Criollo cacao

Cacao criollo

What it is

Cut a criollo pod and the beans are white or pale violet, not the deep purple of the forastero that fills the commodity trade — the group simply lacks the anthocyanins that carry most of chocolate's bitterness and astringency. It lacks the vigour too: the trees are fragile and shy-bearing, which is why criollo remains a sliver of the world crop.

In the kitchen

Roast it low, around 110–120 °C, well under what a forastero blend takes: there is no astringency to burn off, and the nut-and-caramel notes flatten above that. If you are only melting it, keep the bowl under 45 °C.

Goes with

Hazelnut Vanilla Butter Cream Almond Honey Orange Pistachio

Same species

Blond chocolate Cocoa mass Cacao pulp Cocoa butter Cocoa bean husk Cocoa nibs

Something wrong here, or missing? Tell us