How Do You Differentiate The Different Grades of Cocoa?

There are generally two different types of cocoa beans. The good quality, fine and rare cocoa bean is known as Criollo (pronounced cree yo yo). The common cocoa bean generally found in dark chocolate is known as Forastero. Forastero cocoa beans make up about 90% of the chocolate production in the world. Criollo cocoa is complex and flavours hint of vanilla, caramel and nuts. It is very fine and rare, and this makes Criollo cocoa usually very expensive. Forastero has been cultivated for mass production and is also known as bulk cocoa. The exception to this is Arriba Forastero which produces fine cocoa from the forastero cocoa tree.