I was gifted some cacao grown in Amazon but it's in powdered form. Does this mean all of the benefits have been stripped?

Just purchased 1kg of un roasted PNG beans to attempt my first milk chocolate bars but am struggling to find ratios anywhere- I am going to be making my own cacao butter so how many grams of beans should I set aside for it? Was thinking 500g for the cacao paste and 500g for the cacao butter? Also I know it is to taste but if anyone has recommendations of how much sugar for this amount of beans- I want a sweet creamy milk chocolate. Any tips appreciated 🙏🏽

Am wanting to make chocolate from scratch but can not seem to find anywhere that sells or ships fresh cacao pods to Victoria Australia- If anyone knows anything on how to get some here or even why I can’t find any that would be great! Thanks

My girlfriend and I have been trying to ferment some cacao seeds in order to make chocolate. Each time has ended the same... with mold. I live in Florida and my ac is set at 72f. Humidity inside is probably around 50%. The pic here is 3 days into fermentation. Any advice is much appreciated. Thank you

Hey, I'm just starting to learn how to make chocolate. I bought dry raw cacao beans from Mexico, and they arrived with a moisture level of 12-14%. Should they have arrived with a moisture level of 6% - 7.5% before roasting, or should that moisture level be reached after roasting? Should I be checking the moisture level after roasting? I'm just a little confused with the process and haven't found much info.

​

I've just finished roasting my cacao beans and remove their shells, and now they smell like dark coffee. Is this normal? (I'm new)

I’m looking to buy some cocoa beans to grind and use in a French press at home. I don’t have experience so I am looking for recommendations on brands please. Thanks!

Update: I still haven’t found any. Please share brand names that I can buy online and that ship to the United States if you know of any. :-)

Hi, I'm in the process of fermenting may cacao beans and noticed a mold forming, can this still be saved? Just bits of mold forming.

I would like to prep a week’s worth of brewed cacao, but I am concerned that it will spoil too soon. Is there a reliable way to extend the shelf life of my brewed cacao? I’m using cacao nibs.

Will cacao nibs have the same affects as ceremonial cacao? I’m looking for the uplifting feeling.

How often do you do cacao ceremony? What dosage and form?

100 g 90% dark chocolate bar works good for me, opens my heart and makes me present.

Just a warning if you've planned to do a cacao ceremony. I took Imovane/Zopiclone at night. And did cacao ceremony at morning, but i feel nothing at all.

Hi everyone,

I've been in consuming a Procelana / White Almond Criollo for the first time and it was truly divine. It's from Chiapas in México. Has anyone else been consuming / working with this type? Where do you find it? And what's your experience?

Hi Team,
I have 3 little Cacao saplings that I'm growing in pots in a greenhouse in subtropical Australia. 2 are fine, but one is tall and willowy, and bending under it's own weight. I'm thinking about pruning it's top to take some of the weight off, does anyone know how cacao saplings respond to being pruned?

Also, can anyone suggest why it's growing like this? I presume a nutritional deficiency in the soil, but I don't know which nutrient to try.

Hoping to get some recommendations.

I recently tried ceremonial cacao for the first time and for whatever reason, I really struggled to drink it.

It was thick, rough and bitter in a way that immediately made me quite nauseous.

I notice people tend to avoid adding sweeteners and don't mix it with dairy. Is there a good reason for this beyond a vegan no-sugar sensibility? Can I also pulverize it so that the blend is smooth?

I really enjoyed the experience but the part where I actually had to drink it really made me gag and was not enjoyable.

We bought 2 cacao pods from our specialty grocery store. We have bought from here once before and used YouTube tutorials to roast the beans and get some delicious cacao nibs. This time, we put the fermented beans on a sheet in the oven. At 300 degrees for about an hour (we followed the same YouTube tutorial we used last time). The shells are quite black and still a little sticky. The nibs inside were still slightly wet looking. The nibs tasted super bitter…not like chocolate at all. The house smells like butter with a hint of chocolate. Should we roast them longer until they are more dry? Worried that the outside shells are so dark.

I heard that cacao can be "stronger" than an espresso shot but can it be stronger than eating a whole tablespoon of instant espresso powder?

I consume a whole tablespoon of Nescafe Gold Blend Instant Espresso on days where I am very sleep deprived and have not had much sleep the night before as I really struggle to stay awake on sleep deprived days and am very sensitive to senses and urges, which especially involves sleepiness, as I have Asperger's.

It surprisingly doesn't make me feel sick (maybe because I eat yogurt before and after it) and I feel completely fine, except for racing heart ofc.

I am telling this because I am wondering if it is worth buying cacao powder to eat when sleep deprived or if cacao powder can't get as strong as what I do.

And if it can be stronger than espresso, how many grams should I take to feel an effect as strong as espresso? And how to make a "cacao shot"?

Hey all, Is anyone grinding their cacao manually? What tools are you using? A corn mill with a curb? Or a stone mill?

Thanks

Dear fellow cacao lovers, which materials do you recommend for molds in order to create chocolate / cacao in such forms as above?

I absolutely love this stuff for a guilt free delicious drink. I don't like coffee or caffeine. I'll heap like... an half oz or something, like a massive amount of dutched cocoa or raw cacao powder into really hot water (my tap gets really hot) and enjoy it, zero sweeteners or anything else (I don't do liquid calories or added sugar).

I've got some cacao paste coming in and excited to try it, but curious on long term health effects of taking an oz of of cocoa/cacao a day. I do feel a slight buzz on it and honestly would like to try to avoid that (is there a decaf version haha).

Thanks

Never drank cacao before. Just ordered some of the internet. I would like to try a ceremonial dose. What's the recommendation for drinking it? Put it in a shot glass and then neck it in one go like you would Ayahausca?

Thank you