The world cocoa market distinguishes between two broad categories of cocoa beans as “fine or flavoured” cocoa beans or “bulk” or “ordinary” cocoa beans. Criollo and Trinitario varieties are considered fine or flavor cocoa and can be up to five times more expensive than “ordinary cocoa” (Forastero). Bulk cocoa is produced from Forastero varieties which include the Amalanado and Amazonian cocoa types.
Forastero cacao is generally grown in Brazil, Western Africa, Malaysia and Indonesia. The forastero has purple cotyledons. The great variety of Forastero cacao has produced pods of different shapes, due to multiple crossings between all varieties. This has led to the sub-division of Forastero cocoa in four types: Angoleta, Cundeamor, Amelonadoand Calabacillo
Anthocyanins are involved in unique flavor of cocoa. The purple anthocyanins are associated with the stronger, more astringent, and robust flavors.
Development in processing and of new products both enabled the less desirable features of the forastero to be minimized and use made of their stronger chocolate flavor, so that the tendency to replace criollo by higher yielding forastero has been encouraged.
Forastero cocoa
