Rooibus is grown only in a small area of South Africa.  It is slowly becoming more popular in the U.S. for the health conscious.

I recently bought a specialty Rooibus tea from a company called Christiani-Tea. I chose a flavor infused tea called Chocolate Mint.  The ingredients are organic Rooibus, organic cacao nibs, and organic peppermint leaf.  Added to those main flavor ingredients are apple and orange peel.

The combination?  Wow!  Absolutely delicious.

This tea was naturally sweet with a slightly nutty flavor which I understand comes from the Rooibus.  The chocolate and peppermint complemented each other without dominating the overall tasting experience.

The chocolate mint makes this perfect for dessert.  It’s just like sipping a Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie but without the calories!

To learn more about this tea, visit the website www.christiani-tea.com.

These shelled beans are called nibs.  Almost all nibs are roasted.  Roasting brings out flavor and color development.  Roasting also drives off moisture and undesirable “volatiles.” 

I wanted to share this brief story about bean processing because RAW nibs are not roasted, and I’d like you to see where they come from and why they stand out even more as a superfood than the already proclaimed superfood-ness (is this a word?) of chocolate.

Roasting is part of “processing” and processing any food will diminish the nutritional benefits it has to offer.  Minimizing or eliminating the processing of cocoa nibs keeps more of the antioxidant and flavanol components intact.

Nibs are bitter and bold and definitely an acquired taste for most people.  That’s why a company called Navitas Naturals lightly sweetens them with sugar cane.

I have fallen in love with these!

Navitas Naturals (navitas is Latin, meaning “energy”) Sweet Raw Cacao Nibs are ground pieces of cacao beans and rolled in raw cacao liquor, and then lightly dusted with organic sugar cane juice. They are crunchy, slightly sweet, and all natural. 

I eat them right out of the bag as a snack.  Many people like to use them in baking and cooking.  Take a look at the Navitas website for recipes using raw nibs along with Chef’s Notes on how and when to use them.   You can also order their nibs online for a very reasonable price.

Chocolate may be “food of the gods” but nibs are “superfood of the gods”!  Enjoy!

Many chocolate beer makers will use a type of malted barley called chocolate malt.  Chocolate malt is similar to other malts but cooked at even higher temperatures. This dark roast produces a more complex flavor with undertones of vanilla and caramel.  The color also becomes dark.

This year, the Samuel Adams® beer company introduces Chocolate Bock made with actual cacao!

They slowly aged the beer over a bed of roasted Ecuadoran cocoa nibs to capture flavors that include chocolaty, fruity, nutty, and earthy – flavors that are typical of an Ecuadoran origin bean.

The Chocolate Bock is advertised as “smooth, rich, and dark, with the robust flavor and creamy texture of chocolate.”

According to their website, http://www.samueladams.com/, Chocolate Bock would taste real good with a plate of braised short ribs. 

Ok. I’m in.

And why not?  Besides the great flavor and a nice crunch, nibs have nutritional benefits as well.  Cacao contains antioxidants that are known to reduce blood clotting, improve circulation, and help regulate blood pressure. Antioxidants also protect us from environmental pollutants and help repair damage caused by free radicals.

Cocoa or Cacao Nibs are roasted cocoa beans that have been separated from their shells/husks.  You can buy them in health food stores, or online.

Scharffen Berger is a chocolate company that sells nibs online.  They also have a great collection of recipes, and some of them are listed under the Savory category.  One unique recipe is the nib rub for steak on the grill.

Rather than repeating the recipe here, just follow the link below.  Then be sure to browse the home baking section of their online store and pick up the nibs too.

==> SCHARFFEN BERGER CACAO NIB RUB ON TRI TIP ROAST

Roasted cocoa nibs are not for everyone.  They taste rather bitter because they are not sweetened.  If you can get past the bitterness, you’ll find they do taste rich and chocolaty and have a crunch similar to nuts.  In fact, nibs are often used to replace nuts in cookies and granola recipes.

Why would a person even eat cocoa nibs?  Well, nibs are one of nature’s superfoods.  They come packed with generous amounts of anti-oxidants, flavanoids and vitamin E.  I can tolerate nibs by themselves, but would rather enjoy them coated in chocolate – DARK chocolate.

Trader Joe’s brand Dark Chocolate Nibs are enrobed in a 65% cacao dark chocolate.  I find them delicious and addicting.  The first flavor that comes off is an intense chocolate, as you would expect.  Then nutty, and subtle fruity notes follow.  The finish is a long lasting cocoa taste with a hint of coffee. 

The nibs come in a 1 oz. tin.  Tiny bits of yum!

You might think, “there’s nothing confusing about chocolate — you buy it, you eat it!“  The reality is, the chocolate world has its own lingo, with terms and definitions that apply to the tasting of chocolate, the baking and cooking of chocolate, and the making of chocolate confections. 

To help you keep it all straight, here is a list of some common chocolate vocabulary along with their definitions…

Cocoa bean (or nib):
The cocoa bean is the seed from the pod, or fruit, of the chocolate tree — Theobroma cacao.  The cocoa bean has a shell surrounding it.  When it is removed, the nib, or the center, is revealed.  The nib is typically roasted and then crushed into chocolate liquor.

Baking chocolate (or chocolate liquor):
Baking chocolate is made from finely ground and roasted cocoa beans.  There is no sugar in baking chocolate.

Cocoa butter:
The fat present in cocoa beans is called cocoa butter.  The term “butter” does not mean that cocoa butter is a dairy product.

Cocoa powder:
Cocoa powder comes from removing the cocoa butter from the nib and then grinding the remaining solids into a powder.  The terms cocoa and cocoa powder can be used interchangeably.

Bittersweet (or semi-sweet) chocolate:
Bittersweet chocolate must contain at least 35% chocolate liquor and only cocoa butter as a fat, according to U.S. Standards of Identity.  Both bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate terms can be used interchangeably.

Milk chocolate:
The most commonly consumed form of chocolate is milk chocolate.  Milk chocolate must contain a minimum of 10% chocolate liquor and at least 12% milk solids.  Milk fat and cocoa butter are the only fats that can be used.

White chocolate:
White chocolate is a blend of cocoa butter, milk, and sugar.  There are no chocolate solids present, which is why it lacks the typical brown color of chocolate.  U.S. regulations requires white chocolate to contain at least 20% (by weight) cocoa butter and at least 14% total milk solids.

Dutch processed chocolate:
This process darkens the color of the chocolate and releases a milder chocolate flavor.  The chocolate liquor or cocoa solids are treated with an alkaline solution.  The terms “dutched” or “alkalized” are listed on the ingredient statement for products sold in the U.S.

Chocolate flavored coating (or confectionary coating):
Chocolate that is made using a blend of vegetable fats either in addition to or other than cocoa butter.  Chocolate flavored coatings are similar in color to “real” chocolate coatings but taste very different and usually do not need to be tempered.  These coatings that contain vegetable fats cannot legally be called “chocolate” in the US.