Experience Cacao

 I would like to share here a recipe for a cacao drink made from raw cacao beans.

Raw cacao beans taste quite tart, sour and somewhat bitter, but also have a very warm typical cacao taste and smell.

When I write here "cacao-like" I do not mean the chocolate taste of a bar of milk chocolate or that of hot milk cacao.

Through my experience with raw cacao beans, I have come to associate this tart "earthy" taste of the beans with cacao.

"Real" cacao.... you learn to like the taste.

The recipe comes from Nick Polizzi and is adapted to suit my personal taste.

You need for one cup:

250ml almond milk

2 teaspoons of raw ground cacao beans (gently fermented)

half a vanilla bean

a piece of cinnamon bark about 5 cm long (or a little ground cinnamon)

if needed:

honey

black pepper (or chili)

Preparation:

Peel cocoa beans and grind in electric coffee grinder until powder is very fine.

Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out.

Add the ground cocoa beans, the scraped out inside of the vanilla bean, the remaining vanilla bean itself and cinnamon to the almond milk. Heat the almond milk with the added spices to a maximum of 45°C. Stir with a small whisk until the cocoa powder is well mixed with the almond milk and there are no lumps (about 10 minutes). Enjoy the cocoa.

Be careful with the dosage! May well be psychoactive in higher doses.

Since this drink can be stimulating, better not to drink in the evening.

People who do not tolerate chocolate or take MAOI should refrain from consumption.