed every day around the world. And most of all, most people you ask about terroir often refer to “the soil and climate”. Yet what is this based on?
The truth is, there is no research, study, or published material to date to support this widely used claim that soil and climate impact cacao flavour. The research barely even hints at it.
Essentially, the idea of terroir, which is still a debated and contentious idea within the wine industry (see Terroir and other myths of winegrowing by Mark A. Matthews), was taken from wine and placed on chocolate by Bonnat in 1894 when they released a single origin flight of chocolates.
It was based on what they understood about wine (educated observations at best), and what was observed (key word: observed) about chocolate. Does cacao from different regions produce chocolate with very different flavour profiles? Absolutely. Is it due to terroir? Soil? Climate? Well, we don’t know. And we don’t know, because no one has properly studied or researched it. You’ll be hard pressed to find any peer-reviewed paper that links soil and climate to the flavour of cacao. And if you do, it’s relatively very recent, and not without much criticism.
Then why has it been marketed and taught for so many decades? Over 100 years. Because the idea sells chocolate. It sounds sophisticated and science-based, but without the science to back it up (yet).
Where did this idea of terroir and fine chocolate come from?
When I started as a chocolate sommelier over a decade ago, I was told by people within the industry, people I had no reason to doubt, that terroir was one if not the most important factor in the variance in flavour of cacao from region to region. And even to this day, terroir is often followed by “soil and climate”, even though that’s not the entire picture of what terroir was intended to encompass.
When I began teaching, I also used to mention this “fact.” However, at one point, I decided I needed some evidence to back up my claims if I was to keep teaching this. Since it was something so widely accepted by those who I believed to be more knowledgeable than me, I regrettably didn’t question it when I should have.
After months, and then years, of searching through all the major research article repositories, going to major university libraries to find every book on the science of chocolate, I came up empty handed.
Not only that, but the research I came across that also had the same question as me, always ended with something like “there is no research conducted that links soil and climate to the quality or flavour of cacao.”
How could this be? How could something that even the public assumes to be true, something taught by most certified chocolate “sommeliers” have no evidence, or hint of evidence to back it up?
The answer is, they never did their research. And neither did I up until that point.
don’t believe me? do your own research on terroir & cacao
Look for yourself. You’ll often find articles on social media, industry magazines, or blog articles that talk about terroir, but they never explain deeply how it relates to cacao, and never back up their claims with any research. How could they? It doesn’t exist.
Bill Nesto takes has a specific take on the idea of single origin and terroir and how it relates to chocolate. You may be able to find the article online under the title Discovering Terroir in the World of Chocolate by Bill Nesto.
Mark A. Matthews does a superb job clarifying what terroir means in regards to wine, and many of the misconceptions surrounding it.
Spend hours, days, weeks, looking for articles on Science Direct or Jstor. At times you might think you hit the jackpot with a research paper addressing the issue, but after reading, realize they too found no connection between soil, climate, and cacao flavour.
What does this mean?
This means that there may be some link between soil and climate and the flavour or aroma profile of your favorite cacao bean. However, the fact that something has been perpetuated for decades without anything to back it up, should bring up some red flags. It should also push you to be more discerning with the information you’re sharing.
Those who place such an importance on terroir also often mention soil and climate as part of the reason terroir impacts flavour, but again, with nothing to back it up other than the observation that cacao from different regions taste different.
Cacao can from different regions can taste different, but not because of soil and climate. A few points to consider that can give the impression that soil and climate impacts flavour are:
The genetic strains of the cacao trees differ from origin to origin, even if from the same “varietal” or cultivar. This can give the impression that terroir (soil/climate) impacts flavour, but its really based on tree genetics.
The flavour of the fruit, which impacts the kernel during fermentation. This is related to genetics as well, but also propagation and harvest.
The microbes (yeast, bacteria) that are involved in fermentation are different from region to region, even within the same country. One study saw that different fermentation heaps within the same farm had different species of microbes. Some put forward the idea of microbial terroir. I say just use microbial and remove the unnecessary and misused term terroir.
Pre-fermentation treatments, and fermentation practices that vary widely from region to region, even within the same country.
So what does impact the flavour of cacao?
Oh, I thought you’d never ask! Have a seat, because the list is huge, and terroir isn’t even on it.
Genetics - Probably the most overlooked aspect of cacao. I’m not just talking about “varieties”, but even genetic strains within a variety or cultivar. The genetics of the trees impacts the flavour of the fruit, the bitterness of the seed, and the makeup of the seed (proteins, carbohydrates) which in turn all result in a specific aroma composition. Genetics is very important!
The cacao fruit - This is also often ignored. However, the fruit of the cacao does impact to a great extent the flavour of the seed. Studies where fruit and herbs were added to fermentation heaps and altered the flavour of the seed confirms this. Having a fruit that is highly acidic and not aromatic will impart unpleasant flavours to the seed. As well, a fruit that is very aromatic, sweet, and not too sour, will impart more favorable aromas to the seed during fermentation.
Harvest and pre-treatment - Harvesting cacao when ripe, and pre-fermentation treatments such as pod storage or cacao juice extraction will impact the overall flavour of cacao as well.
Fermentation - The species of fungi, yeasts, and bacteria involved, as well as fermentation time, temperature, method, will all greatly impact the flavour of cacao.
Drying - Proper drying technique can reduce acidity, and reduce off flavours.
Storage - Have you ever tried a “tree to bar” craft chocolate that tastes like mould? I have. Far too often. This is due to improper storage techniques.
Roasting - Temperature and time have a massive impact on the flavour of the cacao.
Winnowing - Yes, too much shell in the chocolate will increase astringency, bitterness, dryness, chalkiness, and off-flavours.
Refining - Highly overlooked! Refining is so important to flavour development. It’s not just about particle size reduction. A chocolate refined for 5 hours vs 24 hours vs 72 hours will have a huge variance in flavour. And the only difference? The time it was being refined or ground up.
Therefore, next time someone asks you what makes various dark chocolates taste so different, refer to numbers 1-9 above. Even if soil and climate does impact the flavour of the cacao, these points above are much more important to flavour development. Especially with the knowledge we have to date.
Can “terroir” fit into a list of what impacts cacao flavour?
Can you fit a square peg into a round hole?
Kidding aside, yes, but do we even need to use it?
The term terroir is a very broad, loosely defined term.
As well, it’s a term borrowed by another industry with a very different product and applied to chocolate in a way that doesn’t quite work.
The term terroir can include things such as climate, geography, and soil. It can also include the impact of other plant and animal organisms (like the microbes in fermentation). In some cases, terroir also includes the input humans have (farmers and such). “Terroir” is a great word to say “all this stuff” impacts flavour. Once you begin to unpack what “all this stuff” is, you see that the word terroir becomes too big for it it’s own good. And due to the way it is misused and misunderstood, it’s better to veer away from this vague term, and get to the point of what you’re really talking about.
You want to talk about why different cacao taste different? Learn more about genetics, microbes, and fermentation. Saying terroir glosses over specifics, and most often leads the public to think things which are not true.
The truth is, terroir has become a distraction. A distraction from matters which are more important, more studied, and more understood when it comes to cacao flavour. It’s become a misunderstood marketing term, that glosses over what’s truly important in understanding fine chocolate. Unfortunately it is now a cachet marketing term, not an objective scientific term.
It’s a distraction from more important factors that influence the flavour. Genetics, Fermentation, Roasting, and Refining are huge when it comes to impact on flavour. Focus on those. And when one day we do find some information on how soil and climate impact chocolate, I’ll be the first to let you know.
Until then, always do your research and always ask questions. You’ll be amazed at what you find.