Hi! This Eric, the developer of Crio. Cocoa has almost no caffeine. It has less than decaf coffee. This is similar to a coffee or a tea in preparation but has amazing chocolate aroma.

As for how it is processed, we take 100%, single origin cocoa beans, roast them, grind them and package them. No additives. The different varieties and flavors are just the differences from where the cocoa is grown. Nothing is added.

Feel free to ask any questions.

I'm hugely glad I stumbled on this. Been searching for a coffee alternative that doesn't kill me (not interested in introducing extraneous grains into my diet, and I'm allergic to the omnipresent chicory in the knock-offs). Used to be a coffee connoisseur and addict, flavor-wise, but with burgeoning food intolerances coffee is now one the worst poisons for me. I drink it and pretty much feel like death.

I would describe the taste of this as exceptionally pleasant. It is mild-tasting, and I have a strong suspicion that brewing it with a French press would be the best way to fully extract the flavors. (Sadly my old press shattered, so I'm doing the traditional drip method. Been kind of squeezing out the last drops from the filter, which adds quite a lot of residual flavor.) It does taste chocolate-y but has that slightly astringent quality of coffee, which is why it feels different than a cup of cocoa and manages to fill a coffee void for me. Very nice with a bit of cashew milk. Fortunately I live ten minutes from the only merchant in CO that sells this stuff. Unfortunately, though, it is pricey and I won't be able to afford a mug very often.

This looks promising -- I'm curious how they process it. I'd give it a try if only they made a decaf version.

wow that is some timing, eh? i did not see this post before putting my little cacao nibs story out there. that's funny how that came together right at the same time.

According to the website this is just plain cocoa. I'd look at the other threads about chocolate on here to help you determine whether it's healthy or not.

I do find the claims of the website highly dubious though. This in particular, seems completely wrong.

Depending on the type of cacao bean it is made from, it either contains little to no caffeine or trace amounts. The misconception that chocolate (cacao) contains caffeine is is based primarily on confusion between two similar alkaloids: caffeine and theobromine.

While it is true that cocoa does contain both caffeine and theobromine, I've never encountered any confusion between the two and nor does this mean that coffee contains caffeine, but cocoa only contains theobromine. A few tablespoons of cocoa powder contains around 65mg (a standard coffee is normally around 100mg). 100g of dark (70-85%) chocolate is about 80mg. It's possible that this cocoa drink, because it's brewed quite weakly to make it akin to coffee, contains less caffeine that cocoa normally does, but it is in no sense true that cocoa doesn't contain caffeine.

So I could just roast the cacao nibs I already have and grind them in my coffee grinder to produce a similar result? I'll have to try this out since it sounds pretty good.

Also, is the roasting an important part of the process, or could I just grind it up and use it raw?

I imagine that Crio Bru is very high in phytic acid which would impair mineral absorption.

Just bought some of this stuff from the store, it was really bland and lacking compared to the other products I've tried similar to this.

I've been drinking Crio Bru for 5 months now. I love it! I mostly like the Cavalla flavor. I brew it in a coffee maker and add honey and soy milk to it. I drink this every morning. I also brew more than I need in, because I refrigerate the leftovers and make an iced version of it in the afternoon. I'm an ex-coffee drinker (who can't tolerate the caffeine in coffee). I grew up drinking alternatives like Pero and Postum and even drinking hot cocoa made from water and cocoa powder. I've also tried other coffee substitutes that you can brew like the Teccino and this is my favorite alternative. The first time I made it, I actually put a little more of the granules and that helped make the flavor stronger.

Or you could try Bru, an organic roasted cacao. The company also offers a disposable french press to make it in when you are on the go.Soon in other flavors. High in epicatechin, a health related flavonoids. Visit www.terradistributing.com

I find it is really good made in a stovetop Moka pot as well.