Gigantic National Cacao Beans Rediscovered in Ecuador
By: Marissa Brassfield
Published: May 12, 2011

Super-sized National Cacao beans, which U.S. cacao experts believed were long extinct, have been rediscovered in Ecuador. The National Cacao tree is the most "genetically pure expression of cacao ever found," according to Time, and its football-sized white beans don't have the same bitter aftertaste after roasting as the purple cacao beans we're used to eating.
The rediscovery of the rare National Cacao beans comes as a pleasant surprise for chocolate fans and cacao experts. Although chocolate treats from these gigantic beans will no doubt be expensive, their quality and flavor will make them well worth the cost. 
Photo by: EverJean