Trinitario Cacao

A flavour cacao that is a hybrid of Forastero and Criollo cacao trees. Its colourful pods range from red-violet to lemon yellow.

In 1727, a natural disaster wiped out nearly the entire Criollo crop of Trinidad. In an attempt to restore the crops, plantations were replanted with Forastero trees, which quickly hybridised with the remaining Criollos. The resulting new variety retained the heartiness and disease resistance of Forastero and the delicate flavours of Criollo. Today, Trinitario cocoa is grown in all the areas where Criollo is grown: the Caribbean, Colombia, Mexico, Trinidad, Venezuela and in southeast Asia.