What’s your favorite kind of chocolate? Milk? Dark? White? What if I found you a confection where you could experience all three kinds, plus other chocolate tastes? Everyone knows that cocoa beans are the very foundation of chocolate, and Cocoa Puro’s Kaka’wa Cocoa Beans begin with roasted cocoa beans. The beans are covered in layers of chocolate (white, milk, and dark, going from innermost to outermost), then dusted in cocoa powder.
These treats look similar to almonds that have been covered in chocolate and dusted with cocoa powder, but any similarities end there, as these beans are so much better-tasting and more interesting.
"Fresh roasted whole cocoa beans in luscious layers of fine chocolates & cocoa powders."
The Kaka’wa Cocoa Beans have multiple textures, as you might expect. You get the smooth layers of chocolate combined with the crunch of the roasted cocoa bean, and it’s a great combination. Even more important, however, is their flavor. Bite into just one of these, and you understand that chocolatier Tom Pedersen knows best-quality ingredients and believes in using them in his products. These beans are miniature delicacies and deserve to be savored. Serve two or three to friends as petits fours at the end of a special meal, enjoy them with tea or coffee, or pair them with wine or spirits (a wine merchant friend of Mr. Pedersen’s suggests the wine J. Palacios Petalos Bierzo 2007. If you would like to try port, the suggestions are 10 year Fonseca Tawny Port or Taylor Fladgate 20 Year; for Scotch, try Balvenie 12 year Double Wood Scotch or Glenmorangie Port Cask Scotch).
Pure chocolate has a very long shelf life, at least six months to a year, if stored in a cool, dry environment (60 to 80 degrees F is fine). Cocoa Puro does not recommend refrigeration or freezing, but if it is necessary chocolates should be placed in an airtight container for storage. When removing chocolates for consumption, first allow the container to return to room temperature.
There’s something else noteworthy about Cocoa Puro‘s Kaka’wa Cocoa Beans; it’s in how the beans are sourced. It would be easy for any chocolatier to buy inexpensive, commodity-quality cocoa beans and not think about the farmer who grew them, but that’s not Mr. Pedersen’s way. About his sourcing, he says, “We buy our beans direct trade, which is better than fair trade. The farmer doesn’t need to pay for certification or hassle with anyone. He can stick to producing great beans, for which I pay him twice the market rate. He’s happy, my customers are happy, and Im happy to get great beans.”
Kaka'wa Cocoa Beans at the Farmers Market stand.
Given that Pedersen pays twice the market rate for his cocoa beans, you know that Cocoa Puro’s Kaka’wa Cocoa Beans won’t be cheap. At $28 for a 12oz bag, they’re not, nor should they be. These aren’t “throwaway” chocolates that you slug down without thinking twice. And considering what you get in the product, how labor-intensive these are to make, and the delicious end result, they’re not overpriced, either. The beans even come in a re-sealable, festive, red foil bag, perfect for gift-giving. Visit Cocoa Puro’s website for more information or to order online.
