Pure Natural Miracles Cacao Powder - Organic, Raw, Unsweetened, Sugar Free Cocoa - Wild Chocolate Flavor - Perfect for Smoothies and Baking - 2 lb

Pure Naturals Miracles say their cacao is made from the “Highest Quality Arriba Cacao fromEcuador” & “ Made with the best Arriba Nacional, Criollo cocoa powder from Ecuador”Seeing I hadn’t reviewed this cacao powder & reading other reviews because there’s no point inmy saying the same things others have already said repeatedly, I realized that I just wasn’t sure ifeverything said was true. So, I left Amazon and did a few hours of research of my own: cacao powder,raw cacoa powder, arriba nacional, arriba nacional crillo, arriba nacional ecuador…… I learned a lot.All chocolate starts as a seed, in a pod, on the Theobroma cacao tree, which means “cacao, the foodof the gods!” It grows under the umbrella of taller trees which protect it from direct sun. The treesbloom yr round, producing pods which are filled with seeds which are the (cacao) beans.Cocoa has been cultivated in Ecuador since the 17th century. In the late 18th century & early 19thcentury when buyers from Europe went to Equador to buy cacao & asked locals where they couldfind the really good (Nacional) cacao, they were told “arriba… río arriba”, which means “up the river”.This is where “Arriba” came from. In Ecuador, Nacional cacao is a symbol of quality and greatorganoleptic (sensual- as in aroma and flavor) richness. It was the main export up to the 1920s whendiseases struck, destroying crops everywhere. Then the 1997-98 El Niño wiped out most of theNacional crop. Arriba Nacional became almost extinct—however, some heirloom Nacional survived,were nurtured and resurrected w/help from the Ecuadorian gov. and Int’l, worldwide, developmentfunding, growers’ cooperatives of small family farms formed and worked to preserve the ArribaNacional cacao.Nacional Cacao is one of the first cacaos declared to be an heirloom variety by the Heirloom CacaoPreservation Initiative (HCP), who’s goal is Identifying and mapping fine-flavored beans and recognizinggrowers who produce the highest-quality beans. Today Nacional cacao, exclusive to Ecuador, is consideredto be among the world’s finest. It’s grown in mineral-rich volcanic soil at a high elevation in the ArribaNacional forest of Ecuador.The cacao is grown and processed organically thanks to the Cacaolands project. The cacao is monitoredto ensure total control of the channeling system, to safeguard the environment, to develop sustainableagriculture and provide a fair & livable income for the farmers.The strong floral aroma these trees develop is unique to the Nacional cacao & is called the "Arriba"flavor.Please note…it can be confusing…especially when marketers are intermixing & using terms like"Nacional" and "Arriba" for the lessor quality CCN-51— an increasingly prevalent hybrid of massmarket quality and flavor. Arriba can mean chocolate products made from not only Nacional butalso this hybrid. CCN-51 has a high-yield, 3-4 times per hectare more than Nacional, has a high cocoabutter content, is disease resistance, has a more bitter flavor and is the workhorse of cacao.Other Natural Cacao varitieties are:Forastero— Spanish for 'foreigner' or 'stranger' originally from the Amazon basin and domesticatedlater than Criollo. Forastero cacao is generally a strong, vigorous plant that grows quickly. It producesa lot of fruit, accounting for over 80% of the world's cacao and is grown mainly in Africa and Asia. Itwas unclear from all I read if Forastero is one & the same as CCN-51 or not.Trinitario- This is a naturally occurring hybrid of Criollo and Forastero cacao dating back to the 1700’s.It’s the result of natural cross-pollination between Forastero trees and the few Criollo trees thatsurvived a natural disaster in the early 18th century. It was developed in Trinidad. Trinitario cacaohas the delicate flavor and intense aroma of the Criollo, combined with the strong, vigorous plantgrowth & fruit production of the Forastero bean. Grown mainly in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, theWest Indies and South America, it represents about 10-15% of the world's total production.This raw cacao powder is of the Criollo variety. The ancient Criollo variety of Nacional cacaowas saved from extinction and is sourced from the native-born heirloom species. Crillio means"native" or "'of local origin". It is believed to be the first cacao variety to be cultivated inpre-Columbian times. It’s known for it's complex, powerful flavors that can be fruity or spicy,intense aroma and lacking the bitterness found in other varieties. It’s susceptible to disease, yieldsfewer fruit pods, and thus beans, and ripens later. It accounts for approx. 5% of the world crop ofcacao. The Criollo variety is considered worldwide to have the finest floral aroma and flavor profile.Bottom line: Based on all I learned, I’d say when Pure Naturals Miracles says it’s certified organic rawcacao powder is “the best Arriba Nacional, Criollo cocoa powder from Ecuador; our premium cacao is100% pure, raw and unroasted, natural, non alkalized, organic and packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.”——they aren’t kidding. It’s the real deal—no sugar added, no nutrients lost in repeatedheatings to roast or process removing the butter. I’m on my third order of this cacao. I use it: to makecocoa, put it in fruit & vegetable smoothies. have added it to the cook variety of pudding mix & for baking.It may cost more, but old sayings get to be that way for a reason—they’re true.All too often, you really do get what you pay for.

So i have been using cacao powder for about 3-4 months now, everyday habitually. I have used other sources of cacao powder, i always look for raw and organic products and after spending some time on the web, researching cacao and its health benefits and what to look for when purchasing a quality cacao product i have found that this brand (there is another brand, by Dragon Herbs, which can be found on the D.H. website) is the best of the best when it comes to raw organic mineral rich vitamin dense quality.Raw Organic Cacao can come from different places, therefore there are different constituents and sometimes even additional ingredients in your product. This PNM Cacao is the real deal, its some of the BEST DARK CHOCOLATE IN THE WORLD.100% Arriba Criollo estate grown Cacao, Delicious and nourishing for healthier cardiovascular status.The problem with many cocoa powders is the addition of sugar and extraneous fats, this product contains none of that. this is the best Cacao Powder you can get your hands on, so if you are looking for some mineral rich goodness - BUY THIS PRODUCT!I prefer to purchase the 2 pound bag, and i use an ounce a day. I also take mine in combination with herbs and herbal extracts (Schizandra,He Shou Wu, Reishi, Cordyceps, Ashwagandha, R. Rosea, Goji, Gynostemma, and Panax Ginseng);i have heard that mixing your herbs and herbal extracts with raw organic cacao can really boost the absorption and utilization of the herbal compounds in the human body, so i try and squeeze a little bit of that ounce i take daily each time i take these herbs.I personally have not tried any other methods of ingestion other than bringing filtered water to a boil and adding in the raw cacao powder to dissolve and drinking like a cup of coco (but its cacao).It is unsweetened (thats what you want) and does not contain added fats (another thing that you WANT to avoid in your cacao powder), so the taste is extremely bold in flavor - like really chocolately; Some people love that, it is an acquired taste and takes some time to get used to - but once you break that barrier in the taste, you will learn to LOVE consuming this stuff. it contains so many great things that the human body needs, especially magnesium - its really good stuff. i sometimes add in a dairy-free coffee creamer made with allnatural ingredients like coconut bliss by neste, but i am trying to refrain from that so i am trying other things out, currently i am just taking out an ounce of powder and putting it into a glass jar, and adding a couple scoops of the powder into my drinks - like right now i am drinking some freshly brewed Red Reishi mushroom tea with a bit of Russian Rhodiola Rosea root powder, i have added about a teaspoons worth of this cacao into it and it taste great.I will continue using this product as it has made a big difference for me, i feel better and i feel happier - my mood is stable and i feel happy most of the time, its like this bliss feeling you get from consuming this cacao powder. I LOVE IT.You will too.Hope this helps somebody out there