Flavor cocoa or fine cocoa are cocoa beans that are sold at a premium, contrasted with bulk cocoa.
They are not traded as commodities, and may be from specific geographical regions, crops or varieties, or may be harvested or fermented using specific techniques. If a crop does not meet standards regarding drying, fermentation or the flavor is unacceptable, they are sold as bulk.
Prices for flavor cocoa generally begin at a 20% premium, rising to up to treble the price.
It was defined by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development:
Most flavor cocoa is used for high-quality dark chocolate.
In Aztec markets, cocoa was categorized by its place of origin. This identification continued after Europeans began consuming chocolate, and in the 18th century, cocoa was advertised by its port of origin. For example, physician R. Brookes reported in 1730:
With the mass consumption of chocolate brought about by the Industrial Revolution, the place of origin of cocoa stopped being referenced. As producers emphasized a consistent flavor to create a brand identity, the natural variety in cocoa was de-emphasized, through blending beans of different origins and types. The International Cocoa Organization has estimated that in the early 20th century, flavor beans constituted 40–50% of all beans.
Flavor beans are assessed according to various criteria, including genetic material, acidity, fermentation and drying levels, color, harm from disease and pests, mold and flavor. Assessments are objective and subjective; while a bean can be assessed as having, for example, floral tasting notes, whether this is desirable is determined by the taster.
In 2015, the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) recommended that all cocoa exports from Bolivia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Grenada, Madagascar, Mexico, Nicaragua and Saint Lucia be classified as flavor beans. 90–95% of cocoa exports from Colombia, Venezuela, Jamaica and Papua New Guinea were recommended to be classified as flavor. The influence of large chocolate makers and cocoa traders, such as Nestlé and Valrhona, and Olam and Daarnhouwer, and the absence of West African countries was criticized by academic Kristy Leissle. Leissle characterized the process as favoring origins that already had industry support, rather than solely using objective and subjective assessments.
See also: Bean-to-bar. Single origin chocolate uses beans from one location, which can be as large as a country or as small as a plantation. It often refers to a geographical feature, such as a river or a valley. This chocolate does not necessarily use cocoa beans of one type. The first contemporary single origin chocolate was made from cocoa beans from the Chuao Valley in Venezuela. This was popularized by Italian chocolate makers Amedei Chocolate, who had gained temporary exclusive use of beans from the region. Beans from the Chuao valley are particularly prized because of the limited crop, and because mineral deposits from the local river system give the beans a unique flavor, which is considered an example of terroir in chocolate.
Other locations prized for single location chocolate are Madagascar, which produces Criollo beans with bright, citrus notes, and Papua New Guinea, which produces beans with complex flavor. Nacional beans from Ecuador, which contain floral notes, were gaining popularity as of 2018.
Leissle argues that variable stock availability of single origin beans when there is conflict, for instance in Venezuela, remind consumers of the people involved in chocolate production.
In the US, chocolate makers prefer cocoa beans that have been centrally fermented, rather than at each cocoa plantation, which necessarily generates variable product.
Historically flavor beans were used by chocolatiers in Western Europe, Japan and parts of Latin America. As of 2018, they were increasingly used in the United States. Ecuador as of 2017 was the largest exporter of fine cocoa, constituting 75% of cocoa exports. Flavor cocoa producers are primarily considered Central and South America and the Caribbean.
Markets for flavor cocoa as of 2017 had experienced strong growth for two decades.
As of 2017, an estimated 9% of the world crop, around 263 000 tons of fine cocoa were produced.