Chocolate of the Day
Manoa Chocolate
Cacao Nibs
Good ++
Weight: .35 oz. (10 g.) / 8 oz. (226.8 g.) in total package
Calories: 63.3 calories in 1 TB (10 g.) serving
Cost: $9.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order
Aloha. Welcome to the last day (#27) of Chocolate and Hawaii Week, and Day #1 of Cacao Nibs Theme Week.
This package of roasted cacao nibs ("Direct Trade; Grade A Cacao") were from Manoa Chocolate (Kailua, HI). Manoa, a bean-to-bar maker, created these nibs from cacao beans grown in Ecuador.
Cacao nibs represent an important step in chocolate making. Cacao beans become cacao nibs and, after many more steps, nibs become chocolate.
However, nibs are also tasty by themselves; baked into brownies; ground into milkshakes and smoothies; soaked in whiskey (or spirit of your choice); and/or folded into ice cream or cookies for a decadent dessert option. (Manoa also suggests including these nibs in oatmeal, yogurt, salads, cereals, pastas and baked goods.)
Aroma notes for today's nibs included: cacao (dark chocolate with slightly acidic earth (forest loam),woody and woodsy, chocolate-y, and a trace of brownie at the end.
These roasted cacao nibs had a pleasing, uniform roast and crunchy texture. There were no "off" notes.
Flavor notes included: deep dark chocolate-y flavor with no sweeteners and plenty of cacao flavors including the slightly woodsy notes mentioned above, and faint sweet, green nut (young walnuts).
Ingredients: Cacao Nibs (Ecuador)
Allergen-related information: "Our facility processes milk and nuts."
