There are many different ways to enjoy Cacao - it doesn't just have to be as a drink!
The Sundried Bean At this stage, the seed of the Cacao fruit has been fermented in its own fruit and then sun-dried. If they have been tested for no heavy metals, then the beans can be simply eaten at this stage.
Whole peeled bean These beans have been gently roasted and then hand peeled. They are wonderful to eat.
The cacao husk is the skin that is removed from the bean. It is either done at an industrial level with rollers and a winnowing fan, by hand at a village level or at home in your kitchen.
The Cacao Nib The sundried bean has been roasted, the bean broken and the husk blown away. The remaining pieces are the cacao nibs. This can be done gently by hand at home to optimise the health benefits.
Whole fat Cacao Powder The nib has been lightly blended in a mill or spice grinder to become a powder. All the fat still remains in the powder so all of the health benefits are still intact.
Traditional Cacao Powder The nibs have been ground into a paste. High pressure is then applied so all the fat is squeezed out
Cacao butter is the fat that is in the Cacao bean. Almost 50% of the bean is the fat. When Cacao powder is made as above, under the pressure all the fat is squeezed out. This is Cacao butter.
This is the nibs ground into a paste with nothing added. Just the pure bean with the husk removed broken into nibs and ground into a paste.. As The cacao bean has told us to ensure cacao is also decadent when making the paste we add extra cacao butter so the experience is softer and smoother. So the entire bean is used and additional butter for more mmmmm sensual soft gorgeousness, whilst at the same time still maintaining all the health benefits.
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