TERRA Chocolate Taiwan Review: Best Single-Origin Bean-to-Bar
Sail on a cocoa pod boat and explore the diverse and rich flavors of the chocolate river, in this article I share some of my recent findings from researching single-origin chocolates.
Bean to bar chocolate
“Bean-to-Bar” means that everything from selecting and roasting cocoa beans to making the final chocolate is done by the maker themselves. At the beginning of the year, my husband and I held a chocolate tasting session at home. We tasted single-origin chocolates from the Taiwanese brand Terra, which had launched a “World Tour” chocolate collection.
Terra is a chocolate shop that focuses on exploring and appreciating single-origin chocolate, similar to the concept of single-origin coffee beans. The World Tour Chocolate box contains nine small pieces, each made with 70% cocoa from different regions. Although the ingredients are just cocoa beans, cocoa butter, and sugar, the variations in cocoa variety, origin, fermentation, and roasting techniques create unique flavors. This completely surprised me—I never expected such a huge difference in taste between chocolates from different regions! Each origin has its own distinct and recognizable character. I was also surprised to find that I enjoyed single-origin chocolate more than flavored chocolates with various added ingredients.
I cut each small piece into four, so my husband and I could have two pieces each—allowing us to taste every origin twice. Don’t underestimate the size! If you take your time to savor each bite carefully, you’ll feel completely satisfied. Since 70% chocolate has less sugar than many other chocolates and we shared small portions, we didn’t feel guilty after eating.
The box also comes with a flavor booklet describing the characteristics of each origin. Each time, I first tasted the chocolate without reading the descriptions, writing down my own impressions before checking the booklet.
My Chocolate Impressions
| Origin | Flavour |
Madagascar | Slightly bitter, with acidity coming through, but it finishes gently. The second piece is a bit sweeter, with acidity as the main note. |
| Dominican Republic | More of a nutty profile, with a slight acidity as an accent, and a pleasant milky sensation. |
| Trinidad | Notes of leather, medicinal tones, aged characteristics, and herbal medicine, but it finishes gently. |
| Colombia | Candy-like. |
| India | Essence of chicken, chicken broth, milky notes, floral hints, with a lingering aroma and a touch of sweet liquor. |
| Vietnam | Meaty, nutty, with spicy cinnamon, sweetness, and layered complexity. |
| Taiwan | Slight plastic note, full-bodied sweetness, strong cocoa flavor, slight acidity as an accent, and a peanut-like finish. |
| Peru | Citrusy, floral, fresh and sweet, youthful, with a pastoral feel. |
| Tanzania | Sweet liquor notes, developing into a nutty character, with fruity and floral aromas, an elegant finish, and a nostalgic touch. |
Among them, my favorite is the Tanzania chocolate (with Peru coming in second). I still miss it to this day! I even searched online to see where I could buy Tanzania chocolate in Germany. Unfortunately, it seems that Tanzania chocolate is not very common in Germany. The only thing I found was a store importing the Icelandic chocolate brand Omnom, and I also discovered the Kokoa Kamili chocolate farm in Tanzania. I’m really eager to try their chocolate.
Out of curiosity about the cocoa tree and its growing environment, the cocoa flowers, and the chocolate-making process, I found some fascinating videos and articles. I also bought two books about chocolate. I’ve included the information at the end.
I spent half of February researching and drawing chocolate-related things, and eventually completed the illustration for the newsletter cover. Actually, I didn’t finish the illustration until the end of February because the creative process wasn’t as smooth as I had hoped.
I shared the struggles of the creative process on Patreon.
I bought this box of chocolates again for the 2026 Lunar New Year, but this time I sketched out my impressions while tasting them. Amazingly, the experience was completely different this time around!
KNOW More ABout Chocolates
- The Miracle Process of Cacao Pollination
- Tanzania Changes The Rules For African Cacao
- Being A Bean-To-Bar Maker In Iceland
- The Basics of Organic Cacao Farming
Videos
- A Beginner’s Guide to Bean-to-Bar Chocolate
- Wie man Schokolade macht | SWR Handwerkskunst (How to make chocolate, English subtitle)