Types of criollo: why is criollo cocoa so rare?

Nature has given us different varieties of cocoa, some particularly valuable such as the criollo: a delicate cocoa bean that produces a chocolate that is remarkable in taste, aroma and flavour. Let's find out what criollo cocoa is and what its properties are.

Cocoa varieties: what are they?

We are used to calling it cocoa, but there is more than just one variety of cocoa in nature: Theobroma cocoa, the cocoa plant, has several varieties that have arisen both from natural genetic cross-breeding and from a series of hybridisations carried out by man over the years since the discovery of the cocoa plant.

To this day, there is still no complete classification of the world's existing types of cocoa, although it is possible to genetically subdivide them into three main types, recognisable by taste, aroma and appearance: Forastero, Trinitario and Criollo.

• Cocoa Forastero
  Il Forastero cocoa has a much higher worldwide distribution than the other two types: it is estimated that more than 90% of the cocoa in circulation is Forastero cocoa. Why this disparity? The Forastero cocoa plant is very hardy and highly productive, and these two characteristics make it attractive to the market and more easily marketable.
• Trinitario cocoa
  Il Trinitario cocoa is the first speciality among cocoa plants; in fact, it is the result of a hybridisation between Criollo and Forastero cocoa and corresponds to only 8% of the global cocoa crop.
• Criollo cocoa
  Il Criollo cocoa is a very valuable type of cocoa, in fact out of all the cocoa on the world market, only 0.001% is criollo cocoa. The Criollo cocoa plant is extremely delicate, so much so that it is also difficult to cultivate and poses a great risk to the world's cocoa producers.

 Let's learn more about criollo, the most precious and rare cocoa of all!

Characteristics of Criollo cocoa, the cocoa of the Conquistadors

The first variety of cocoa that the Conquistadors encountered once they arrived in America was Criollo cocoa, the first to make the great crossing and arrive in Spain.
For more than two centuries, therefore, the whole of Europe could taste and learn about the world's best cocoa, until the discovery of Forastero cocoa, which is more resistant and more productive and consequently less expensive and suitable for large-scale production. The sensory differences between Criollo and Forastero cocoa were clear and obvious, in flavour, aroma, taste, but the latter laced with sugar and different additives still managed to win over European palates.
Criollo cocoa beans: types and varieties
Criollo is a very recognisable cocoa plant, with its velvety branches and the milky white colour of the bean, different from other dark-coloured beans. The Criollo cocoa plant is very precious and delicate, in fact the trade of Criollo cocoa is reserved for a discerning and trade audience, both for the particularity in taste and aroma. Criollo cocoa is also divided into different types, cultivated in different areas and intended for different uses.

• Criollo Porcelana
  the first cocoa to be found and harvested by the Conquistadors and cultivated mainly in Venezuela. So called because of its oval, shiny green or red cabosas, it is the most prized species and at the same time the most delicate: once ripe, its fruits are targeted by insects and different predators that jeopardise their existence. It has a sweet, round and intense flavour.
•  Criollo Guasare
  Not yet cultivated for marketing, Criollo Guasare is second in preciousness only to Porcelana. It grows in Venezuela and is distinguished from other types of cocoa by the shape of its green bean, which is very elongated and wrinkled on the surface. It has a special flavour of dried fruit and honey, robust and intense.
•  Criollo Chuao
  This type of Criollo cocoa is named after the region where it grows, the Chuao region in Venezuela. It is very difficult nowadays to find a pure Criollo Chuao plantation because of its delicacy and rarity; it can be recognised by its elongated green and red fruit and its almond-like flavour.
• Criollo Ocumare 67
  Il Criollo Ocumare 67 is the purest type of Criollo, almost 90% pure. The main characteristic of this cocoa is its caramel note mixed with tobacco and dried fruits.
• Criollo Ocumare 61
  Il Criollo Ocumare 61 is a very special type of Criollo with red, irregular and wrinkled fruits. Its aroma is persistent and tending towards red fruits and dried fruits.
• Criollo Javablond
  You can already tell from its name the different origin of this type of Criollo, in fact its origin is the island of Java. It has a unique aroma and flavour, consistent and tending towards tobacco and red fruits.
• Criollo Canoabo
  Il Criollo Canoabo has Venezuelan origins and its fruit is white or light green, very long and similar to that of the Criollo Porcelana. Its flavour is close to that of dried fruit and vanilla
• Criollo Theobroma Pentagona
  The Criollo Theobroma Pentagona has its main characteristics in its name, in fact it is named after its five-pointed, bright red, elongated fruit. It is a purely wild type of cocoa discovered in Central America and recently also in Venezuela.

Cioccolatitaliani could not but use Criollo cocoa: the type of cocoa in our products is Fino de Aroma composed of Criollo cocoa and Trinitario cocoa, to guarantee high-quality confectionery and chocolate products with an intense and recognisable flavour.