Crio Bru Brewed Cacao Ghana French Roast 5lb (80oz) Bag- Coffee Alternative Natural Healthy Drink | 100% Pure Ground Cacao Beans | 99.99% Caffeine Free, Keto, Low Carb, Paleo, Non-GMO

If you are looking for a coffee substitute, buy this. If you are looking for a hot chocolate drink, look elsewhere. From my understanding, this is made with the shells or outer part of the cocoa bean. They are roasted and then you brew it like coffee. Like coffee, it is bitter, not sweet, and will have the same viscosity of coffee, not cocoa. You will notice a very small about of fat in the brewed drink, my guess is from residual cocoa butter--we are talking trace amount. I blended mine in a coffee grinder, brewed in a french press, mixed after it steeped for 6-8 minutes with a frother, strained at 10 minutes, and then added my creamer and sweetener. To me, it tasted much like coffee with a hint/aftertaste of chocolate. Also, smells really good when it is steeping.

First off, this stuff smells amazing. It is cacao, after all. So, as soon as you open the bag, boom! Chocolate scent in your face!It is more work to brew, than coffee. For my coffee, I just put it and the water in my french press, then stick it in the fridge to cold brew, overnight. From what I have read, some people have cold brewed the cacao, but they had to use more of it. Considering how crazy expensive it already is, I'm not trying to do that. So, I hot brew the cacao, then make a mixture of approximately 40% coffee and 60% cacao. This gives the best of both worlds (coffee and chocolate). You get your caffeine boost (but a lower amount) from the coffee, and the delicious flavor and aroma from the cacao. Plus, doing this stretches my cacao further, effectively making it cost less per cup, while still being amazing.

I don't like coffee and I don't like sweet drinks. Luckily this tastes nothing like coffee. It just makes an awfully nice morning beverage, gives you a little boost, and when you put a little stevia and whole milk in it, it is just divine. Makes a nice change from my usual green tea in the a.m. Only reason for four stars is it is quite expensive per cup, so won't be able to enjoy this every day. While the chocolate taste is quite different from, say, Hershey's dark cocoa, adding a little sweetener really brings out the flavor. It's different, but delightfully so.I percolate it in my electric percolator instead of a french press where it has to sit for so long, (according to the instructions), it's barely lukewarm when ready to serve. Percolator uses less product and it's piping hot when ready, and keeps it hot for a second cup!

It was nice to try. I probably won't buy again but the flavor was great.

My doctor has me off of coffee for a while so I decided to try some other hot beverages and this was one of them. I followed the directions for brewing in a French press. It came out just fine. I added half-and-half like I typically do with coffee. Basically, there is no way this could be mistaken for coffee. Essentially, this is hot chocolate. If you want it a little sweeter add some sugar. I tried it both ways and preferred it with sugar which made it taste even more like hot chocolate that I could get at the grocery store. I will probably not buy this again. It’s not bad it taste fine but it’s not in my opinion a good substitute for coffee. I could not drink this every day.

Brews like coffee tastes like chocolate. Tastes good no complaints

In 27 years I have received thousands of Amazon orders. I have reviewed a mere fraction of the items. This cocoa is worthy of my time. I put in a small Bodun French press, because I wanted one cup to try. I added a tabsp of heavy whipping cream and frothed it with a handheld mini frother. This is a fantastic cup of happiness to start my day. It is like a homemade cup of cocoa I might make for an honored guest after a day on the ski slopes! I didn't even add sugar. It is that good! I am going to reinvent the Ned Flanders Cocoa Recipe so it's low calorie and even happier.(Serves 1) Ingredients:1 cup whole milk (or your preferred milk)2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder1-2 tbsp sugar (adjust to taste)1/4 tsp vanilla extractPinch of saltWhipped cream (optional)Chocolate shavings or sprinkles (optional)Marshmallows (because Flanders would!)Instructions: Heat the Milk: In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk until it's steaming but not boiling.Mix Cocoa and Sugar: In a separate bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt.Combine: Add a couple of tablespoons of the hot milk to the cocoa mixture and stir until smooth, forming a paste.Add to Milk: Pour the cocoa paste back into the saucepan, stirring continuously.Flavor: Add the vanilla extract and continue stirring until everything is well combined and heated through.Serve: Pour into your favorite mug, top with whipped cream, marshmallows, and maybe a sprinkle of chocolate.Bonus Ned Flanders Touch: Serve it with a cheerful smile and perhaps a “Hi-diddly-ho!”

You have to use a lot to get a good flavor. I used a drip coffee maker using 24 ounces of water with at least 2/3 cup of the cacao. So it is very expensive but a nice coffee substitute.