A friend of mine went on a last minute trip to the Dominican Republic last year and brought back a most interesting jar of cocoa balls for me. After a lot of questioning on Twitter, it turned out that this wasn’t for hot chocolate but for a Caribbean chocolate drink they call cocoa tea.
I believe this is pure processed cacao, complete with cacao butter, in ball form. From what I gather online, they also come in sticks, which, though less aesthetically pleasing, are easier to grate.
Well, after many months of procrastination, I finally thought about making us some cocoa tea and opened the jar. I cobbled together a set of instructions based on what I found online and what was on the side of the jar. In a small pot, I placed half a stick of cinnamon, a bay leaf and grated in about 1/8 of a nutmeg. In went 500ml of semi-skimmed milk and the whole pot was set on a medium heat to simmer.
Meanwhile, I grated up one of the cocoa balls (each is about the size of a walnut). When the milk was simmering, the grated cocoa was added and whisked in until well combined. As there’s no sweetening in these balls of cacao, some sugar was also added to taste (about 1-2 tbsps, I think).
Finally, a little bit of cornstarch slurry gave the thin mixture a little thickness.
The result was delicious! Not too sweet, a bit bitter, very deeply chocolaty but not in a cloying way. I might try to grate the cocoa ball a little finer as we were chewing a little on the larger cocoa nibs but this was not unpleasant. If you do manage to find cacao like this, do try it!
Wed, 26 Feb, 2014 at 22:51
In Dominica where my husband came from they make it long, with addition of spices and call it cocoa sticks, haven’t seen the balls before 😉
Fri, 7 Mar, 2014 at 11:05
Ah, so the spices are already put in there! Fantastic!
Thu, 27 Feb, 2014 at 02:13
I’ve never seen these cacao balls before. The Cocoa Tea sounds delicious and probably quite healthy. I love chocolate that has a hint of bitterness. Will you cook something with these too? I’d love to see some experiments using these.
Fri, 7 Mar, 2014 at 11:06
Not sure – we’re in the middle of a few things so experimental cooking will be quite limited in the next few months. And they’re just so delicious in cocoa tea! I reckon they’d go well in a savoury sauce though.
Fri, 7 Mar, 2014 at 11:25
I often put a few chocolate buttons and chili flakes into my marinara sauce to give it a decadent boost in flavour.
Thu, 27 Feb, 2014 at 09:17
Sounds very similar to the cylinders of Mexican chocolate which I buy from casa Mexico in E2. But they differ as they are already with added spices and sugar. Tasty drink though!
Fri, 7 Mar, 2014 at 11:09
Ooooh, thanks for the tip – I need to check out Casa Mexico!
Thu, 27 Feb, 2014 at 10:18
This sounds like the best tea ever! 😉
Fri, 7 Mar, 2014 at 11:12
😀
Thu, 27 Feb, 2014 at 11:42
A friend sent me some of these. I haven’t quite figured out how to make it delicious though.
Fri, 7 Mar, 2014 at 11:13
Sugar and spice and all that’s nice?
Thu, 27 Feb, 2014 at 12:08
Using Willies 100% cacao (its the best)to make a similar drink. Wakes you up in the morning. When I am on a cold wet beach foraging my small flask of this is very welcome (chilli is usualy added). Cardamon/cinnamon/ nutmeg are all good flavours to cacao.
Fri, 7 Mar, 2014 at 11:19
When I run out, I do need to try Willies. And cardamom, that’s a good one for next time!
Wed, 5 Mar, 2014 at 10:26
I love a hot chocolate made purely with melted dark chocolate, a little sugar and boiling water but no milk. It actually wakes me up better than coffee in the morning, but we have to keep it for weekends as it’s quite expensive to make every day!
Fri, 7 Mar, 2014 at 11:23
Oooh, that sounds lush! Might have to give it a go one day – thanks!
Mon, 13 Apr, 2015 at 19:51
do you know where I can buy this in st. Thomas virgin ISLANDS
Sat, 25 Aug, 2018 at 18:19
Cocoa Tea | Tamarind and Thyme
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