Raw Organic Cocoa Nibs

Organic Cocoa Nibs

What is Cocoa?

Cocoa is simply a slightly processed cacao bean. The Theobroma cacao tree was named by the Swedish Botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1753; the name is Latin for “food of the Gods”. Cacao beans and nibs have a long and colourful history, beginning in Central and South America around 1400 BC. The entire cacao fruit was used medicinally by the Mayan, Olmec and Aztec civilizations. Unbelievably, these early civilizations discovered that a little honey added to slightly processed cacao beans would make a special drink, one of the most popular beverages today; chocolate. The Mayan and Aztecs believed cacao was a “gift from the gods”. After the Spanish conquest of the 1500’s, cacao & its derivative cocoa spread quickly through Europe and then worldwide. Nutritionally, the main difference between Cacao and Cocoa is that to improve the taste, cacao is subject to a higher temperature than cacao during processing, which alkalizes the cacao to remove the bitterness. The bitterness is from the polyphenols (antioxidants) so some get destroyed, but a significantly large amount are retained. They are excellent for your heart, skin, blood pressure and even your stress levels,11 which makes Cocoa a Superfood and the base for one of the most popular foods in the world, chocolate. 

Cocoa, the Super-food Benefits:

Did You Know?

• Because cocoa beans were so highly valued for their medicinal and aphrodisiacal properties, they were traded as currency among ancient South American civilizations.
• Apparently, Casanova was very fond of them.
• In Aztec times, the common currency was of course trade and bartering. The two most common ways the Aztecs bartered was through the use of cocoa beans made into chocolate and cotton. The word chocolate actually came from the Nahtul language xocolati.
• An archeological dig in Colha, Belize discovered spouted vessels (“chocolate pots”) containing residue of a cocoa drink predates earlier estimates; they appear to be from 600 B.C. to A.D. 250.13 

Is All Chocolate Good For You?

• Not all chocolate, lower grade chocolate, often called “candy”, has additives like high-fructose corn syrup, sugar and partially hydrogenated oils, which limit the amount of actual cocoa. Dairy products block the absorption of antioxidants, so chocolate “bars” do not deliver anywhere near the health benefits of cocoa. Always read the ingredients and know your chocolate supplier. Sam’s cocoa powder is raw and the “chocolatiest” cocoa this writer has tried. Mixed with a little pure maple syrup I also add Matcha, almond milk & other herbs like the chalky-tasting Boswellia and suddenly all you taste is chocolate, much like the healthiest chocolate shake you could have!!!

Features:

• Raw
• Kosher
• Vegan
• Organic
• Gluten-free
• Non-GMO

Click here to read more on clinical studies: Cocoa studies

Country or Origin: Peru

USDA Certified Organic

Size: 500 grams 1.1lb