Cocoa Powder Dutch-process (10-12% Cocoa Butter) Cert. Organic (Theobroma cacao) 25 lb: K

This is Frontier's economical 25 lb. bulk pack. That is, twenty-five pounds packed in a heavy duty plastic bag within a sturdy cardboard box. This is 10-12% cocoa butter cocoa powder. With a serving of 1 Tbsp., total fat is 1.5 grams. Real chocolate is a cocoa paste made from cacao seeds. Cacao seeds are the fruit of the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao. Cacao is a Mayan word, not an Aztec word. The Aztecs, who rose to power hundreds of years after the Mayan collapse, called Vanilla 'tlilxochitl, ' 'black flower.' It flavored their 'cacao water, ' 'cacahuatl' in the Aztec tongue Náhuatl, 'chocol haa' in the ancestral Mayan tongue. Cacahuatl was made from vanilla, cocoa beans, honey, hot water and other spices, such as annatto. The Aztecs considered Cacahuatl to be aphrodisiac. Cacao was named Theobroma by Linnaeus, the word meaning 'food of the gods.' The fruit of the cacao tree is a huge berry, the cacao pod, usually egg or melon-shaped, 5 to 12 inches long and 3 to 5 inches wide. The cacao pod contains 30 to 40 seeds. It takes 20 to 25 pods to get 2 pounds of cocoa. Once the tree reaches maturity, fruit pods will sprout from its trunk and branches. The golden-red to purple fruit pods turn brown at maturity, at which time they are split open and the insides scooped out. Each pod generally produces 20 to 40 almond-shaped cacao beans. http://www.robwildridge.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/MAKING.HTM: There are three main products from cocoa: cocoa powder, plain chocolate and milk chocolate. The first few stages are the same for both cocoa powder and chocolate. Fermentation and drying, and often roasting are usually performed in the country where the cocoa was grown. Fermentation Beans removed from the pods are left to ferment for 5-6 days. This is usually at a raised temperature (45-50°C). The seeds germinate and die. Drying For 1-2 weeks the beans are left on mats or trays in the sun to dry, during this process they loose approximately half their weight, while the enzyme action from the fermentation continues. Roasting The beans are roasted for 1-2 hours at 99-104°C for chocolate or 116-121°C for cocoa powder. This process helps to develop the flavour and aroma. Winnowing The beans have their shells removed by a cracking and fanning process, producing 'cocoa nibs'. Dutching (alkalizing) This process was invented by the Dutchman Van Houten, cocoa nibs are heated with potassium or sodium carbonates before the grindng process to improve the ease with which the resulting cocoa mixes. This process also weakens the flavour and darkens the drink, and is not used by all manufactures. Grinding The nibs are then ground to produce waht is known as chocolate liquor. It is here that the paths for cocoa powder and chocolate split. Cocoa Dutching This step is more or less required to make cocoa properly, but is identical to the Dutching step above. Pressing The Chocolate is pressed to remove the fat. This was o