Coffee, Tea, Chocolate and Milk

Criollo

Criollo means "native" in Spanish. This was the type of Cacao originally discovered by Christopher Columbus on the island of Guanaja in 1502. Criollo is found throughout South America in areas where the climate is mild and the soil is rich.

The Criollo is recognized as The King of Cacao beans. It has an extremely more aroma with very low acid levels. It's also the rarest and expensive of all Cacao beans.

Forasteros

Forasteros means "foreigner" in Spanish. Its area of origin is the Amazonian Highlands. Forastero accounts for 80% of the world's total cacao production. The Forasteros trees are usually high and strong, but unfortunately, the aroma of the beans is weak and usually bitter.

A chocolate made using Forasteros beans is very dark - almost black, and the taste is bitter and rather unpleasant.

Trinitario

Trinitario is a hybrid bean of Criollo and Forasteros. The Trinitario variety emerged after a natural disaster has destroyed most of the Criollo trees on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. Thirty years later, Forasteros variety was imported and planted on the island. The remaining Criollo trees began to hybridize with new trees, and soon the new variety of Trinitario was born.

Trinitario combines the taste qualities of the Criollo with the hardiness and the high yields of Forasteros. Today, Trinitario is grown mainly in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, South America, and the Caribbean Islands. About 10-15% of the world's cacao production is Trinitario.