Criollo, Forastero, Trinitario: what the varieties actually mean

The classical scheme divides cacao into Criollo, Forastero and Trinitario. Criollo is the ancestral Mesoamerican population — low-yielding, disease-prone, with pale beans and low astringency. Forastero is the Amazonian group that supplies the great majority of world production, hardy and productive with deep purple beans and robust cocoa character. Trinitario is a hybrid of the two, originating in Trinidad, which keeps much of Criollo's aromatic potential alongside Forastero's vigour.

That is the scheme almost every chocolate label and article uses, and it is worth knowing because you will meet it constantly.

Genetic studies published from 2008 onward found the actual population structure of cacao to be considerably more complex — ten or more genetic clusters rather than three groups, with names like Nanay, Contamana, Guiana and Marañón describing real Amazonian populations that the three-way scheme lumped indiscriminately into Forastero.

So Forastero in particular is not a meaningful flavour category. It covers everything from West African Amelonado to the Marañón material some of the world's most expensive chocolate is made from.

Variety sets a ceiling and a tendency. Criollo material has less polyphenol, so it needs shorter fermentation and comes out less astringent. Nacional carries the genetic basis for floral aromatics. Those are real constraints.

What variety does not do is determine the result. Badly fermented Criollo makes bad chocolate; well-handled Amelonado makes excellent chocolate. If you are choosing a bar and can only know one thing, know the maker's reputation for processing rather than the variety on the wrapper.