/r/Cacao
/r/Cacao is a place where chocolate lovers of all types can chat about their experiences. Cacao beans are the base ingredient chocolate is made from. Through roasting, grinding, and a series of other steps chocolate makers create incredible flavors and textures.
/r/Cacao
Background
I have a background in coffee and am very passionate about food and cooking in general. Always been interested in learning more about chocolate since they are similar but I'm not crazy about sugary foods. Eventually I found myself enjoying snacking on 100% ghirardelli dark chocolate wafers. I decided I wanted to try some other types pure cacao. After trying a few, I was fascinated and realized there's no better time to go for a deep dive into the rabbit hole. Sure you could try a new chocolate each week, but the differences and nuances are less obvious when spread apart. After all, most chocolate will taste primarily like... cholate. I wanted to really see the full spectrum of what chocolate has to offer, and doing a ton in a dense period seemed the most efficient. Plus maybe a touch of 'tism involved.
Methods
This all took place over the course of maybe 2 months where I would typically start each day mindfully trying around ~5g from 3 new bars at a time, selected randomly with an RNG. More than 3 new ones at a time tended to be a little too confusing on the palate, but I would often go back and make retroactive comparisions as sanity checks after the new ones. Then when I was all done, I went back and did a lot more fine tuning of my results. Some days I tried 20+ chocolates in the same day. I logged all of this on an excel spreadsheet. I'm not gonna share it here, but I tracked the following: Brand, Origin, Variety, Exp date, Price, Weight, $ per g.
And then I had numerical ranking systems for the following categories: Package (the unboxing experience), Visual (of chocolate bar), mouthfeel, potency, distinctness, sweetness, bitterness, acidity, and overall score
. I noted if there were any flavor notes on the package and recorded my own comments as well. I'm not a professional chocolate taster but to me, these categories were the most relevant things to track. I also took photos of the packaging and bars.
Source
All chocolates were sourced online. Most were from barandcocoa.com . I'm not writing this to shill them, but they were clearly the store with the largest collection of specialty 100% dark chocolates and prices were comparable or better to purchasing directly from the brands themselves. Their customer service was very good too, I'm quite happy with them. Ultimately I ended up buying all the possible 100% bars they had offered on the website at the time. Then there were a handful of brand-specific purchases where I bought through the brand website like To'ak.
There's a lot of things I could say.... I'm gonna subcategorize by the things I tracked.
Brand
Origin
Variety
Exp Date
Price/Weight
Packaging
Visual
Mouthfeel
Potency
Distinctness
Sweetness
Bitterness
Acidity
Astringency
Tasting notes
Defects
The Organic House, Phillippines: hypersmooth, not very acidic/bitter, mellow soft caramel, milky and creamy, nutty. Disagree with the floral tasting notes, but it is a mellower taste so I can see why.
Cacao Hunters, Colombia: Very tasty, extremely sweet, caramely, mellow flavors, maybe a little fruity. their description isnt bad ["flavors of lemongrass, lemon balm, green apple, fresh herbs, and flowers"], I think apple works. Well balanced although suspiciously sweet, probably the sweetest overall.
Momotombo Waslala, Nicaragua: Soft/mellow yet profound. A very distinct leathery/woody flavor with a touch of mintiness. Interesting degree of complexity for being mellow, and highly distinct
Domori, Venezuela: Potent hazelnut flavor, almost like nutella. Maybe peanut/almond a tad. Very smooth mouthfeel, rich and balanced.
Original Beans, Cusco: The most fruity, ridiculous berry flavor, deep and bright.
Francois Pralus, Madagascar: Hypersmooth and lush, intensely milky, toasted nut/caramel. really well executed crowd-pleaser for sure. good job sir
Zotter Labooka Maya, blend: Great mouthfeel with beautiful packaging and design. Bold and intense. A fearless, classic dark chocolate flavor leaning towards bitter.
Firetree, Vanuatu: Deep, rich, moody, balanced. There is a slight hint of red fruit flavor in the periphery. satisfying lip smacking texture.
Fresco 267, Ghana: Very sweet, nutty, toasty. Very smooth and rounded, albeit a tinge of astringency in the finish. Light on the palate with a very distinct graham cracker flavor.
A. Morin Guemon, Ivory Coast: Unmistakeable smokey/woody flavor. Potent, entrancing and distinct. love it.
A. Morin Chanchamayo, Peru: Extremely fruity, floral, complex. Very sweet and hard to believe its not sweetened or flavored.
Friis Holm La Dalia, Nicaragua: satisfying mouthfeel, soft and mellow yet profound. shares similar leathery/woody (tobacco?) flavor as the other Nicaraguans, great.
Definite Chocolate, Dominican Republic: A soft herbal flavor, almost minty, balanced with some bitterness. I wouldnt call it particularly fruity [like the notes], but black tea taste for sure is applicable. interesting!
Moka Origins, Tanzania: sweet, I agree it has a cherry like fruitiness. straightforward and enjoyable.
Mission Chocolate, Brazil: deep, luscious, vivid. Musky undertone, like mushroom, with a molasses flavor.
A. Morin Porcelana, Venezuela: Fruity, roasty, nutty, floral, woody... All perfectly balanced, another banger by A Morin.
Soma Arcana, blend: Airy and light flavor, but not in a watered down way. No bitterness. Like sweet cream or toasted marshmallow. Theres a strong "browned butter" element, but I dont notice any fruitiness [like in the tasting notes]
Honestly its hard to pick favorites even, I feel like I want to mention a few of the 3/4s that maybe could be 4s: Rozsavolgyi Naked Cocoa, Peru was a very great execution of a creamy, rounded, milky straightforward chocolate experience, like drinking a cup of hot chocolate. beautiful packing and design. The Mirzam, Tanzania was really nice for a mild, airy, slightly sweed and non domineering flavor, possibly verging on vanilla. ALL of the Chocolat Madagascar were really great, beautiful mouthfeel, leaning more towards classic chocolate as opposed to anything exotic or distinct. I will say I was disappointed by Amadei Toscano Black, Blend, and Varlhona Araguani, Venezuela, which I thought were highly regarded in the chocolate world. And although Goodnow Farms, Peru, had a interesting distinct flavor, I dont think it was as good as all the awards that it seems to have won. How about the extremely expensive To'ak ones? They were really good tbh, with pretty accurate notes, but I cant justify the cost. Seems mostly to be marketing. As mentioned earlier, I did not like Ora that much at all. Baiani, Brazil was interesting for its distinctness (spearmint?) albeit chalky and watered down flavor.
If I had to pick 5 absolute favorites overall to recommend, that show a good variety of the cacao spectrum, shewww.... Maybe Pralus, Momotombo, A Morin Guemon, Original Beans and Soma Arcana. IDK, maybe throw in one of the extremely sweet ones too if you like that.
Conclusion
Millcreek Cacao, Conexion, Qantu, Akesson's, The Organic House, Raaka, Cacao Hunters, Valrhona Araguani, Momotombo, Domori, Auro Saloy, Original Beans, Francois Pralus, Cacaoteca, Baiani, Zotter Labooko, Belvie Black Diamond, Amadei Toscano, Firetree, Fresco, Maison Bonnat, Dandelion, A. Morin, Fruition, Firetree, Chocolat Madagascar, Friis Holm, Definite Chocolate, Goodnow Farms, Fjak, Moka origins, Chocolarder, Mirzam, Marana, Rozsavolgyi, Ritual, Mission, Letterpress, Marou, Soma, To'ak, Ora.
Hi folks- New cacao lover and long time dark chocolate aficionado. I started with Ora discs and really liked them. Then I bought Nativas cacao nibs at my health food store.
I want to gradually upgrade and find a higher quality, subscription based coffee substitute.
I narrowed my search down and settled on Cacao Lab’s Arriba Nacional, which has great reviews and I got 2.2 lbs ground for $84. That should last over a month. Meanwhile Lavalove is $62.99 for just 1 lb but have heard fabulous things.
Is it that much better? Anyone here budgeting ~$120-130/mo for quality cacao on the daily?
I have also read the higher price doesn’t necessarily mean massive quality difference, more just sourcing process / smaller production batches. What do you think?
Thanks!
Hi, I've tried to ferment some cacao beans and it's been 10 days. When I checked on them, they've been infested with molds :"(
Can I still salvage them or should I just move on and throw them away? Do you have any tips on how to prevent molds like this? Please help, it would suck for these to go to waste :"(
Also is it safe to consume ceremonial doses (40g + ) regularly ?
mom got me a massive greenhouse for Christmas and my Theobroma cacao plant is in there and is loving it it stays around 70 degrees in there and has decently Hye humidity at least 50 percent probably more like 80 its doing really well its 3 feet tall and only 8 months old not Shure if that's good or not but its happy i want to get all the rare types of cacao and Theobroma bicolor is on that list but cant seem to find it some help would be nice
hey everyone! my family has been planting, growing, and harvesting cacao to make our own "tablea" as a side hobby since the pandemic. one of the tasks in the process that i found really tedious is peeling the roasted beans. we usually do it together while watching a movie as sort of a bonding time but eventually it gets taxing, causes blisters and stains my fingers black from the soot. are there any ways or techniques you can recommend that would help make the process more effective?
How often is it recommended to turn beans on raised beds in a greenhouse?
Hello everyone, I am currently looking for cheap cocoa beans where to find them and how much. Thank you for your information
I bought a cacao pod a couple weeks ago with the intention of eating it. Just got around to opening it and noticed the beans are slightly discolored a little brownish. Are these still safe to consume? If so any recommendations? Maybe roast in the oven first? TIA
Title
Hi all, I have the option to use cocoa powder or cacao paste in my ice cream. I want the strongest and boldest chocolate flavor. Which option do you all think would help me achieve this? Thanks!
PS: I know cacao paste is bitter but my ice cream base will have enough sugar in it as is.
For decades ive been interested to try cacao beans since i was a kid and found out where chocalate came from.
I recently bought this huge bad of raw beans on amazon. They taste nothing like I expected. They almost taste like vinegar from the fermentation process.
Are these safe to eat raw like this?
Would roasting them change the flavor profile?
I have a gluten intolerance and often have an upset stomach, after eating a couple of these ive found my stomach at ease. Could it help my stomach because of being fermented?
Any health benefits to eating these?
Have you experienced any negative effect on health from cacao long term? I feel a bit anhedonic and brain foggy for a few days after a ceremonial dosage. And my cognition has gone down a bit long term, but it may be because of other causes i don't know.
Hello, I was walking through a grocery store when I saw whole cacao pods. I bought it because I've never seen them before and I was so excited but after reading online I'm not sure if I can use mine. My cacao is dark brown and it doesn't sound hollow at all. Is there something I can still do with this? Can I still make chocolate with it? Here's a picture
Hi I was hoping to get a definite answer on which is better and why?
Many thanks,
Wizard Jake.
At the moment, I eat 2 blocks of Lindt 90% chocolate which is about 12g and two tbsp of cacao powder in milk which adds up to about 22g of cacao per day. I’m not sure how healthy the Lindt chocolate is and I don’t particularly love drinking milk that much since it makes me feel heavy. Is there any way of making cacao without adding any sugar and also how many grams of pure cacao should I eat for maximum benefits?
Hello! I’m a huge fan of cacao and love baking my own chocolates, cakes, and puddings. Recently, I came across Bryan Johnson talking about how many cacao brands, even organic ones, contain high levels of heavy metals. Curious, I did some research and, unfortunately, found he’s right. Most brands have concerning metal content, which is disappointing.
So, I’m on a mission to find a healthier alternative. Does anyone know of a reliable, low-heavy-metal cacao brand in Canada?
Your recommendations would mean the world.
Thane in advance!
I have two bags of raw cacao I brought back from Mexico a year and a half ago. I've been away from home a lot, and they've been sitting in the cabinet. Does cacao go bad? I don't think it does, and it looks fine, but I wanted to double check first before I use it.
I've been drinking raw cacao for nearly a year now. Usually, I microwave the water for a few minutes, make rose tea, then add the paste to a blender with the cacao, honey, and spices. It always comes out creamy and delicious.
Tonight I had a "craving" for cacao, but I didn't want to mess up the blender or a pot, so I tried something different. I simply added water to a coffee mug, microwaved it, then added my ingredients. (I skipped the rosebuds.) The cacao melted completely as I stirred and it didn't taste any different from my usual method.
Has anyone else tried this technique?
Hello! I'm planning a New Year's cacao ceremony with a few elements and torn about timing/order.
How would you time things based on where you think attendees will be in their cacao "high" cycle --- When will people want to move, meditate, see nature, etc?
Option 1: walk outside before yoga
9:30am cacao ceremony
10:00 meditation + vision session (incl. partner work)
11:00 walk/hike (cold climate)
(12-12:15 re-settle inside)
12:15-1:15 yoga
chit-chat & depart
Option 2: yoga before walking outside
9:30am cacao ceremony
10:00 meditation + vision session (incl. partner work)
11:00 yoga inside
(12-12:15 dress for cold)
12:15-1:15 walk/hike (cold climate)
a friend from puerto rico gifted me some cacao fruit and i was trying to save it for a special occasion but now it’s turning brown :( is it still safe to eat
As most my questions here have not be answered I'm thinking I'm asking in the wrong place, things like growing, post harvest production and chocolate making machinery for instance.
well to start its doing really well and yesterday decided to check the thin trunk because i saw a pattern. forming and noticed something odd i didn't recognize. there round circular almost buds forming on spots on the trunk. i know its not leaves or branches number one they don't have those hair like things. and number two arnt on any spots were a leaf was. its technically only seven to eight months old. but i read that they can if there really healthy flower prematurely but wont produce anything. can they be flowers i cant get a good picture because there so small. next question is iv been using a organic 4 4 4 fertilizer. what kind going Forword should i go for something hye in nitrogen to support leaf development. or something hye in phosphorus for flowers and fruiting. what exactly is the best to use lastly iv been trying to get ahold of a Theobroma bicolor plant kind of whant to grow one as well but cant find any place that i can get one
Hi r/cacao,
I'm looking to buy fresh organic (ceremonial) cacao fruits/pods that ship to The Netherlands/Europe.
Please do tell me if you find anything 😉🙏🏼
Thanks in advance!
Kind regards,
Merijn