According to one of the most popular and used modern classifications, which was proposed by a famous South African botanist, all cultivated species of cocoa bean trees are divided into only three
main groups (varieties), and the names of these groups are taken according to the traditional Venezuelan trade names:
- cocoa beans group (variety) Criollo,
- cocoa beans group (variety) Amazonian Forastero,
- cocoa beans group (variety) Trinitario
Groups (varieties) of cocoa beans differ from each other:
- by the structure of the fruit of the cocoa beans,
- by the number of cocoa beans in the fruit,
- by the color of cocoa beans.
From a position of quality cocoa beans are divided into:
- aromatic (subtle, or special, or sweet)
- massive.
The first aromatic varieties of cocoa beans are criollo, trinitario and nacional. I must say that the nacional variety belongs to the group of the mass varieties of forastero, but this variety, as an exception, is included in the first elite category of cocoa beans and is grown only on the lands of Ecuador.
All the other varieties of the forastero group belong to the second, mass category of cocoa beans, and cocoa powder is made from varieties of Forastero for the popular cocoa drink.