A very common question, and a very good question, I get asked is what contributes to the flavour of fine chocolate. While we taste our plain dark fine chocolate, many people are amazed the variance in flavour profiles between various bars. Same ingredients, same percentage, but very different flavour.

So what contributes to the unique flavours of say a Cacaosuyo Lakuna bar versus a Kasama Costa Esmeralda’s bar? Let’s look into that.

When we are discussing the flavour of fine dark chocolate, we need to look at the cocoa beans. Fine dark chocolate is only 2 or 3 ingredients (cacao beans, sugar, and sometimes extra cocoa butter). So all that flavour is coming just from the cocoa bean. So what contributes to the flavour of cocoa bean?

Main factors influencing cocoa bean

Tree genetics

This is likely the most underrated, least understood, and least discussed aspect within the fine chocolate/craft chocolate realm. Some of you know of the three “types” of cacao: Criollo, Trinitario, Forastero. As more people have delved into studying cacao genetics, it is believed there are actually at least 10 different wild strains or varieties of cacao: Maranon, Curaray, Criollo, Iquitos, Nanay, Contamana, Amelonado, Purus, Nacional, and Guiana.

Many of you also might be aware that certain varieties such as Criollo, or heirlooms/sub varieties (such as Porcelena and Chuao) seem to get all the glory in regards to the best types of cacao. If you can use cacao beans deemed to be one of these, then you have the best cacao in the world and your chocolate will taste the best. That’s not the whole picture, and can be far from the truth as well.

Food products can be marketed (and that’s the key word here) due to self-serving interests of the actors involved. For instance, if one maker wishes to sell their bars for more money, make it a luxury product, then they need to have a good reason why a customer should spend more. This is why certain origins or cacao “types” get marketed and promoted more than others. It’s not just about quality (as sometimes that’s true) but a big part of it is marketing.

There is truth to differences in taste and quality within different varieties. However, a couple things to keep in mind here. These are very broad categories. It’s rare that anyone is growing pure strains of any of these, and even if they are, it wont necessarily determine incredible flavour. It’s not enough to say my cacao is Criollo or Nacional. Sure, we have evidence that cacao of these varieties do produce some wonderful cacao. However, genetics is more complicated than that, especially in regards to cacao. It matters more the genetics of specific trees within a cacao farm, not just the variety (or blend of varieties) they are said to belong with. For instance, Nacional grown in one area may be the exact same strain with the exact same qualities as Nacional from another region. If the same varieties were allowed to propagate for generations, eventually some or many of the trees may begin to show unique characteristics.

Trees with really bad traits (sour bland fruit, very bitter seeds, no complexity in flavour) will only produce mediocre or bad chocolate - there is only so much that can be done to improve it. Trees that grow really good cacao (delicious fruit, better tasting seeds) have the potential to produce wonderful tasting chocolate.

As a consumer, it doesn’t mean a whole lot what variety the wrapper states on it (if it does, which is rare). Don’t get me wrong, its important to see the chocolate maker knows more about the cacao than just what country it comes from. It suggests that perhaps they might make more of an effort to understand their cacao and select a better tasting cacao to make their chocolate. The more information the better However, I won’t assume the bar will taste complex and interesting just because I see “Criollo” or “Nacional”. In fact, there are makers that promote certain varieties, where consumers expect profound flavour, but end up tasting like your average commercial dark chocolate.

Genetics is certainly part of the flavour story, but not the only part. It dictates the building blocks and potential for final chocolate flavour. Like I said, a bad cacao can only be fixed so much, where a fine cacao has the potential to be incredible if the following steps are executed well. How the cacao is cured also impacts the final flavour of the cacao. One may have “the best” cacao in the world, but how was it harvested? How was it fermented? How was it dried? These also have huge impacts on the flavour.

Curing (Fermentation & Drying)

Image from Ucayali River Cacao Fermentation facility in Peru where cacao from various farmers are pooled together and fermented. The yeasts and bacteria initiate various processes within the fruit that will change the seed at the molecular level.

Fermentation has a huge impact on the final flavour of the cacao. The seeds and the fruit surrounding the seed are fermented together. Normally, they are inoculated spontaneously by local yeasts and bacteria. What the fermentation does is it changes the kernel of the seed (the part used to make chocolate) at the molecular level. Generally, it reduces bitterness and astringency, but it also breaks down proteins and carbohydrates within the seed into smaller molecules such as amino acids and reducing sugars. It’s these smaller proteins and sugars that are necessary for building the fine flavour of the cacao later when it is roasting and refining. If we roasted cacao beans that were not fermented, certain aromas would not be able to be formed because the building blocks of these aroma compounds are not accessible (they are tied up in the larger protein/carbohydrate molecules). Fermenting breaks down some of these, and makes these components accessible for the roasting stage later on.

Often times, if we don’t ferment the cacao, the cacao beans will have a bad or very different flavour profile. Some may argue their cacao is so tasty and not bitter that it doesn’t even require fermenting (a rare occurrence). Key factors for fermentation are the temperature it is maintained at (usually around 50*C), the duration (3-7 days usually), and how the beans were stirred or moved around during this time.

Image taken from “Chocolate Science & Technology” by Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa. This shows you a more in depth look at the many factors that impact the flavour of cacao. Check out the free Academy for research and a list of books you may find helpful.

There are places where people are experimenting with the species of yeasts/bacteria and artificially inoculate their cacao seeds. You can read in my research blog some instances where different strains of various microbes seems to alter the overall flavour compounds that can be formed in the cacao bean later on. There is also research where adding different fruits to the fermentation heaps will impart different flavours and qualities to the cacao beans as well.

Fermentation has to be done where the cacao is grown, as cacao pods usually decompose within a week after being picked. Most chocolate makers don’t have control over the fermentation, unless they have a close relationship with a farmer or co-op where they helped established protocol for fermentation to suit their needs, but this is rarely the case.

Drying is necessary after the cacao has been fermented. It needs to be dry enough that it can be stored and shipped without getting moldy or rotten, but not too dry that the beans will become very brittle and get crushed or fall apart before they reach the chocolate maker.

If the cacao beans are dried too fast, the outer surface dries before the inside of the bean dries enough, and this can actually lock in much of the unfavorable aromas built up from the fermentation stage such as the acidity. If the beans are dried too slowly, they can grow mold or be exposed to other unfavorable odours that may ruin their nice flavour. Drying make take about a week or so depending on where they are dried and the method (sun dried or artificially drying). It’s a step not as complex as fermentation, but it can have profound impacts on the flavour of the cacao.

Main factors influencing the chocolate

Roasting

Roasting is what gets most of the attention when it comes to the flavour of our fine chocolate. Thanks to fermentation, we now have the building blocks (amino acids, reducing sugars) for aroma molecule creation during roasting. Cacao beans prior to roasting don’t often smell very nice. They have a fermented and acidic smell to them developed during the fermentation stage. Roasting cacao around 250*F for 20-30 minutes will burn off most of these unfavorable aromas, but more importantly, will allow new aroma molecules to be created. This is due to a complex series of events, one of which includes the Maillard reactions (similar to when you BBQ meat or bake bread in the oven) that can build many types of aroma compounds such as pyrazines, esters, alcohols, and more.

Depending on the temperature, duration, and even humidity, different roasts can create different types or different quantities of different types of aromas. As the cacao is roasting in the oven or roaster, they begin to smell like brownies or chocolate cake. The flavour of the cacao beans will still be intense for most people at this stage. Also, many people assume they will taste those fine aromas they taste in the chocolate at this stage as well. Certainly not! The cacao beans after roasting may taste nice to some, with notes of nuttiness etc. But you likely will not taste the more subtle aromas which will be brought out during refining. Many people who try and make their own chocolate think they have failed after roasting their cacao because they don’t taste the flavours they want. They may state the cacao does not taste very good (too intense, maybe too acidic, nothing nutty, no fruity notes). In this case, the cocoa beans could be wonderful, but you need to turn it into chocolate first to really be sure! This is because refining has a very underestimated impact on the flavour of the chocolate. Even I have difficulty knowing what my chocolate will taste like just from tasting the cacao beans. Perhaps if you have 30-40+ years you may be able to know more what the flavour of the chocolate will taste like just by tasting the roasted cocoa bean, but even so you won’t know exactly what the chocolate will taste like. This is part of the frustration and the excitement of bean to bar chocolate making. You will be able to taste off flavours right away in the cacao (hammy, burnt, mold), which likely will not go away after refining. However, those nice interesting notes may be hiding waiting to be released.

Image taken from “Chocolate Science & Technology” by Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa. This looks at other factors impact the overall flavour of chocolate. Check out the free Academy for research and a list of books you may find helpful.

Refining

Even more then genetics, the refining portion of actually making the chocolate is grossly underestimated. Many of my students that I tutor through my lessons are surprised how playing around with refining time can drastically change not only the texture but the overall flavour profile of their chocolate. They think there is a flat standard time to refine chocolate - but this isn’t really so. In fact, I find many makers nowadays under-refine their chocolate.

Depending on the batch of cacao, how it was roasted, the refining can be adjusted as well. In the first few hours of refining the roasted cocoa nibs, the harsh flavours from the fermentation (acidic aromas, fermented ones) will decrease dramatically. The time refining really also depends on the amount of cocoa beans/chocolate in the refiner. A refiner that is half-full will refine not only the texture but adjust the flavour of the chocolate much faster.

If one makes their own chocolate, you will know that if you take samples of chocolate at 12 hour intervals (12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72) you will taste the difference between most of them. I highly recommend this to beginner bean to bar chocolate makers. The overall flavours will change. There is some research to suggest that some of the aromas are actually created during the refining stage as well, as the chocolate can get very warm, sometimes reaching temperatures around 70-80*C.

As the chocolate refines, the overall flavours that stand out will shift. Some flavours may intensify, some may be eliminated. It’s up to a chocolate maker to decide when to stop the refiner. You may love the taste at 36 hours, but feel it is not as smooth as you like. If you refine it longer you risk losing some or the intensity of some of the flavours you love so much. You may find at 48 hours there is something about the flavour you don’t like, and that refining it longer may remove some of it. This again is part of the frustration and the fun of being a bean to bar chocolate maker.

After the chocolate is refined, it can be aged. This isn’t aged in the same way a cheese is aged - we don’t want any mold growing on it! Instead, if there are harsh flavours in the freshly made chocolate you are not so crazy about, aging it (letting it rest) for a month or a few months may eliminate or reduce some of those flavours. Sometimes the untempered chocolate is poured into containers which are covered with paper or plastic wrap. Sometimes blocks of untempered chocolate are wrapped in paper and allowed to rest in a room for a few months. Sometimes they are not aged at all. This is dependent on the preferences of the chocolate maker.

Conclusion:

Chocolate making is simple and complex at the same time. The best fine chocolate in the world is only 2 or 3 ingredients, but obtaining that wonderful cacao and know how to roast/refine it requires practice and skill. Anyone can grind up cocoa nibs into chocolate, but not everyone can do it with such skill and finesse.

I will point out that you may have also been expecting me to explain the idea of terroir (how soil, climate, impact flavour). The truth is, there is little to no research to back this up, especially in regards to cacao and chocolate. This idea has been applied to chocolate since the 19th Century by a chocolate maker in France called Bonnat who really went to town to market this. It’s true that sun, water, soil, can impact the flavour of our fruits and vegetables. However, the mechanisms behind this, and the research to really study it in regards to chocolate is basically none. This is interesting since this is usually the first thing many chocolate educators focus on when discussing why various bars have such unique flavours. Much of the idea of terroir has to do with marketing, and protecting the market of various countries or regions where cacao is grown. If they can promote these areas, and state this is why the cacao has it’s unique taste, then consumers will want chocolate made with cacao from these regions over others. However, even if soil and climate does have an impact on cacao, which I don’t argue it doesn’t, it’s a very small impact, especially when compared to the 4 factors discussed here.

If you are looking for help on making your own fine chocolate, check out this page with a good overview of how you can easily start at home. If you require more help, think of booking an affordable tutoring session on bean to bar chocolate making for beginners.

What factors impact the flavour of chocolate?