Terroir. It’s a terrible word. Hard to pronounce. French. Snotty. But that little word can tell you so much about how your chocolate is going to taste!
Because like wine, cocoa beans are affected by the soil, landscape, and environment in which they’re grown. That means beans from different countries taste like different things! (And, coincidentally, that’s also what “terroir” means.)
When I first started trying craft chocolate, I desperately wanted a guide to tell me what each country’s beans tastes like, so I could find my favorites. So I’ve put together this cheat sheet to give you overall impressions of each country’s beans. There are dozens of other flavors to find, but these are the predominant ones.
So which flavors are your favorites in chocolate? Are you a Madagascar gal or a Venezuelan feller?
Tell me at megan@chocolatenoise.com or on Facebook or Twitter and I'll include your comments in the next Chocolate Today!
Read More Stories!
Chocoholics Anonymous: From Cake to Craft