Davidson's Organics, Cacao Bliss, Loose Leaf Cacao, 16-Ounce Bag

top quality at a more than fair price, really like this taste for a nominal taste of coffee...exceptional!

Several years ago, I purchased a pound of "roasted cacao shells" after seeing them on a website that sold bulk herbs/spices because I was intrigued about the idea of "chocolate tea." Well, it almost immediately became my go-to daily tea (I am not a coffee drinker) until it was gone (maybe 2 to 3 months?). After daydreaming about that tea ever since, I found this on Amazon and decided to give it a shot, especially since the price is far less than some of the other options (and it is organic!). I have been very pleased with this product. Just opening the bag gives you the most amazing chocolate aroma, and the shells look clean (no sign of worms or dust that I saw some others mention, other than the dust/fine grit you would expect with it being crushed shells). The directions on the bag say to use 2 to 3 teaspoons per cup of water, but I found that to be a bit too strong for me (if you are looking for a coffee replacement, you may want it stronger, but I am a tea drinker and like it a bit less strong). What works for me: I use about 2 cups of water with about 1 tablespoon of the shells in a small pot, bring to a boil and turn off to let it steep (probably 10 minutes or so). I then turn on the heat again just to bring back to a boil (I like my tea extra hot), pour through a small strainer on my mug, and add a spoonful or 2 of honey. Perfect, smooth, and chocolatey (but not heavy like hot chocolate). It really is dreamy!

First had cacao tee when visiting Honduras. SO DELICIOUS. This is a large bag of tea . I use a tsp for a 12 oz cup and add honey and half and half- Tastes like warm chocolate milk. FANTASTIC.. I am hooked. The price was reasonable and the bag should last for at least 6 weeks. Cacao shells have naturally occurring stimulant in them so it does give an energy boost not unlike caffeine

I add a tablespoon of this to my coffee grounds (french press) and it gives just a subtle smoothness to the coffee that is amazing! It doesn't give it a cocoa taste or anything like that, just reduces bitterness and adds a flavourful dimension.

I have purchased this tea 79 times. I have noticed that when I get a nice fresh bag it tastes wonderful with a few drops of stevia. It has a great aroma of chocolate when you first open the bag and thats how I know it's a good bag. However I have also noticed that some times the tea arrives and is not that good suddenly. Thats why I say it's amazing 80 percent of the time. My guess is that sometimes the tea gets old and loses it's aroma and flavor. I have even had a few bags that tasted bad and I could not drink as it seemed stale. However the seller would give me a refund if I recieved a stale bag. But usually most of the time the tea is fresh thats why I still continue to buy it cause when it's a good batch it's really good! Just want to add, the 79 pounds of tea I bought cost 15 dollars a pound or less for YEARS then all of a sudden out of no where now they are charging 33 dollars for a pound when literally last week it was 15 dollars for one pound. What a JUMP in price in such a quick time frame. I am not buying it again until the price drops I already found the tea at it's usual price on another website. That is a lot of money for tea and this tea needs a few tablespoons per cup unlike black tea where you only need 1 teaspoon per cup. So even if it is good tea it's just way too expansive considering you need at least 2 tablespoons of tea to brew one cup.

Flavor is very faint, even though smell is stronger. I may try mixing some of these with my other loose leaf teas when I want that hint of chocolate flavor.

Note that these are not cacao nibs, but crushed bits of cacao hulls! You definitely don't want to go trying to eat them out of the bag. But if you boil them up in water, you can make a lovely, light, chocolate-flavored tea. I like using it in combination with other ingredients to make what I call my "black brew": mix leftover coffee with an equal quantity of water, then throw in cacao hulls, roasted chicory root, dried red peppers, and a portion of a cinnamon stick. Simmer for a bit, then strain. It's coffee-like, but with more breadth and complexity of flavor, and a bit spicy from the peppers!

I had my first cup this evening, & I'm hooked. I didn't use any sweetener & it gave me the great bitter taste of dark cacao that I love without any of the unhealthy sugar (I'm diabetic). The other health benefits of cacao make this a winner for me.