Raw Cacao & Fermentation

[NoGMO!]

is raw cacao supposed to be fermented? the cacao I ordered smells very fermented is that acceptable, or a sign of bad quality?

I read something about undesireable fermentation, microbes, fungi and raw cacao - but I can't remember where. any help with this is appreciated, thanks.

[deberaw]

My cacao smells like cacao {that sounds kinda funny!}....where did you get it? I would call the source....

[NoGMO!]

Deberaw, I bought cacao chunks by natural zing.. Guess it's an acquired taste. It tastes and smells very sharp or sour to me. Can you tell I don't use cacao much.. :cool:

Thanks. I'll just inquire with the company, but any other comments are more than welcome!

[rawstrength]

Traditionally, most cacao is fermented. I don't know of any health consequences of fermenting cacao, but according to David Wolfe, fermented cacao tastes worse. His cacao (www.sunfood.com) is unfermented. I've never tried it (a bit too expensive). Someday I will do a taste test of different brands of raw cacao, because the flavor does vary.

[kaybee]

hmmm.. actually i heard that david wolfes IS fermented, that they used to sell the unfermented stuff but noone really bought it because it didnt really taste like chocolate, so that now they sell the fermented stuff. i dunno. cooked chocolate is traditionally made from fermented cacao beans.

Re: the natural zing chocolate chunks: they ARE very bitter, because they are just chocolate, no sweetener. the ones i got from them definitely taste very bitter, but mine do not smell or taste fermented, just strong and bitter. i grab a chunk of the chocolate and a handful of dates and take a bite of the chocolate then stuff a date in my mouth and chew it up together. YUM. ive also MELTED their choc chunks in the dehydrator, then mixed the liquid chocolate with agave, nuts, dates, coconut, dried fruit or whatever, dropped it in plops on a plate or whatever and then let it harden. also YUM. i dont think yours should smell/taste fermented. NOW, the NIBS on the other hand, any nibs i have every gotten, INCLUDING the ones from david wolfe, have smelled strongly fermented to me when i stick my nose in the bag....

maybe call natural zing. they are really cool . i went to thanksgiving there last year and it was INCREDIBLE. im so disappointed i cant go this year because im out of the country.

[rawstrength]

I just listened to an interview done with David Wolfe this month saying that it is unfermented.
but i've never had natural zing or the david wolfe chocolate, so i can't say from personal experience.

[kaybee]

hmmm. i dunno but my NOSE tells me dW's is fermented...and i got it direct from them at one of his talks... but maybe its just grown old or something. anyway i think the nibs are ick. the chocolate chunks from nat zing ROCK though.

[deberaw]

...ohhhh, I've never gotten the chunks, just cacao powder...very easy to use too......

[NoGMO!]

I like the cacao powder too, but yeah, the chunks are so sharp.