I assume most new cacao fermenters go through the same phase I went through. I suspected that my cacao beans, grown and processed with so much love and care, are special and amazing, but that was not enough—I wanted proof. Had there been a local bean judging contest back then, I probably would have entered, potentially sacrificing half of one my precious tiny fermentation for evaluation by an unknown metric.
Fast forward ten years to last weekend. I had the opportunity to experience the other side: judging fermented, dried, unroasted cacao beans entered by farmers across the island. This experience led to many reflections, both on judging cocoa beans and on changes to my attitude from the early days of my first fermentations.
The event last weekend was the Big Island Chocolate Festival. Hawai'i Island is the happy home to two chocolate festivals, and this was the fancy one in the tourist area with celebrity chefs and beautifully plated chocolate delicacies. I set up a table for the farmer’s day program , which included talks by Nat Bletter of Madre Chocolate and Maddy Smith of Barefoot Chocolatini and Cocoa Rose Chocolate. I showed tiny cacao fermentations in two stages and answered (and asked) questions. Connecting with leeward side cacao growers is such a treat. People are passionate and creative over there!

But let’s talk about cocoa bean judging. Fortuitously, Clay Gordon recently talked about this topic on his YouTube Channel, Pod Save Chocolate. If you are wondering about the quality of your cocoa beans, watch it. Right at the beginning he hits the same points that I hope will become take-home messages from my words on this topic, too.
There are no absolute standards for “good,” “the best,” “fine flavor,” or anything else in cocoa beans.
The way cocoa beans are usually judged tells you nothing about the potential they have to make good chocolate. (Again there is no absolute “good” chocolate. Do you want chocolate you like to eat or will win awards or that sells well?)
(Not explicitly said by Clay, but one of my pet points that fits in here.) Different people like different things, and that is OK! We humans love to rank, but all rankings are personal preference more than any absolute reality.
In the video, Clay goes into detail about the execution and limitations of the cut test. I briefly cover it in my book, too. The gist is that you cut a certain number of beans in half and look at the results. If you use a fancy guillotine that bisects fifty at once, you can take a whiff right after cutting. You might catch some interesting volatiles, or you might not. Then you visually inspect the beans, looking for:
mold - bad
insect damage - bad
deep grooves - good
bluish or purplish color - bad
You can do this with your own beans, if you’d like. This standard chart will be slightly helpful. You can sacrifice as many as you’d like by carefully cutting them lengthwise with a knife. You can look for these same qualities. But, your score, high or low, will not tell you if you can make good chocolate from them and it especially can not tell you if you will make good chocolate from them. While these seeds have varied potential for flavor, which flavors are developed and destroyed during processing is hugely dependent on your roasting and grinding processes.

Last year at the Chocolate Festival in Hilo, Dandelion Chocolate Sorcerer Greg D'Alesandre gave a talk about what Dandelion looks for when buying beans. The cuts test isn’t it. The do keep a record of the cut test and bean size for year-to-year comparisons of the same source, but often they find that the interesting and delicious chocolate does not come from cut test high scorers. I summarized Greg’s “no bad beans” philosophy in this post.
Tasting the beans is a better metric. One way to do this is to winnow (difficult but not impossible on unroasted beans), grind in a coffee/spice grinder, and mix with water. The water helps carry flavors. The more beans you use, the more are averaged into the mix. Some people will briefly roast beans before trying this process. While tasting is obviously better than looking if good flavor is ultimately the goal, keep in mind that this test will only hint at what a finished chocolate might be.

The contest I judged last weekend asked for a pound of fermented, dried, and unroasted cocoa beans. We smelled the beans. We scrutinized cut beans for mold, insect damage, color, and groove size. We tasted the beans by winnowing and chewing, scoring for bitterness, astringency, and chocolate flavors. I preformed these tasks diligently all the while wondering how my scores would match up with scores for a finished chocolate. Bitterness and acidity mellow in processing, while other flavors come forward. I suggest, if you have interest in the cut tests, write notes about your unroasted beans and compare them to the finished chocolate. I suspect that you will develop an innate sense for what flavors are desirable in the unroasted state for your beans and according to your taste preferences.
A panel of experienced people can help you identify flavors and sensations (astringency) in your beans. They can help you assess the level of fermentation. They can let you know you have problems either insects or mold. But they cannot tell you if your beans are good or better than any one else’s for you making your chocolate. Are your beans good? That depends on the outcome you have in mind and what you do with them next. The quality of your beans is ultimately for you to decide.
I’m not trying to squirm out of the judging job. Last weekend’s experience was super fun and super educational, and I look forward to more judging gigs in the future. I also know that feedback from people who have tasted a lot of beans is helpful for people starting on their tasting journey.
When I gradually learned the truth that, as in almost all things in life, each person must decide what is good for themselves, I was disappointed. Aligning to a universal metric is easier. But the alternative of developing your own preferences and palate is ultimately a lesson on living life in a more engaged and mindful way. The more you put in, the more you get out. (This is also a reminder to myself.) Enjoy your path!
News
This weekend my tiny batch chocolate eduction tour continues: I’m currently packing the car with show-and-tell items for a trip to Hawi tomorrow to give a talk at the Earth Day celebration. I hope you will come ask questions and enjoy some samples.
I mentioned there is a second Chocolate Festivals, the not-as-fancy-pantsy one highlighting tree-to-bar makers and only Hawai'i-grown chocolate. Don’t miss the awesome Hilo Chocolate Festival on May 10th.
Want me to share my experience to your favorite group or event on zoom or in person? Let me know!