Jasmine

The signature Ecuadorian note, and the most fragile aromatic in chocolate — a heavy roast removes it entirely.

Jasmine is the specific floral character that made Ecuador a prestige origin and gave the arriba designation its value. It is a genuine varietal marker associated with Nacional material, and it is the reason that origin's reputation survived even as the crop behind it changed.

Its fragility is the practical point. Jasmine aromatics are volatile and are the first thing lost to a hard roast, which is why floral chocolate is almost always lightly roasted and why the same beans in industrial hands produce nothing floral at all.

Descriptors used: jasmine, orange blossom, white flowers, perfumed
Desirable?: Highly prized and genuinely rare. Its absence in a bar sold on arriba is a reasonable signal.

Where it comes from

More than one route produces this note. Each entry says how to tell it apart from the others.

From the bean's genetics
Inferred
Nacional and related populations produce the volatile aromatics responsible for jasmine-like character.
How to tell: Varietal jasmine is present in the aroma before the chocolate is tasted and survives into the finish. Added floral flavourings are more intense and more singular.
Source: ChocolateHQ
Created during roasting
Recorded
Not created by roasting — destroyed by it. A light roast preserves the aromatics; anything heavier removes them.
How to tell: A bar claiming Nacional or arriba with no floral character has usually been roasted too hard for it to survive.
Source: Royal Society of Chemistry

Pairing

Easily overwhelmed. Delicate partners only — a floral white wine or a light tea.

Origins known for this

EcuadorReported often enough in this origin's material to be characteristic, though fermentation and roast decide whether it survives into a given bar. The signature Ecuadorian note, and the most fragile aromatic in chocolate — a heavy roast removes it entirely.

Varieties known for this

NacionalWithin this variety's aromatic potential. Variety sets a ceiling rather than a result. The signature Ecuadorian note, and the most fragile aromatic in chocolate — a heavy roast removes it entirely.
Arriba NacionalWithin this variety's aromatic potential. Variety sets a ceiling rather than a result. The signature Ecuadorian note, and the most fragile aromatic in chocolate — a heavy roast removes it entirely.

Developed during

RoastingThis stage is where the note is created, amplified or destroyed. The signature Ecuadorian note, and the most fragile aromatic in chocolate — a heavy roast removes it entirely.

Sources

ChocolateHQ editorial synthesis — ChocolateHQ(citation identity confirmed; passage not re-read)
The Science of Chocolate — Royal Society of Chemistry(citation identity confirmed; passage not re-read)