10 Great Rough Ground Chocolate Bars
In the refined world of 21st-century specialty chocolate, an ancient method of chocolate making is resurging and challenging the mainstream. Often seen as the unsophisticated, poor cousin of lusciously smooth chocolate, rough ground bars have rarely been taken seriously by the European chocolate elite. Now, some of the world’s finest makers are unleashing the incredible potential of this historic style of chocolate, and the exciting, singular flavours it can offer.
What exactly is rough ground chocolate?
Making rough chocolate photo credit Luke Owen Smith
Like many chocolate terms, ‘rough ground’ can be a complex and confusing phrase. Essentially, it’s used to describe chocolate that’s created by grinding cacao nibs and sugar for much less time than what’s required to make smooth chocolate. But within that context, there are lots of different techniques that chocolate makers can use, and many different names given to the style. ‘Rustic’, ‘stone ground’*, ‘Modica’, ‘unrefined’, ‘cold pressed’ and ‘minimally processed’ can all be used to denote the same core method of partial grinding.
Rough ground chocolate is gaining popularity, with many craft chocolate makers adding this style to their repertoire, and even industry giants like Valrhona getting in on the action. However, the texture of this type of chocolate can be divisive for consumers – some describe it as ‘gritty’ or ‘sandy’ (in a derogatory way), while others find it pleasantly ‘crunchy’ or ‘biscuity’. If you’re new to rough ground bars, note that they can have very different levels of crunchiness and particle size, so it’s worth trying a variety of brands before deciding whether you enjoy them or not.
*‘Stone ground’ can also be used for smooth chocolate. The term was made prevalent by Taza Chocolate, a U.S. maker of Mexican-inspired rough ground chocolate. As such, many people think all stone ground chocolate has a rough texture, but that is not the case.
Flavour potential
Adding nibs photo credit Luke Owen Smith
While texture is the main thing that sets rough ground chocolate apart, the flavour can also be unique and captivating. A key difference in the production process is that it doesn’t involve conching – a technique that refines the particle size, as well as reducing volatile flavour compounds and acidity, using friction-created heat. Much like cold-pressed olive oil, rough ground chocolate retains some flavours that would be lost when making smooth chocolate. In some cases, these flavours might be undesirable, but when working with exceptional cacao, the results can be incredible.
The unique flavour of rough ground chocolate is also due to the size of the cacao and sugar grains. Much like grated carrot tastes different to a large chunk of carrot, larger grains interact differently with our palates, compared to heavily refined particles. A rough ground bar can taste wildly different to a smooth bar, even when made with exactly the same ingredients.
Rough history
Mexican chocolate disks
There’s a fair bit of misinformation out there about the history of rough-ground chocolate. Some people falsely claim that it’s been around since the Aztecs, but back then, cacao was only consumed as a drink without the addition of sugar. After Spanish colonists invaded Central America in the 16th Century, they took cacao to Europe and started grinding it together with sugar.
In Europe and Central America, rough ground chocolate discs were designed to be blended with hot water or hot milk, in order to create drinking chocolate. Over time, people developed a taste for eating rough ground chocolate as well, but after Rodolphe Lindt invented the conche in 1879, smooth chocolate became the preference of most of the world.
In the mid-to-late 1500s, Spanish and Portuguese colonists introduced the concept of blending cacao and sugar to Central America, and rough ground chocolate is still popular in the region today. It’s also still prevalent in Sicily, which was under Spanish control until 1713. Learn more about Sicily’s fascinating Modica chocolate culture.
Rough ground chocolate bars
Taza Mexican-Style Stone Ground Chocolate
Founded in 2005 in Somerville, Massachusetts, Taza Chocolate is world-renowned for its ‘perfectly unrefined’ organic chocolate that’s inspired by traditional Mexican techniques. Their Cinnamon Disc exemplifies this heritage, blending 50% organic dark chocolate with aromatic cinnamon. Using hand-carved granite millstones, Taza creates a delightful crumbly texture that preserves the bold flavours of the cacao. Taza is a pioneer of ethical, transparent and direct trade in the chocolate industry.
Fu Wan Taiwan #9 Ping Tung Double Ferment Rough Ground Chocolate
Fu Wan Chocolate is a groundbreaking tree-to-bar chocolate maker from Taiwan. The company is celebrated for its intrepid innovation, experimental methods, and the advancement of Taiwanese specialty cacao. Their Taiwan #9 70% Double Ferment Rough Ground bar exemplifies this reputation. The cacao is house-fermented in micro batches, undergoing a double fermentation process that enhances bright notes of strawberry, apple, and balsamic. The coarsely ground beans deliver a distinctive, effervescent texture, earning this multi award-winning bar the nickname “solid champagne.” Learn more about Fuwan Chocolate.
Soma Old School Milk Chocolate bar
A very rare example of a rough ground chocolate made with milk! This legendary bar from SOMA Chocolatemaker in Toronto is a big favourite with craft chocolate lovers around the world. It’s made with just three ingredients – partially ground cacao nibs (sourced from Chuao, Venezuela), milk, and whole crystals of organic sugar. These ingredients are combined in a vintage melangeur – without any additional processing, refining, or conching – creating a distinctly crumbly and cookie-like texture. The dark version is also phenomenal.
Minimal bean-to-bar chocolate
Minimal is a Tokyo-based bean-to-bar chocolate maker that specialises in minimally-processed, single origin chocolate. The Arhuaco 65% dark bar is made with just two ingredients – lightly roasted Colombian cacao and beet sugar. Together with the moreish texture, the mouthwatering, grape-like flavour and subtle floral notes have helped this become Minimal’s bestselling (and most awarded) bar. It pairs beautifully with orange natural wine.
Naive rough ground chocolate
Chocolate Naive’s Rough-Ground bar is a 75% dark chocolate made with Ecuadorian specialty cacao, offering notes of summer berries, honey and nuts. It’s a bold tribute to the antique chocolate-making methods of the 1800s – dark, unpolished, and honest. According to Chocolate Naive, ‘this retro-modern chocolate bar comes from the future of the past, so get on board the time machine and let’s go to the era of naïve inventors and dreamers who opened a new human history chapter by learning how to fly like a bird, harness lightning, and tame horsepower.’
Qantu Freestyle!
Based in Montréal, Qantu was founded by Elfi Maldonado and Maxime Simard, who met in Peru and discovered a shared passion for preserving heirloom Peruvian cacao. Their Freestyle! 65% Rough Ground bar captures the raw essence of beans from the VRAEM region of Ayacucho. This bar is minimally roasted and coarsely ground, resulting in a crunchy texture and complex tasting notes of blackcurrant and cedar. This crispy and invigorating chocolate was inspired by Elfi and Maxime’s cacao sourcing trips to Peru. Learn more about Qantu.
Chocolate Tree Aztec Spice bar
Chocolate Tree’s Mexico Aztec Spice bar is an homage to ancient Mesoamerican cacao traditions. This 70% dark chocolate is crafted from heirloom Criollo-Amelonado beans sourced from Mayan communities in Tabasco, Mexico. Inspired by Aztec drinking chocolate, this warming and crunchy bar combines organic almonds, cinnamon and chilli – all ground together with organic cacao and sugar.
Based in Dunbar, Scotland, Chocolate Tree is dedicated to sustainable bean-to-bar chocolate making, supporting biodiversity, and transparent trade practices.
Donna Elvira chocolate
Donna Elvira’s Peru Fortunato No. 4 bar is a singular expression of chocolate heritage. Crafted from Pure Nacional cacao, this chocolate offers delicate floral, fruity and hazelnut notes. It’s made in Modica, Sicily, using traditional cold-processing methods that help it retain a rustic, crystalline texture.
This rare, heirloom cacao variety was considered extinct until 2007, when it was rediscovered in the Marañón River Canyon. Donna Elvira is a key player in Modica’s bean-to-bar movement, and was the first chocolate maker in Italy to use these rare Nacional beans.
Diego’s Chocolate Hand-Rolled Cardamom Dark Chocolate
Diego’s Chocolate’s Hand-Rolled Cardamom Dark Chocolate is an unforgettable creation from the shores of Guatemala’s Lake Atitlán. This 75% dark chocolate roll is crafted with fire-roasted organic cacao and a touch of milk, then studded with fragrant cardamom from Alto Verapaz.
The rich, fudgy texture of Diego’s Chocolate is unlike any other chocolate brand, and very different to the crunchy texture of most rough ground chocolate. The texture is due to a fascinating process that includes gently cooking cacao mass with panela and orange juice, resulting in a soft, fresh and untempered chocolate that melts easily on the tongue.
Handmade by the Tz’utujil Maya since 1990, Diego’s Chocolate honors ancestral techniques, using local ingredients and supporting indigenous artisans. Each delicious roll reflects a commitment to tradition, environmental responsibility, and community empowerment.
Mike & Becky – Short Ground 70%, La Gina
Mike & Becky’s Short Ground 70% La Gina bar is a bold, rustic chocolate that offers a surprising and delectable experience for your palate. It’s crafted in Brussels, Belgium, from organic Hispaniola Trinitario beans, sourced via Öko-Caribe in the Dominican Republic. By shortening the grinding time to just 12 hours, the bar retains a coarse texture with the sugar granules still intact. This elevates the cacao’s natural notes of bright red berries and deep, earthy undertones.