Terrasoul Superfoods Raw Organic Criollo Cacao Beans, 16 Oz, Raw Chocolate Goodness for Baking, Snacking, and Homemade Chocolate Creations

I’ve been looking for raw cacao beans for a while now, and these were harder to find than I expected at a very reasonable price. I thought the quality was fantastic. They come fermented, but not cooked. I did try a bean out of the bag uncooked, and could tell right away that they were fermented (because they were a little sour, and I’m very sensitive to that). I did cook them at about 200°- 250° for 1 hour, and that made a world of difference! As a nice fringe benefit, the house had that nice chocolate-y smell. I grind a couple of the cacao beans with my coffee beans, so I get the chocolate flavor with no sugar, and you can’t get the type of rich flavor the beans offer with processed/powdered chocolate. I’ve also used ground beans when making Mole sauce and chili; it adds a depth of flavor that’s hard to get otherwise. If you’re expecting a snack that you can eat out of a bag, this probably isn’t it. Some people do, but in my opinion, it’s like eating coffee beans expecting them to taste like your favorite caramel macchiato- it won’t. Good product at a fair price.

First time trying cocao beans, so didn't know what to expect. Read some of the negative reviews and was concerned about the product. However, the bean arrived and they taste alright. Slightly bitter, very slightly acidic. Overall pleased with the product. Has a crunch and good mouth feel.

Love cacao! not by themselves tho. Way to bitter. I use them with bananas, strawberries, gojis, etc. This is a good deal, the beans are good, fresh. Let them soak in some almond milk seems to add the sweetness found in chocolate. They really need to be hidden from kids. Once they taste the out of the bag bitter, it's over. Grind them and hide them in ice cream or other sweeter dishes.The skin is on, but i do not peel them. They grind up just fine and are unnoticeable. I buy the whole bean so i get a product less messed with. More pure. I've purchased a 20$/lb bags, and these for 2 for 20$, both the same taste, freshness. These are a good deal. Start here. If you don't like them there is another bag to give to friends or family.

Good product with lower acid levels than coffee

Delicious. Nice crunch. Nice Cocao flavor. Organic don't panic. I've tried a few different brands. I really like these. They have a nice crispness. Some other brands seem a bit more dried out. Don't know if that is a freshness thing but these are crunchy but not too hard and still have a creaminess in flavor to them with a nice prominent cocao note. They are kind of addicting. But in a good way! Love that they are USDA organic. This will be my new go to brand for cocao beans.

These beans are moldy. They smell moldy.Laugh all you want but I kept blending these for breakfast and never really paid attention to smell (thought that's how they should be) for the past year. I went throught >3 bags a month. Last month I got a bag that was REALLY good and it opened my eyes. Yes, just 1 single bag of approximately 36 bags or more purchased. That's how I found out what a pleasant smell these beans emanate when NOT moldy. Bw. I dont mean... stale... I mean MOLDY.My most recent order of 2 packs had the usualy moldy stench. Ended up getting nibs from a different retailer @ whole foods today and returning for refund. Very unhappy that I was poisoning myself and my family for the past year.SELLER: You should know that mold causes LIVER CANCER. Please get your facility in order. What you are selling is a clinically proven cause of LIVER CANCER.BUYERS: Before you think you are getting a better product than nibs becuase it is less processed, please go to your local whole foods or any store that carries nibs (nibs are crushed beans. Whole foods does not carry beans). Open the any bottle/pack and smell them. Smells like chocolate? I bet it does. ONLY 1 PACK of beans I got of >36 packs smelled like chocolate. But trust your sense of smell. Compare with ANY AND ALL chocolate bars on the market.SUMMARY: CACAO BEANS SHOULD SMELL LIKE CHOCOLATE, NOT LIKE MOLD. IF IT SMELLS LIKE MOLD, WELL... THEN IT'S MOLDY....

This is the best price I've found on a bag this size of ceremonial grade cacao. I have ordered this again and again for ceremonial use. I can tell you that it is legit, it has been processed properly to be "ceremonial grade". I've also shared this product with multiple friends. I cannot recommend this bag of cacao enough.

Updated: Second bag was not nearly as good as the first bag. Not sure what happened but the beans look different, smell different and taste different. Maybe the company switched suppliers/roasters? Pretty disappointed. Changing my original 5 star review to a 3 star review for inconsistentcy and I’m going to try another brand.Where have these been all my life? I’ve become totally hooked on eating these Cocoa Beans with raw unfiltered honey that I buy from the Farmers Market, it’s the greateste sunrise treat I’ve ever had. I also like to brew the beans in a french press with my morning tea for an awesome mix of healthy energy. It doesn’t give me any jitters like coffee and it curbs my appetite so I can start the day with a great bit of intermittent fasting.Good taste, good energy, food of the gods indeed.