Glossary

The language of cacao.

botany

Theobroma cacao
The botanical species whose seeds are processed into cocoa and chocolate. It is a small understorey tree native to the tropical Americas and the only Theobroma species grown commercially at scale.
Pod
The fruit of the cacao tree, an elongated berry that grows directly from the trunk and main branches. Each ripe pod contains roughly 20 to 50 seeds embedded in pulp.
Bean / seed
The seed of the cacao pod and the raw material of chocolate. In the trade a "bean" is the dried, fermented seed; before processing it is more accurately called a wet or fresh seed.
Cotyledon / nib
The cotyledons are the two seed-leaves that make up the bulk of the cacao seed and store its fat and flavour precursors. After roasting and shell removal the broken cotyledon fragments are called nibs.
Mucilage / pulp
The sweet, white, sugar-rich flesh surrounding each fresh cacao seed. It is the substrate for fermentation, feeding the yeasts and bacteria whose activity develops flavour precursors in the seed.
Placenta
The central column of tissue inside the pod to which the seeds are attached. It is usually removed during pod breaking and not fermented with the beans.

genetics

Criollo
A historically prized cacao population associated with mild, low-bitterness flavour and often pale or white cotyledons. Genetically it forms one of the recognised clusters; true Criollo is rare and most modern "Criollo" is admixed.
Forastero
A traditional umbrella term for hardy, high-yielding cacao that supplies most of the world crop. The term is genetically imprecise, since it lumps together several distinct Amazonian clusters.
Trinitario
Not a genetic cluster but a group of hybrids originating from crosses between Criollo and Amazonian (Forastero-type) cacao, first arising on Trinidad. Trinitario populations are genetically variable.
Nacional
A cacao type historically grown in Ecuador and known for a distinctive floral aroma sometimes called arriba. It corresponds to its own genetic cluster centred on the western Amazon.
Amelonado
A low-diversity, melon-shaped-pod cacao population from the lower Amazon that was widely spread to West Africa and elsewhere. It is one of the ten genetic clusters and underpins much bulk production.
Genetic clusters (Motamayor 2008)
A reclassification of cacao diversity into ten genetic clusters proposed by Motamayor et al. (2008), replacing the older three-way Criollo/Forastero/Trinitario scheme. The clusters are Criollo, Amelonado, Contamana, Curaray, Guiana, Iquitos, Marañón, Nacional, Nanay, and Purús.
Contamana
One of the ten cacao genetic clusters identified by Motamayor et al. (2008), named for a region of the Peruvian Amazon. Like the other Amazonian clusters it carries diversity once hidden under the label Forastero.
Marañón
One of the ten cacao genetic clusters, associated with the Marañón river basin of the upper Amazon. Some prized rediscovered Peruvian cacaos are linked to this cluster.
Iquitos
One of the ten cacao genetic clusters identified by Motamayor et al. (2008), centred on the Iquitos region of the Peruvian Amazon. It has contributed widely to breeding programmes.
Nanay
One of the ten cacao genetic clusters, named for the Nanay river of the Peruvian Amazon. It is among the Amazonian groups formerly grouped under Forastero.
CCN-51
A high-yielding, disease-tolerant cacao clone bred in Ecuador by Homero Castro (the name abbreviates Coleccion Castro Naranjal). It is a hybrid clone, not a genetic cluster, and is usually classed as bulk cacao for its astringent profile.

cultivation

Cacao belt
The band of tropical land roughly within 20 degrees north and south of the equator where cacao can be grown commercially. It spans parts of the Americas, West and Central Africa, and South and Southeast Asia.
Terroir
The combined influence of soil, climate, altitude, and local practice on the character of cacao from a given place. The term is borrowed from wine and applied loosely, since processing also strongly shapes flavour.
Harvest
The cutting of ripe pods from the tree, judged mainly by pod colour and sound. Most origins have one or two main harvest periods per year plus scattered off-season pods.

processing

Pod breaking
Opening harvested pods to remove the wet seeds with their pulp, traditionally done by hand with a blunt tool or wooden club to avoid cutting the seeds. The empty husks and placenta are discarded or composted.
Fermentation
The controlled microbial transformation of fresh pulp-covered seeds over several days, which kills the seed embryo and generates the precursors of chocolate flavour. It is one of the most decisive steps in cacao quality.
Sweatbox / heap fermentation
Two common fermentation methods: piling beans in heaps covered with leaves, or placing them in slatted wooden boxes (sweatboxes). Boxes give more even, controllable fermentation, while heaps are simple and low-cost.
Turning
Mixing or moving the fermenting bean mass, typically every day or two, to aerate it and even out temperature. Turning encourages the acetic acid bacteria phase and more uniform fermentation.
Acetic / lactic phase
Stages of cacao fermentation: an early anaerobic phase dominated by yeasts and lactic acid bacteria, followed by an aerobic phase in which acetic acid bacteria oxidise alcohol and raise the temperature. Together they drive the chemical changes inside the seed.
Drying
Reducing the moisture of fermented beans so they can be stored and shipped without spoilage, usually to about 6 to 7 percent. Drying also continues flavour development and lets excess acidity escape.
Raised beds
Elevated mesh or slatted platforms used to sun-dry cacao beans with airflow from below. They improve drying evenness and keep beans cleaner than ground-level patio drying.
Cut test
A quality check in which a sample of dried beans is sliced lengthwise to inspect the interior. Well-fermented beans show brown, open cotyledons, while slaty grey or purple interiors indicate poor or incomplete fermentation.
Moisture content
The proportion of water in dried cacao beans, with a typical storage and trade target near 6 to 7 percent. Too high invites mould; too low makes beans brittle and prone to breakage.
Roasting
Heating dried beans or nibs to develop colour, aroma, and the characteristic chocolate flavour while reducing acidity and residual moisture. Roast temperature and time are adjusted to the bean and the intended product.
Winnowing
Separating the lighter shell from the heavier nib after roasting or cracking, usually with airflow. Clean winnowing is important because shell fragments carry off-flavours and grit.
Conching
Prolonged mixing, aerating, and heating of chocolate to refine texture and drive off volatile acids and unwanted notes. It can last from hours to days depending on the recipe and equipment.
Liquor / mass
Cocoa liquor, also called cocoa mass, is the smooth paste produced by grinding roasted nibs. Despite the name it contains no alcohol; it is roughly half cocoa butter and half cocoa solids.
Cocoa butter
The pale fat naturally present in cacao seeds, making up roughly half their dry weight. It melts near body temperature, which gives chocolate its characteristic snap and melt.
Tempering
Controlled heating and cooling of chocolate to crystallise its cocoa butter in the stable form. Properly tempered chocolate is glossy, releases cleanly from moulds, and has a firm snap.
Flavour precursors
The amino acids, peptides, and sugars generated in the seed during fermentation and drying. They produce chocolate aroma compounds when developed by heat during roasting.

trade

Cacao vs cocoa
"Cacao" usually refers to the tree, pod, and unprocessed or minimally processed bean, while "cocoa" more often refers to processed products such as cocoa powder. Usage varies by region and trade, and the words are frequently treated as interchangeable.
Fine or flavour cacao
A trade category for cacao valued for aromatic and flavour qualities rather than bulk volume, as distinguished by the International Cocoa Organization. Eligibility depends on genetics, origin, and processing.
Bulk cacao
The standard commodity grade of cacao, traded for volume and basic chocolate flavour rather than aromatic distinction. It makes up the large majority of the world crop.
Single origin
Cacao or chocolate traceable to one defined source, such as a country, region, or estate. The term has no fixed legal definition and the geographic precision it implies varies.
Bean-to-bar
A model in which a single maker controls all chocolate production steps from sourcing whole beans to finishing the bar. It usually implies small-scale production and an emphasis on traceable cacao.

tasting

Off-flavours
Undesirable tastes and smells in cacao, such as mouldy, smoky, hammy, or excessively acidic notes. They usually trace to poor fermentation, contaminated drying, or improper storage rather than to genetics.
Percentage
The figure on a chocolate label stating the share by weight of total cacao-derived ingredients, including cocoa mass and added cocoa butter. A higher percentage means less sugar but does not by itself indicate quality.
Astringency
The drying, puckering mouthfeel associated with polyphenols in cacao. Fermentation reduces astringency, and poorly fermented or unfermented beans taste markedly more astringent.