Chocolate & Cacao Glossary

Your complete reference for chocolate and cacao terminology. From tropical farms to finished bars, understand the language of fine chocolate.

A

Acidity: Bright, tangy flavor notes in chocolate, desirable in moderation.

Alk alkalized: See Dutch Process.

Amelonado: Forastero cacao variety, common in West Africa.

Aroma: Scent of chocolate before tasting.

Arriba: Legendary Nacional cacao from Ecuador, floral and fruity.

Astringency: Drying, puckering sensation from under-roasted or poorly fermented cacao.

B

Baking Chocolate: Unsweetened chocolate (100% cacao) for cooking, not eating.

Bar: Molded chocolate product, typically rectangular.

Batch Number: Production lot number for traceability.

Bean-to-Bar: Chocolate maker controlling entire process from cacao beans to finished bar.

Benching: Resting period during tempering.

Bitter: Primary taste component in dark chocolate from cacao solids.

Blooming: See Fat Bloom or Sugar Bloom.

Bonbon: Filled chocolate confection with ganache, caramel, or other centers.

Bouquet: Complex aroma of fine chocolate.

Break: See Snap.

Brix: Measurement of sugar content.

Bulk Cacao: Commodity-grade cacao (vs. fine flavor).

C

Cacao: 1) Theobroma cacao tree; 2) Raw bean before processing; 3) All products from the bean.

Cacao Belt: Tropical region 20° north/south of equator where cacao grows.

Cacao Butter: Fat extracted from cacao beans, used in chocolate and cosmetics.

Cacao Content/Percentage: Amount of bar from cacao (beans + butter) vs. sugar.

Cacao Mass: Ground cacao nibs, unsweetened chocolate liquor.

Cacao Nibs: Roasted, shelled, broken cacao beans before grinding.

Cacao Powder: Defatted cacao solids ground into powder.

Ceremonial Cacao: Marketing term for minimally processed chocolate used in ceremonies (no standard definition).

Chocolate Liquor: See Cacao Mass (no alcohol despite name).

Cocoa: 1) Processed cacao powder; 2) Hot chocolate beverage; 3) Sometimes used interchangeably with cacao.

Cocoa Butter: See Cacao Butter.

Cocoa Powder: Defatted cacao solids, processed; Dutch process vs. natural.

Compound Chocolate: Chocolate substitute using vegetable oil instead of cacao butter.

Conche/Conching: Mixing and aerating chocolate to develop flavor and smooth texture.

Couverture: High-quality chocolate with min. 31% cacao butter, used by professionals.

Covering: See Enrobing.

Criollo: Rare cacao variety (5-10% of production), delicate and complex.

Crystallization: Formation of cocoa butter crystals during tempering.

Curvada: Fermentation box design.

D

Dark Chocolate: Chocolate with no milk solids, varying cacao percentages (typically 50-100%).

Direct Trade: Chocolate maker buying directly from farmers, transparent pricing.

Drying: Sun or mechanical drying of fermented beans to reduce moisture.

E

Ecuador: Major fine flavor cacao origin, known for floral, fruity profiles.

Emulsifier: Ingredient helping fat and water mix (lecithin common in chocolate).

Enrobing: Coating center (ganache, nut, fruit) with tempered chocolate.

Estate Chocolate: Chocolate from single farm or estate cacao.

F

Fair Trade: Certification ensuring minimum prices and ethical labor practices.

Fat Bloom: White, streaky appearance from cocoa butter crystals migrating to surface (safe to eat, affects appearance).

Fermentation: Crucial 3-7 day process developing chocolate flavor precursors.

Fine Flavor Cacao: High-quality cacao prized for flavor (5-10% of world production).

Finish: Lingering flavor after swallowing chocolate.

Flavanols: Antioxidant compounds in cacao, health benefits.

Flavor Notes: Descriptive terms for chocolate taste (fruity, nutty, floral, etc.).

Forastero: Most common cacao variety (80-90% production), robust and hardy.

Form V Crystals: Stable cocoa butter crystals formed during proper tempering, create snap and shine.

Form VI Crystals: Unstable crystals forming during bloom, undesirable.

G

Ganache: Emulsion of chocolate and cream, used in bonbons and truffles.

Ghana: Major cacao producer, commodity-grade Forastero.

Gianduja: Chocolate blended with hazelnut paste.

Grind: Reducing cacao to liquid state through grinding.

Grinding: Process of turning nibs into chocolate liquor.

H

Harvest: Picking ripe cacao pods.

Heirloom Cacao: Rare, genetically important cacao varieties being preserved.

Hot Chocolate: Beverage made from melted chocolate or cacao powder (vs. cocoa mix).

I

Inclusion: Ingredient added to chocolate (nuts, fruit, nibs, etc.).

Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire): World’s largest cacao producer, mostly commodity grade.

J

Jaggery: Unrefined cane sugar sometimes used in craft chocolate.

K

Kibbling: See Winnowing.

L

Lecithin: Emulsifier from soy or sunflower, reduces viscosity.

Length: How long flavor persists after eating.

M

Madagascar: Prized cacao origin, distinctive berry and citrus notes.

Maillard Reaction: Chemical reaction during roasting creating complex flavors.

Mass: See Cacao Mass.

Melangers: Stone grinders refining chocolate for hours or days.

Melting Point: Temperature chocolate melts (86-90°F for dark, ~82°F for milk).

Milk Chocolate: Chocolate containing milk powder or condensed milk (typically 10-50% cacao).

Mold: Form shaping melted chocolate into bars or bonbons.

Mouthfeel: Textural sensation of chocolate (smooth, grainy, creamy, etc.).

Mucilage: Sugary pulp surrounding cacao beans, crucial for fermentation.

N

Nacional: Rare Ecuadorian cacao variety, considered finest Forastero.

Natural Cocoa Powder: Non-alkalized cocoa powder, acidic (vs. Dutch process).

Nib: See Cacao Nib.

Non-Alkalized: See Natural Cocoa Powder.

O

Origin: Geographic location where cacao was grown.

Organic: Cacao grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.

Over-Roasted: Beans roasted too long/hot, creating burnt, bitter flavors.

P

Particle Size: Measurement of ground chocolate smoothness (microns); under 20μ undetectable to tongue.

Percentage: See Cacao Content.

Peruvian: Cacao origin known for nutty, clean flavors.

Polyphenols: Antioxidant compounds in cacao.

Porcelana: Rare white Criollo cacao from Venezuela, extremely prized.

Pot: Cacao pod containing beans.

Pre-Crystallization: See Seeding.

Q

Quetzalcoatl: Aztec feathered serpent god associated with cacao.

R

Raw Chocolate: Marketing term for minimally processed chocolate (no legal definition; all chocolate is processed).

Refining: Grinding chocolate to reduce particle size for smooth texture.

Roasting: Heating beans to develop flavor, typically 250-325°F for 15-40 minutes.

Ruby Chocolate: Fourth chocolate type (white, milk, dark, ruby) from specific beans, pink color, fruity flavor.

S

Seeding: Tempering method adding solid tempered chocolate to melted chocolate.

Semi-Sweet: Dark chocolate with moderate sugar, no legal definition (typically 50-70% cacao).

Single-Estate: Chocolate from one farm.

Single-Origin: Chocolate from one country or region.

Snap: Clean break when chocolate is broken, indicates proper tempering.

Stone Ground: Chocolate ground using stone melangers (traditional method).

Sugar Bloom: Grainy white film from moisture dissolving sugar then recrystallizing (safe, affects texture).

Sweet Chocolate: Legal US term for chocolate min. 15% cacao (baking chocolate).

T

Tablage: Traditional tempering method using marble slab.

Tannins: Astringent compounds from cacao, more in under-fermented beans.

Tasting: Systematic evaluation of chocolate flavor, aroma, texture, finish.

Tempering: Controlled heating/cooling process creating stable cocoa butter crystals for snap, shine, and shelf life.

Terroir: Complete growing environment (soil, climate, altitude) affecting cacao flavor.

Texture: Mouthfeel of chocolate (smooth, grainy, creamy, waxy).

Theobroma Cacao: Scientific name of cacao tree; “theobroma” = “food of the gods.”

Theobromine: Alkaloid in cacao creating mild stimulant effect (similar to caffeine).

Tree-to-Bar: Chocolate maker controlling entire process from cacao trees to finished bar (rare, requires tropical land).

Trinitario: Hybrid cacao (Criollo × Forastero), balance of flavor and hardiness (10-15% production).

Truffle: Spherical chocolate confection, traditionally ganache rolled in cocoa powder.

U

Unsweetened Chocolate: 100% cacao with no added sugar, used for baking.

Upcycling: Using cacao pod husks or other parts typically discarded.

V

Vanilla: Common flavoring in chocolate, from vanilla bean or extract.

Varietal: Specific cacao variety within species.

Venezuelan: Cacao origin producing some world’s finest chocolate, especially Criollo.

Viscosity: Thickness and flow of melted chocolate.

W

White Chocolate: Confection of cacao butter, milk, and sugar (no cacao solids), technically not chocolate.

Winnowing: Removing shells from roasted cacao beans, leaving nibs.

Wrapping: Packaging finished chocolate bars.

X

Xocolatl: Aztec chocolate beverage, bitter and spicy (chocolate’s linguistic origin).

Y

Yield: Percentage of usable product from cacao pod or bean.

Z

Zero-Waste: Utilizing all parts of cacao pod (beans, shells, husks, pulp).

Quick Reference: Chocolate Types

Cacao Varieties

• Criollo (5-10%): Rare, delicate, complex, low yield
• Forastero (80-90%): Common, robust, strong cacao flavor
• Trinitario (10-15%): Hybrid, balanced flavor and hardiness
• Nacional: Ecuadorian Forastero subvariety, exceptional flavor

Common Flavor Notes

Fruity: Berry, citrus, tropical fruit, stone fruit, dried fruit

Nutty: Almond, hazelnut, walnut, cashew

Floral: Jasmine, rose, orange blossom, lavender

Earthy: Tobacco, leather, wood, mushroom, forest floor

Roasted: Coffee, cocoa, caramel, toast, molasses

Spice: Cinnamon, vanilla, pepper, clove

Master this vocabulary and you’ll understand craft chocolate makers, evaluate quality, and describe chocolate like a professional taster. Keep this glossary handy for your chocolate explorations!