Ancestral Roots
Organic Cacao Nibs
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 8 oz. (226 g.) in total package
Calories: 130 calories in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) serving
Cost: $7.99 (estimate) for 1 package
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA
Welcome to Day #7 of Cocoa Nibs Theme Week.
Today's Ancestral Roots Organic Cacao Nibs were distributed by OMG! Food Company LLC (Los Angeles, CA).
These unroasted, unsweetened* cacao bean pieces had rich cacao (faint brownie), clean and clear (fresh) green and fermented aroma notes.
Unroasted (and "raw"), but lightly fermented and dried, cocoa nibs are the least processed form of chocolate most people will have the opportunity to sample. (Cacao beans (actually seeds) plucked out of freshly harvested cacao fruit/pulp contain more tannins and are relatively bitter. Fermentation and drying breaks down tannins, making the cacao beans more edible.)
Fermentation...how and why it matters
Fermentation happens naturally with most fruits. And cacao beans are seeds from cacao fruits. One reason why you don't see fresh cacao fruit (pods) in local markets (unless you live in Hawaii or a country located near the Equator) is that cacao fruit starts to ferment very quickly after it's harvested--resulting in a short shelf life.
Fermentation temperatures for raw cacao are controlled to help preserve nutritional content and more delicate cacao flavors (e.g. floral notes) that may be lost with higher heat. (Antioxidant levels can drop more than 40 percent with high temperatures associated with fermentation and roasting in the chocolate-making process.)
Back to the nibs
Back to the nibs...Today's cacao nibs had an unroasted green freshness, and a resilient, crunchy, uniform texture and nice clean "bite," indicative of quality beans, careful drying and humidity control, and good storage and sorting.
The flavor included even, clean/clear lightly fermented, green cacao notes. There were no off notes. (Off notes can occur if beans aren't carefully sorted and an inferior bean piece slips through before/as nibs are created.) The finish was clean, clear and subtle as well.
Cacao Nibs and food and dessert pairing considerations
Roasted nibs tend to have a richer, roasted flavor, but unroasted cacao nibs have their own charm. When I think of roasted nibs, I think of red wines, fall and winter, and grilled items. When I think of unroasted/raw nibs, I think of white wines, spring greens and summer fruits. It's similar to espresso and coffee, where roasting conjures up different flavors.
I enjoy roasted cacao nibs over conventional baked brownies with bolder flavor (and roasted nibs soaked in whiskey over vanilla ice cream). Unroasted nibs might be better with a light spring salad accented with flowers and fresh green pea shoots and a glass of chilled white wine grape juice; or a light vanilla cream/custard topped with fresh peach and strawberry.
Either way, cacao nibs offer a lot of flavor with no added sugar, all with just one ingredient.
*Ingredients: "Certified Organic Cacao Nibs (Theobroma cacao)."
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