Terroir is a French term that means “of the earth.” What it means (in practice) is that the chemical composition of the soil, weather, climate, and variations in harvesting and other production processes have a profound effect on the way a finished food product tastes.

With wine it’s easy to understand this relationship as the marketing of wine depends on terroir. It’s expected that a wine made from cabernet sauvigon grapes grown in the Loire valley in France has to taste difference from a wine made from cabernet sauvigon grapes (even from the same root stock) grown in the Barossa valley of Australia.

Unlike wine, the vast majority of chocolate is blended, in part because modern chocolate is a product of the industrial revolution where one of the most cherished characteristics is consistency. Once you got used to the taste of (for example) Hershey’s, you would be upset if it tasted differently.

A “terroir” chocolate is one where the origin of the beans is explicitly stated—some companies use the terms ‘pure origin’ (which is where I got the inspiration for the name of my company), ‘single origin,’ or ‘grand cru’ (although grand cru technically means vintage). Even then, the term is misleading, because the “terroir” can be an entire country, which means that the chocolate is almost certainly a blend of beans from two or more growing regions in the country.

For these reasons, The Chocolate Critic prefers to use the term “Named Origin” (or AO—from the French AOC or Appelation d’Origine Controllee). The origin of the bean is stated but there is no NGO (non governmental organization) that certifies that the beans used are what the manufacturer says they are.

There is a form of AO chocolate where the source of the beans is probably traceable—the single estate or single plantation chocolate. There are several companies that now manufacture chocolate where the named origin of the bean is a specific plantation (usually Hacienda) in a specific country. It is in these that the distinct characteristics of the terroir are most evident. Single-estate chocolates are, in the opinion of The Chocolate Critic, among the most interesting eating chocolates in the world.

On a medium scale, there are some very well-known growing regions where the name of the type of the bean is taken from the growing region. In general, a particular variety of cacao bean dominates in the region and there is an expected general taste that is distinctly characteristic of those beans. In Venezuela, Chuao, Carenero, and Sur Del Lago are examples of cacao varietals.

More specifically (and perhaps more accurately), a true varietal chocolate is one made from a specific bean such as the Porcelana, which is a criollo-type. Another example is the Nacional bean, which is a forastero type with criollo characteristics that only fully develops its characteristic flavor Arriba (redolent of orange blossom and jasmine) when grown in its native Ecuador. There are chocolates called Arriba, and that is a mis-use of the name. So, as stated above, these are still “Named Origin” chocolates as there is no NGO that certifies the accuracy of the claim.

Previous Questions and Answers:

1. I'm trying to find House of Bauer Bavarian Mints-Chocolate Mint Meltaways. Does anyone carry these? Haven't been able to find them for a long time. Thanks. Katie Paschke
   Posted by  on  10/25  at  10:28 AM
2. Katie :: I am in the process of ordering these chocolates, sometimes it takes a while. I hope to be able to offer them for Christmas.
   Posted by  on  11/09  at  12:10 PM
3. In case you can advise me, I am trying to trace the whereabouts of a company that made chocolate products in Woolara, Sydney, Australia in the 1950s. Their range included a bar they called Crunchie and fruits made of marzipan. <b>:: Nigel, >/b> I don't have a clue. I was able to find out that the correct spelling is Woolahra and that the city is in the province of New South Wales. You might want to contact someone at Haigh's in Adelaide ... an older member of the family may remember something. The URL for Haigh's is http://www.haighschocolates.com.au. :: Clay
   Posted by  on  07/27  at  03:46 PM