THE MANY FORMS OF CACAO
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BEANS, NIBS, BUTTER, POWDER, AND CEREMONIAL
TYPES OF CACAO PRODUCTS
Cacao comes in a variety of forms: bean, nib, butter, paste, ceremonial, and powder.
Learn about the benefits and uses of each one.
CRIOLLO CACAO
All of our cacao is made from premium hand-selected single-origin Criollo cacao beans.
Criollo cacao is the rarest and is famous for its incredibly aromatic flavor and aroma as well as containing the highest levels of therapeutic components.
It is however very delicate, low-yielding, and requires careful attention and support from the jungle canopy to thrive.
This variety is not used for mass production as it cannot be produced on a large scale.
On the other hand, most commercially produced cacao is made from different varieties of cacao that are more resistant, higher-yielding but not as aromatic and therapeutic, with lower levels of bio-active compounds.
RAW CACAO BEANS
While most cacao is fermented, the raw bean actually has some unique benefits not found once it is fermented.
Unfermented beans have the highest therapeutic levels of components like bioactive ethanolamides, tryptophan, tryptamine, phenylethylamine, polyphenols, magnesium, zinc, and other essential minerals.
They do not have the chocolatey flavor or aroma that is normally associated with cacao and are for therapeutic use, not culinary.
CACAO NIBS
Our cacao nibs are fermented and sun-dried, before being de-husked and shredded into small nibs, following ancient traditions.
They are packed with bioactive ethanolamides, tryptophan, tryptamine, phenylethylamine, polyphenols, magnesium, zinc, and other essential minerals, with a beautiful rich aromatic flavor.
Cacao nibs are great as a snack on their own, mixed in trail mix, yogurts, or sprinkled on a smoothie.
Click below for a great cacao nib recipe.
CACAO POWDER
Our cacao powder is fermented and sun-dried, before being milled and pressed to seperate the butter from the cacao mass, following ancient traditions.
It is packed with bioactive ethanolamides, tryptophan, tryptamine, phenylethylamine, polyphenols, magnesium, zinc and other essential minerals, with beautiful rich aromatic flavor.
Cacao powder is great in smoothies, baking, hot cocoa, and all your culinary adventures.
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CACAO BUTTER
Our cacao butter is fermented and made from the full bean, generated from milling the whole bean into a creamy, rich paste and then pressing it to separate the cacao mass from the rich butter following ancient traditions.
It is packed with beneficial fats that are great for the heart and brain.
Cacao butter is great for cooking, baking, adding richness to hot cacao, or using it as a skin moisturizer.
CEREMONIAL CACAO PASTE
Our ceremonial Criollo cacao has an incredible ratio of 29:1 - theobromine:caffeine. Perfect for the uplifting, heart-opening effects without the negative side effects of caffeine over-stimulation.
Made only from the virgin crop, meaning the first crop of the tree and hand-selected pods. Our ceremonial cacao is a fermented and full bean, generated by milling the whole bean into a creamy, rich paste following ancient traditions. It contains all the antioxidants and bioactive of the whole bean, with beautiful rich aromatic oils to make a therapeutic, creamy elixir once mixed into hot water. Tested and shown to contain the highest levels of theobromine (uplifting), ethanolamides (bliss), tryptophan (joy), tryptamine (euphoria), phenylethylamine (satisfaction), polyphenols (clarity), magnesium (stress), zinc (immune) and other essential minerals. The most therapeutic quality cacao you can find, ideal for ceremonial use and health benefits.
HEAVY METALS IN CACAO
So many cacao products have high levels of heavy metals.
If you are using it daily, you definitely want to make sure you have a pure source.
Check out this page to find out how to make sure you are getting clean cacao.
SLAVERY FREE CACAO
After years of violence from terrorists and drug traffickers in the cacao growing region of Peru due to the cocaine industry, these farmers now have an opportunity to grow artisanal cacao instead of being lured into the illegal drug trade for money. Our farmer also gets substantially higher profits by being able to sell their cacao direct without brokers or intermediaries taking their cuts.
Seleno Health cacao is agroforestry ’shade-grown’ under the shadow of many native fruits, with an organic canopy protecting crops like banana and papaya. Cacao naturally loves to grow under a forest canopy, so there is less stress on the tree, it promotes biodiversity, improves soil fertility, and sequesters 30% more carbon than non-shade grown cacao. It also saves the Amazon from deforestation.
Check our rescue cacao page to learn more.
