chocolate – Tropical Cacao

October 24, 2022October 24, 2022

HOW TO CHOOSE THE HEALTHIEST DARK CHOCOLATE

Not all dark chocolates are healthy for you; therefore, looking for your perfect match is equally important. Dark chocolate is a rich source of antioxidants and provides your body with numerous health benefits. Antioxidants remove free radicals in the body that cause aging and heart diseases. Dark chocolate is also high in fiber.

The purest form of dark chocolate is the nib. this is the unsweetened dark chocolate used for baking purposes. When the nib is melted it forms cacao liquor. A good healthy dark chocolate should have at least 60%-70% of pure cacao.

To make sure you are getting the best healthy dark chocolate, always look at the ingredients and their concentration/amounts. The purest dark chocolate is bitter and has less sugar and milk. most times the ingredients in healthy dark chocolates rotate from cocoa powder, cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, sugar, and milk. Most chocolates sold at grocery stores have too much milk, sugar, flavors, etc. These might not provide all the organic benefits you are looking for. Look out for organic sugar in the chocolate too. Lecithin is not as good for your health.

Chocolates that have “Dutch process” or “European style” should also be avoided as they have alkali added in the ingredients. That means that the cocoa used in these chocolates has been over-processed and this destroys the healthy antioxidants.

To enjoy the full benefits of dark chocolate, always be on the lookout for these and more specks while shopping. Remember that healthy chocolate is made from organic cacao. I recommend buying organic cacao beans and making your chocolate at home if you are in the position to. At Tropical Cacao, we ensure consumers get the best end products i.e., quality and healthy dark chocolate. Why don’t you Contact Us today?

July 25, 2022July 25, 2022

THE ULTIMATE CEREMONIAL CHOCOLATE DRINK- CEREMONIAL CACAO DRINK

If you have been reading our blog articles, then you definitely have a clue about cacao being used in ceremonies. It was not only used to bring people together but also to make them feel good when they came together. Cacao was believed to be a mood enhancer. This drink was very important in conducting some rituals too. In this article, I will give the cacao recipe that was used, and still is used, to make the best chocolate drink during ceremonies.

Unlike today, where cacao is first processed into chocolate paste or powder before making the ceremonial drink, cacao nibs were used in the making of this historical drink. Cacao nibs were roughly chopped and then grounded by women using stones. Once they got to that “powder form” they were ready for use. Remember everyone knew about the ceremonies in advance and therefore the cacao was fermented, dried, and roasted organically. This was done to ensure the drink maintained the color and flavors

So, how was the drink made?

Depending on the number of people, water was added into a big cooking pot
A pinch of natural chill was added
The grounded powder from the cacao nibs was added. This was also dependent on the number of visitors and the amount of water added.
The mixture was let to boil as stirring was done
They used wooden sticks to continually stir the drink until that frothy top was achieved
The frothy top was the indicator that the ceremonial drink was ready
Natural honey was added to sweeten the drink. This was optional for some ceremonies, especially those that were attended only by men.
The drink was served while hot

Today, the drink is made but most people add other sweeteners and flavors like vanilla and cinnamon that makes the drink taste even better. To get the best benefits and the ideal taste from the ceremonial drink, only use organic cocoa. You can get organic cocoa, cultivated using the most organic farming methods from tropicalcacao.com

This drink is very healthy as it is full of antioxidants and healthy fats as well as essential vitamins and minerals. Check our article on the health benefits of cacao.

July 18, 2022July 18, 2022

HOW CHOCOLATE IS MADE

We have been talking about cacao, chocolate, cocoa, pods, etc. and probably the only thing you want to know is how sweet chocolate is made. Your time has come and your needs are about to be satisfied!

The first step is so obvious, Harvesting!

The cacao pods have to be harvested for there to be chocolate. When the cacao ripens, farmers handpick the pods using machetes

After harvesting, the seeds are separated from the pulp and the pods by scraping and the fermentation process begins. The fermentation process is natural. It happens through the natural yeast in the cacao beans. Fermentation is very crucial as it helps to deepen the choco flavor. Normally, it takes between 2 to 8 days. The longer the fermentation process, the richer the flavor. This is probably what differentiates your favorite chocolate from its competitors. After fermentation, the beans are spread and left to dry for more days under direct sunlight. This prevents molding. The beans are thereafter packaged and transported to the manufacturers.

When the beans arrive at the manufacturers, they are thoroughly cleaned to remove any sticky stones and dirt, and then they are roasted. Roasting occurs pretty easily. The beans are stirred constantly to ensure even heating without additional fats or oils. This is essential in bringing out the chocolate flavors and colors.

The beans are then winnowed to remove the hull of the bean and the inner cacao nibs. The nibs are then ground into cocoa powders. During the process, the nibs go through friction that liquefies the powder into a thick paste called chocolate liquor. Cocoa paste/liquor is then poured into molds of different shapes and left to cool. This is the unsweetened or bakers chocolate. Chocolate liquor can alternatively be pressed to separate cocoa butter from cocoa powder.

To make the sweet chocolate sold at the shops, blending is done. The chocolate paste is mixed with extra cocoa butter for that extra mouth feel and smoothness, then sugar, milk, flavors, stabilizers, and emulsifiers are added. The quality of the chocolate depends on the ratios of the ingredients.

Cocoa butter can be used in making other products such as skin, hair, and body oils. Cocoa can also be used in a variety of dishes as savory.

June 27, 2022June 27, 2022

5 HEALTH BENEFITS OF CACAO NIBS

As said earlier, Cacao nibs are formed after a cacao bean has been fermented, dried, and roasted. Then taken out of its husk and broken into little chunks or bits. Just like macadamia nuts, they have crunchy, tender, and chewy mouth-feel. Cacao nibs are raw chocolate chips that are not yet processed and no refined sugar has been added. They have a bitter chocolate flavor.

Today we will focus on the health benefits you will get from consuming cacao nibs.

Cacao nibs are packaged with phytonutrients such as magnesium, flavonoids, sulfur, and phenylethylamine and hence the name SUPERFOOD.

The cocoa nibs’ antioxidant activity is more than that of tea, wine, goji berries, and even blueberries.

Cacao nibs prevent cell damage

By now you have already confirmed that cacao nibs are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants are important as they absorb the free radicals that cause cell damage.

They fight oxidative stress and stimulate the nervous system.

Eating cacao nibs promotes the release of serotonin, a feel-good, hormone produced by the brain that lifts your mood and treats mental fatigue. Cacao nibs protect the cells from oxidation and this keeps you feeling young.

Do you remember the story of the Aztecs in the “gods of chocolate” article?

“The Aztecs believed that cacao was holy as the cacao pod was symbolically used in human sacrifice rituals (Coe and Coe, 2013). Every year they would choose a well-built slave to be sacrificed in honor of their god (Quetzalcoatl) and for forty days he would be treated as the “god” himself and at the end of the forty days he would give up his life. If he got scared of dying, the Aztecs gave him a chocolate drink which would make him “unconscious” and would return him to his cheerfulness. The Aztecs culturally relied on chocolate to bring joy to everyone that drank it. It was kind of an alcoholic drink, if you drank it you became cheerful and all your worries disappeared”

The phenethylamine compound in cacao nibs triggers the release of endorphins and other feel-good chemicals in the brain. These chemicals boost the mood and stabilize it. This explains why women love chocolate during their menstrual cycles.

Improve the functioning of the heart.

Cacao nibs contain flavonoids. These are anti-inflammatory antioxidants that protect the arteries and the heart. They:

Prevent blood clotting by thinning the blood
Prevent heart diseases
Improve blood circulation
Prevent stroke
Lower the blood pressure

Improve overall kidney, digestion, gut, and bowel functioning

Cacao nibs are high in fiber and this stimulates the bowel and other digestive enzymes. They help keep the glucose levels in the body stable.

Help in weight loss.

Cacao nibs contain nutrients that naturally suppress appetite. This keeps you feeling full all the time and in turn, leads to low-calorie intake in the body. The properties in the cacao nibs also reduce cortisol, the stress hormone, and fasten the fat-burning process in the body.

Lastly, according to research, cocoa has been used to treat anemia, tuberculosis, fever, kidney stone symptoms, and low libido.

Do you now see why it is important to get some cacao nibs today?