Have you tried the new Hogarth Craft Chocolate Fiji bar yet? If not then you're in for a treat!
This is the first bar in our collection to be made from Amelonado cacao, which is a subspecies of Forastero, the most commonly grown cacao in the world. You don't tend to see Forastero used in craft chocolate very often as it is generally considered to offer less interesting and fine flavours, compared to other cacao varieties like Trinitario or Criollo. But this bar is a great example of how there is no golden rule for these things - you can have beautiful Forastero and you can have crap Forastero, just like you can excellent or poor sauvignon blanc.
Splitting cacao into these core species and trying to identify quality or flavours this way is a little outdated and simplistic. Really it comes down each specific plantation and situation - the climate, the region, the terroir, the fermentation and drying methods, the particular harvest, etc etc. This bar is a great example of how incredible Forastero can be when it reaches its full potential and is properly cared for.
This is why we love craft chocolate. Instead of one 'chocolatey' taste there are a million possibilities for flavour and a huge range of factors that affect every single bean. It's endless and fascinating.