Brewed cacao like coffee?

LaurieLovesLearning
LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin
edited December 2020 in General Recipes

Has anyone here brewed cacao beans? There is a company that is promoting this as a healthy coffee substitute. I don't drink much coffee, but I could drink lots of this, I'm sure.

I can get beautiful whole cacao beans from a local business. I think these, ground, would be nicer than trying to use nibs. I do have some questions, though.

Do you need to roast them first or anything? They are pretty soft, still having all their goodness intact. I can crumble them in my fingers after taking the stiff paper-like stuff off.

A second question, is there an easy way to take that stiff papery cover off?

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Comments

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    Resurrecting this question. I am still curious if anyone has answers.

  • Cornelius
    Cornelius Posts: 872 ✭✭✭✭

    I believe Cocao beans need to be roasted. They did a study like this and determined that it did not taste good as it was not sweet like a chocolate bar. Stevia might make it more palliate?

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    @Cornelius but I wouldn't expect it to be sweet. Coffee is not...but as you said, that can always be remedied! I might just add a few warming spices to it too. Mmmm...😋

  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    This is an interesting subject. I recently ordered some cocao nibs, tasted a couple right out of the package....wrong move.

    Now I have no idea what to do with them. Will be hoping you get some good ideas on here.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin
    edited December 2020

    Cacao nibs are often used in place of chocolate chips/nuts in cookies.

    Some people like to snack on them. Some of my kids do. I know...bitter!

  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Three years ago, I did a sugar detox and was really craving hot chocolate. I decided to try it with unsweetened cocoa powder and a dash of ground cinnamon. That's how I drink it now. I have roasted whole bean cacao. I'll brew it and let you know what happens.

  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Done:) I ground the cacao in my blender, then brewed it like coffee. I am sitting here enjoying it now. If I had to give up coffee, this would be a decent substitute.

  • Michelle D
    Michelle D Posts: 1,465 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @LaurieLovesLearning thanks for the great idea.

    @Tave thanks for testing it to let us know.

    I will have to try this. I need to cut back on how much coffee I drink.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    @Tave Now for the next question, how do you roast the beans? Can you give us a few pictures as well if that might be helpful in explaining?

  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭

    That's a good question. I'm sure my cacao was already roasted. This video makes roasting them look easy. Just make sure not to get distracted during the process. I don't know how many nuts I've burned because I wasn't paying attention for five minutes. The picture is what it looked like after it was ground (I didn't bother peeling them, the filter will take care of that). The picture is what it looked like after it was ground (I didn't bother peeling them, the filter will take care of that).

    Sorry the picture is so big. Can anyone tell me how to make it smaller?


  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin
    edited November 2020

    @Tave Thanks!

    After watching this video, I think my beans are already roasted. The outside part comes off pretty easily. The inside is soft, but crunchy. I guess my next step is to grind them & see what it is like as a beverage.

    I don't see the picture as large, but I am on a phone & I think that sizes them down automatically. I often wonder if my pictures are "shouting" at everyone, but nobody has ever told me.

    Maybe super tech @Jimerson can chime in on that.

  • VickiP
    VickiP Posts: 586 ✭✭✭✭

    Is anyone using a French Press for their coffee/cacao?

  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @LaurieLovesLearning Thank you. That's a relief:)

  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @VickiP It should work fine in a French press. I use the Brazilian method of a cloth filter.

  • Jimerson
    Jimerson Posts: 291 admin

    @Tave Your images will fill the maximum width of the comment area, up to the maximum width of your image!


    For example, if you are on a desktop browser, the forum comment area might have a width of 924 pixels (px).

    If your uploaded image has a width of 1000px, it will be scaled down to 924px.

    If your uploaded image has a width of 500px, it will display with the width of 500px.


    The same goes for mobile devices, but the comment area will be much smaller than 924px, so your images will be scaled down to fit the viewer's screen!


    If you want your uploaded images to have a smaller maximum display width, you will need to scale them down before uploading. : )


    Personally, I love the big beautiful image of cacao you posted!

  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Jimerson Thank you:)

  • Jimerson
    Jimerson Posts: 291 admin

    Of course! Best of luck with your delicious cacao experiments! :D

  • annbeck62
    annbeck62 Posts: 1,028 ✭✭✭✭

    Another great coffee substitute is a mixture of roasted dandelion root and roasted chicory.

  • nicksamanda11
    nicksamanda11 Posts: 755 ✭✭✭✭

    Make coffee not war!

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin
    edited December 2020

    @nicksamanda11 Nope, you got it wrong! Brew cacao not strife. 🤣

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    Not quite brewed cacao but Rosalee de la Foret has just come out with a new post on dandelion with some recipes. The last one is called Love Your Liver Tea and is a combination using roasted dandelion and chicory roots with cacao nibs and some other goodies. https://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/benefits-of-dandelion-tea.html