Okay, guys, let’s talk about my recent adventure with making a cacao beverage. You know, like, the real deal chocolate drink, not that instant sugary stuff.
So, first, I started by doing some digging online. I found out that there are different types of cacao beans. Like, who knew? Apparently, Criollo and Trinitario are the fancy ones, the ones that make your chocolate taste all complex and interesting. I figured I should probably try to get my hands on those.
Finding the Beans
- I checked out a few local stores, but no luck.
- Then I remembered seeing a specialty chocolate shop downtown, “Vesta” or something like that, so I decided to give it a shot.
- Bingo! They had a whole bunch of different beans, including some that looked like they could be Criollo or Trinitario. I also noticed they sell their own chocolate, which is 60% cacao. Maybe it is a good start point.
Prepping the Beans
Next, I needed to figure out how to turn these beans into a drink.
- I read that you’re supposed to roast them, but I wasn’t about to do that in my tiny apartment oven.
- I opted to buy some pre-roasted beans. And I bought a small pack of the 60% chocolate from the shop as well. See what is going on.
- I ground them up in my coffee grinder, making sure not to go too fine.
Making the Drink
Time for the fun part! I heated up some water, not boiling, just hot.
- I added a few spoonfuls of the ground cacao to a mug.
- I poured in the hot water and started stirring. It took a while for the cacao to dissolve properly.
- I took a sip, and man, it was strong! A bit bitter, but in a good way. The chocolate from the shop is perfect, not too sweet. I am so glad I tried it.
- I added a tiny pinch of salt, just to see what would happen, and it actually made the chocolate flavor pop even more.
Final Touches
I played around with adding a little bit of sweetener, but honestly, I preferred it without. It’s cool to taste the pure cacao flavor. I also learned that you’re supposed to check the labels on cocoa powder to make sure it’s 100% cocoa, no added sugars or anything. Good to know!
This whole cacao drink thing is way better than coffee. It gave me a nice, steady energy boost without the jitters. I guess it is really good for you as well. Plus, it’s just more satisfying to make something from scratch like this. I’m definitely going to keep experimenting with it. Maybe next time I’ll try to find some unroasted beans and roast them myself. Who knows!
I searched on the Internet, there are some ready-made chocolate mixes for sale, I think I will try them next time to see how different they are.
Anyway, that’s my cacao adventure for now. Let me know if you guys have tried making your own cacao drink before!
This is all the things I did, hope it will help you if you want to make your own cacao beverage.
