I'm by no means a serious chocolate connoisseur, however I do enjoy a nice piece of the dark stuff and thought I'd buy a few bars and review them here; hopefully this will help narrow down some options for those of you who are looking to buy some craft chocolate.
Keep in mind that what I purchased was primarily based off of my desire for rich textures.
Goodnow Farms Esmeraldas 70%
I can see why this bar is well-liked, as it has a conspicuously approachable flavor as far as dark chocolate goes: it's definitely jammy/grapey as the tasting notes describe, with very strong buttecream/dairy notes as well. It reminds me of buttered toast topped with a deep, dark berry jam that is both sweet and tart; this one has an overall very familiar, "safe" taste that's very straightforwardly pleasing, but lacking some depth at the same time (me personally, I want a smooth/moderate bitterness with a bit more complexity and nuances).
Mouthfeel decent but a bit tacky due to not enough cacao/cocoa butter; there is also a slight grain to the texture if you outright chew through it, meaning the beans themselves aren't 100% finely ground.
Goodnow Farms Special Reserve 100% Cacao
Remarkably silky, decadent texture; arguably the smoothest and richest out of the bunch, which tells me that the nibs are meticulously ground to a very fine texture and are supplied with liberal quantities of cacao/cocoa butter (unlike Esmeraldas).
Traditional, "fresh" cacao flavor with some natural bitterness that is balanced by a bright acidity, making it appropriately self-limiting and never overwhelming.
Chocolat Madagascar Dark 70%
Velvety texture; very pleasing moderate sweetness and good flavor, with strong notes of hazelnut, caramelized sugar, rich chocolate, as well as subtle floral/fruity notes. Just like the 85%, it's $9 for 3 oz, which makes these 2 bars better value compared to the other 5.
This one has a forgiving/mild taste (not unlike Goodnow Farms' Esmeraldas 70%), making it good for those who usually don't like dark chocolate. This definitely blows away your average chocolate bar, milk or dark irrelevant (it does has sunflower lecithin unlike the 85% bar though, if that bothers you).
Chocolat Madagascar Dark 85%
Flavor is undeniably better than your average dark chocolate bar, but lacking some complexity and refinement: primarily, I find that it isn't particularly well-rounded or balanced; what I did taste was decent though, with a "woody" quality and hints of citrus, yet it's unfortunately let down somewhat by a rough around the edges, distractingly acrid/astringent/tannic bitterness that also lingers in the mouth. Just an overtly acidic and bitter bar in general.
Texture is fairly nice and smooth, although with slightly less cacao/cocoa butter than the 70% bar.
Qantu Morropon 70%
Best flavor: intense yet incredibly balanced, with a trailing "fruity" acidity that is offset by a mildly tannic/astringent background (like that you would find in sour berries) and hints of cream that accentuate the base chocolate taste; cherry is the most prominent fruit taste in my opinion, along with raspberry nuances and another "red" taste I couldn't quite put my finger on (no plums or anything, though). Yep, red tastes great.
Texture is thoroughly smooth and melty, too, and perfectly complemented/carried the wonderful flavor; this is all in all a very refined, very balanced bar.
Chocolate Tree Porcelana Venezuela 85%
Most unique flavor: strong notes of cinnamon, and a warm "coppery" quality similar to leather perhaps; this is contrasted with an equally warm, comforting, "pure" chocolate taste with malt undertones. Mouthfeel is very consistent, indicating that the cacao beans are completely and finely ground, and the cacao/cocoa butter content is decently generous too.
Better value compared to the Goodnow Farms, Amedei, and Qantu bars.
Amedei Toscano Black 90%
Worst texture: a fair amount of cacao/cocoa butter is present, yet the problem is the sheer lack of even consistency/smoothness (you can clearly feel uneven particles of powder that aren't quite emulsified with the butter even with no chewing, despite the mouthfeel not being outright gritty or anything).
Flavor is reminiscent of a fresh, floral chocolate cream and is surprisingly quite nice and balanced, though.
Personal Ranking:

Goodnow Farms Special Reserve 100% Cacao; 9.5/10 (best texture; fresh/natural cacao taste with well-rounded bitterness)
Qantu Morropon 70%; 9.5/10 (best flavor; very smooth/melty texture)
Chocolate Tree Porcelana Venezuela 85%; 8.5/10 (most interesting/unique flavor; consistent/fairly rich texture)
Chocolat Madagascar Dark 70%; 8.3/10 (mildest, sweetest)
Goodnow Farms Esmeraldas 70%; 6.5/10 (very approachable, familiar and straightforward flavor; so-so texture)
Chocolat Madagascar Dark 85%; 6.0/10 (least-developed flavor; texture sufficiently smooth)
Amedei Toscano Black 90%; 6.0/10 (worst texture due to its lack of consistency; flavor pleasantly mild and floral for a 90% bar)

Recommendations:
Best value and mildest flavor: Chocolat Madagascar Dark 70%
Best high-end pick: Qantu Morropon 70%
Best for texture-lovers: Goodnow Farms Special Reserve 100% Cacao
Best all-rounder with unique qualities: Chocolate Tree Porcelana Venezuela 85%
I wanted to try Chocolat Madagascar Dark 100% as it has been well-received with numerous awards; interested to see how that stacks up against Goodnow Farms Special Reserve 100% Cacao.
Update:
I changed some of my descriptions and made the comparison(s) fairer, as I had eaten these chocolates in different contexts rather than consecutively in the same setting.
Update 2:
I'm going to review 9 100% bars within the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned if you want to read that (1 will be the 100% bar I already reviewed here, so 8 new ones).

I've been curious about the Aeropress for a long time, only finally asked my mom for one for my birthday this year. I didn't know how different the coffee it makes is. It almost tastes/feels buttery on the tongue, like hot chocolate made with unsweetened cacao nib and full-fat milk. There's also very little bitterness and acidity, so it plays better with my GERD.
By comparison, my v60 has more bitterness and body and has sharper flavour notes to it. But my pourover cups taste roughly the same (v60, Wave, Bodum), they seem to just emphasize different flavour notes.
What's with the Aeropress? Is it the faster extraction? How does the pressure play into it? I absolutely love the difference and it's supplanted my v60's throne as my most used coffee brewer.

Hey, all! I'm fairly new to all this (also FYI fairly new to using Reddit, even though I've had an account for months, haha, so if I do something wrong, let me know :) ), and have some questions. (Please note that I did look through the wiki and assorted resources, and I don't think I missed anything...hopefully not, anyway, haha.)
Also note that my questions are all going to apply to tisanes only (we're talking completely caffeine-free, unless I put chocolate in or something (see the cocoa/cacao nibs question)), as I don't do actual tea for religious reasons.
So, questions, in no particular order (or not much of one; I've tried to go from more general to more specific, but that may be a matter of opinion, haha):

Loose-leaf--from everything I've read, it does actually make better tea, but is this true of tisanes, too? And what exactly is the difference in flavors? (I think I understand why there's a difference; it's just what exactly the difference is that I'm not following.) Specifically/especially, I want to confirm that I've understood right as far as the strength goes--does using loose-leaf and giving it room to expand make an herbal tea stronger? (Because if so, that's for sure something I need to try. I've only ever actually enjoyed strong and fruit-flavored tisanes, because otherwise I just taste hot water.)
Is there any kind of benefit/difference with using fresh herbs/spices/fruit/whatever vs. dry? I did see something somewhere (idek where at this point; I've been doing so much reading that it's all started to blur together, haha) that said using dry fruits was better--and do you guys think that's the case, too?--but what about the other types of ingredients?
(I'm still looking through the vendor resources here, so I apologize if there are some obvious answers to this question in those, but I figured I might as well toss it out there since I was posting anyway.) I'm really wanting to try creating my own blends, but one difficulty I'm running into is ingredients. I don't want to grow my own (besides the time it'd take, I have...idk if it's a black thumb, but it's certainly not green, haha), but I'm having a lot of trouble finding web sites where I can get ingredients in small amounts for testing. Like, I see a lot of places where you can buy in bulk, but at the moment I don't need, y'know, a pound of rose hips or whatever, haha. I'm not totally sure of the exact amounts I want, but I'd assume it would be maybe a couple of ounces or something, depending on the ingredient--just enough so I can experiment with it a little. (Also, the vendor list here does seem to be focused on actual tea, which makes total sense but makes it a bit more difficult to use for my purposes.) So if anyone is able to point me towards sites where I can get smaller amounts of this type of stuff (I did look at Adagio Teas' pantry section, and there are some things there, but I'd love to find others, since they don't have everything)--or tell me which ingredients would likely just be at a run-of-the-mill grocery store--that'd be great :) (I'll keep looking at the list of vendors in the meantime, but if someone is willing to speed up the process, it would be a big help, haha.)
Are there more resources like this for what things taste like? I'd especially love some kind of comparison chart; I've been sort of trying to form one in my head as I read the pages on that site--for example, I know a lot of the herbal teas I've liked seem to have hibiscus, so I looked at the page about hibiscus, noted the key words used to describe the flavor, and am trying to be on the watch for similar descriptors--but it'd be great to have more descriptions.
If I want to try creating a certain blend, would it be worth it to use Adagio Teas' "Create a Blend" feature as a starting point, and then add other flavors as necessary at home, or is it better to just start from scratch? (For example, I was wondering about using sage in a tea, but they don't seem to have that as an option with herbal teas. So, what might be pros and cons to either starting with a custom blend of the other teas I want, ordering it from Adagio, then mixing sage in at home, vs. just forgetting the Adagio "middle man" and getting the stuff I need to blend it all myself?)
Cocoa/cacao nibs (idek which is the correct way to say it, or if they're both correct? Haha)--I was looking into having them in a blend, but I know that normal chocolate--like in a candy bar or whatever--does have very minor amounts of caffeine. I'm not against the amounts in that, but--again for religious reasons--I don't want anything that's more caffeinated than that. I don't know if there's more in the nibs than in the finished chocolate or something, and if so, how much would end up in a tea made with them... So basically, would having cocoa/cacao nibs in a tisane introduce more caffeine into it than is in, say, chocolate candy or hot chocolate or whatever?
So when reading the wiki, I saw the part about not using ball infusers, and that surprised me, as I'd been planning to buy one of those. I guess at the moment I'm looking for a balance between price and quality, since I still don't know if I'm even going to like this whole loose-leaf tea thing enough to do it consistently. So, given that, would something like the larger size of this work (since if I understand correctly, the issue is a lot to do with the size)? Or maybe this or this type of thing? And if not, what do I want in the way of an infuser (and/or what should I make sure I don't end up buying), and where do I get it? Note: With tea bags, I've found I honestly prefer to steep for a fair while, so I guess that's the main concern I have with the infusers that fit over the top of the cup--like, the leaves barely have a second to touch the water, right? Or do those infusers extend mostly into the cup and so it's still steeping as it sits? Idk, I'm just confused... (And, to be fair, I was also looking forward to adding a little charm to the end of a hook-and-chain infuser ball, so I kinda hate to give that up, haha.)
So one of the reasons I haven't drunk tisanes that much in the past is that I'm so often doing something else, and like...I'll take a sip or two, set it down so I can use my hands, and then 20 minutes later I remember it exists and oh, look, it's cold. (XD I'm very distractable...) So I found a thing on Amazon that looks like it might help, but on considering further, it's occurred to me that there might be a cheaper solution. So--we're talking a single mug of tea, here, not a pot. Would a tea cozy still be any good with an open-topped mug, or would it not help? I could also look into those things you put on top of a cup, but tbh I feel like they might be a pain to use? Idk. Thoughts/suggestions?

...wow, that turned out hugely long; sorry about that! I've tried to bold the important bits, but I do stink majorly at summarizing, so I may have to see whether that ends up actually helping or not, haha.
Also, any other advice on any of this is welcome--including where else I might ask, if this isn't the right place or people might know bettein more detail elsewhere or something.
Thanks much for any help!

I've been drinking Cacao for the the last year now. My favorite drink is same parts hot water and heavy cream, with a dash of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. The brand of Cacao i use is Navitas (raw powder).
More recently I've come to learn of Crio Bru, then Firefly (ceremonial). I've tried all the above and realize that ceremonial is the closest one will get to pure, unadulterated Cacao. Drinking Cacao everyday, Ceremonial becomes really expensive. I'm trying to figure out the difference between ground cacao nibs (Crio bru), vs a fine cacao powder (Navitas) apart from grind. My big question is do i really need the former since the latter tastes better anyways? It's kind of like the the difference between steel cut oats and rolled or quick oats. Is that a fair parallel? It seems like a finely ground cacao will probably lose some of its nutirional content? Yes? Recently i've started to throw the Crio cacao grounds into smoothies - i don't know if I care for the chalky texture.
My primary goal is health benefits, followed closely by taste. It's my understanding all Cacao is fermented, then roasted. There is no such thing as 'truly' raw cacao for normal human consumption. Roasting techniques differ, with ceremonial being the most mildly roasted. I've reached out to Crio bru and although they won't tell me how they tested it, they claim their light roasts retain all the nutrition. Navitas makes the claim that theirs is 'raw' which isn't really accurate anyways. Thoughts?

Cocoa Powder Benefits and Side Effects

Food Catalog / Ingredients, Herbs, and Spices / Cocoa Powder
Written by: Christopher Karam ｜ ✔️ Medically Reviewed by: Dr. Riad M., M.D - G.P and Micheal B., M.D ｜ Last Updated: 2020 March 22
dried cocoa beans
Break down and Background
Cocoa powder (Theobroma cacao), also known as dark chocolate, was introduced by the Spanish in the beginning of the 16 century. Cocoa beans are thought to have first been used by the Maya civilization of Central America for the myriad of health benefits that come with it.

Cocoa powder is a dried, ripen, and fully fermented seed from the Theobroma tree’s cacao seeds, a small evergreen tree from the Malvaceae family. It’s a popular baking ingredient due to its addictive nature and plant-based compounds.

How is cocoa powder made?
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that’s a precursor for the production and secretion of serotonin, the chemical that promotes wellbeing and happiness. Cocoa powder has many health benefits and very few side effects.

From the cocoa pod to natural cocoa powder, there are many, many steps to take before creating a consumable unsweetened organic cocoa powder or dark chocolate.

So how is dark chocolate and cocoa powder made? First, cocoa beans are removed from their pods, later being fermented and then dried, roasted, and ground into a thick cocoa liquor.

The liquor is actually made up of the very fine, broken down bean cell particles and cocoa butter that was tucked inside the cocoa nibs, which were inside of the beans.

The cocoa liquor is then refined from dehusking dried and roasted beans. Later pressed to extract the cocoa butter, leaving behind a cake-like mass made up of pure, fine cocoa bean particles.

Afterwards, the cocoa cake is ground to then make a finalized unsweetened cocoa powder product, that’s rich and dark in color.

Natural cocoa powder is a staple ingredient for everyone who likes baking. Dark chocolate is called for in many chocolate dessert recipes since it adds an intense, bitter chocolatey flavor to everything from cookies, to pies, cakes, and other desserts.

It’s also a somewhat expensive ingredient because it’s an exotic type of vegetable. It's also justified by being very healthy, since it’s full of healthy fats, fiber, protein, and antioxidants.

Helping enhance the taste of many dessert recipes, organic or dutch-process cocoa powder is a versatile ingredient that should be a part of everyone's daily diet since it’s so easy to fit it into your regiment. Unless you’re allergic of course.

You can use cacao powder for it’s wonderful chocolate flavor. Most of the top staple desserts recipes out there include baking powder, baking soda, and chocolate. The baking process of using baking powdebaking soda coupled with cacao enhances it’s chocolaty flavor.

spoon of cocoa powder on a table

Be careful when looking to buy raw natural cocoa powder, as many companies add fillers, additives, and other chemicals to increase the weight volume of the packaging box.

Hot chocolate and regular chocolate powder mixes aren’t raw organic cocoa powder as the instant chocolate powder mixes on the market often include a lot of sugar and emulsifiers, like lecithin, to help the chocolate mix better with water.

Don’t use hot chocolate mix in place of raw cacao when you are baking. They’re definitely convenient, but there are way more health benefits to adding raw ingredients to your food or drinks instead of pre-packaged mixes.

Unless your recipe explicitly asks you to use a hot cocoa mix or dark chocolate powder, just use the raw cocoa powder with your milk or cream instead and add any sweetener you like. Preferably a healthy option like Stevia.

Due to cocoa powder’s nitric oxide and flavanols, cacao can dilate your blood vessels which will improve blood flow and lower blood pressure, which is very useful before and after weight training and cardio workouts.

And who doesn’t like a healthy heaping tablespoon of dark chocolate? It’s one of the most loved and addictive flavors on the planet. So much so that multiple research papers have proven that it can even become addictive in many cases.

The rich intense flavor of natural cocoa powder is delicious with anything including coffee, smoothies and protein shakes, or even oatmeal.

Some people even make savory chocolate sauce recipes, a gravy to add on to their meat of choice, or a dark chocolate chestnut pasta.

raw cocoa powder and cacao nibs

Cocoa Powder Health Benefits
Other than its incredible flavor, there are many other benefits of organic cocoa powder. Many research papers have found that it has impeccable health benefits for your heart, brain, and overall health through weight loss.

There are so many incredible health benefits of eating organic cocoa powder that you won’t believe that something so delicious could be so good for you. These benefits have lasting effects that can improve your health in every aspect.

Brightens Mood, Boosts Happiness, and Reduces Depression

If you’re struggling with irregular mood swings and regulation, cocoa has positive health impacts on the brain which also helps relieve symptoms of depression.

Researchers have displayed that cacao is a natural antidepressant that can healthily increase your levels of happiness.

Cocoa contains nitric oxide the mood-boosting chemicals anandamide. It’s a fatty acid neurotransmitter that helps make people feel slightly euphoric, similarly to THC.

Raw cocoa powders have also been found to have an effect on the reward center of the brain.

Especially due to the transformation of tryptophan to serotonin that naturally occurs in the body. Tryptophan is an amino acid precursor to the formation of new serotonin neurotransmitters in the brain.

ground cocoa powder and cacao beans

Researchers have also found that cocoa interacts with your brain’s neurotransmitters to release dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins, all of which make you feel happier.

Can Boost your Libido and Sexual Performance

Cacao is the pure, unrefined form of chocolate. We eat the seed, which contains another alkaloid called theobromine.

Theobromine acts as a blood vessel widener and is actually used in modern medicine for this purpose.

It also increases blood flow throughout your body because it will lower your blood pressure, reduce inflammation, dilate your arteries.

Cacao can be consumed as a powder, nibs, or whole beans. Another mood-enhancing chemical found in cocoa is phenethylamine, this chemical releases the same endorphins that are released when we fall in love, and so this can help improve your sex life.

In addition, it can also reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. Mostly linked to the flavanoid contents because it reduces bad LDL cholesterol, improves blood flow, as well as dilates and relaxes your blood vessels, in turn reducing internal inflammation.

Boosts Energy and Helps With Weight Loss

Cocoa powder contains a healthy amount of caffeine and nitric oxide. These help boost energy and fight fatigue.

Not only does it have a good amount of caffeine, but it contains magnesium as well.

theobroma cacao tree with growing beans

Two tablespoons of natural cocoa powder have about 14% of your body’s daily value of Magnesium. Magnesium has been found to keep your body naturally energized.

Magnesium has been found to protect your body against other issues such as high blood pressure, type II diabetes, and osteoporosis. Cocoa is known to be one of the healthiest ways to keep your body energized, awake, and focused.

Due to all of the health benefits natural dark chocolate has on your cardiovascular system and digestive system, there’s been many studies concluding it’s relation with weight loss.

Raising levels of fat oxidation, reducing appetite, controlling blood sugar levels, and insulin sensitivity all help reduce your total weight; mainly targeting your body fat stores.

Boosts your Cardiovascular Health

Cocoa is loaded with the anti-inflammatory antioxidant flavanol and nitric oxide. These antioxidants have been found to improve your heart health and your entire cardiovascular system.

Flavanols and nitric oxide can protect your body against cardiovascular disease, improves your blood circulation and lowers the risk of stroke. Having similar effects to olive oil and coconut oil.

Other antioxidants, called polyphenols, in cocoa are known to help reduce HDL is (bad cholesterol) levels and prevent atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries.

cacao bean and powder

Boost your Skin Health

You should try to have a daily serving of hot cocoa to have long-lasting, positive health benefits.

Flavanols, nitric oxide, polyphenols have been found to help you protect your cells from premature oxidation this will keep your skin from looking aged or becoming wrinkled.

It can also improve your skin texture and give it a glowing look. In one study, researchers found that dark chocolate helped improve skin microcirculation, skin hydration, as well as reducing skin swelling and inflammation.

You will look more youthful and bright with just a little more cocoa in your diet. Not only does it help your skin, but using cocoa butter as a moisturizer has also been found to keep skin soft and smooth.

You can try making your own skin moisturizer at home with this simple recipe.

High in Polyphenols, Flavanols, and Antioxidant Enzymes

Flavanols and polyphenols are naturally occurring antioxidants that are rich in foods like nuts, certain vegetables, teas (such as earl grey tea, green tea, oolong tea, and white tea), berries and exotic fruits, chocolate, white wine, and red wine.

They’ve had extensive research linking to improved blood flow, stabilizes blood sugar levels, increases your basal metabolic rate and fat burning processes, heart health, reduces inflammation, and boosts insulin sensitivity.

Natural 70% dark chocolate is one of the richest sources of phenolic compounds, polyphenols, flavanols, and flavanoids which all have powerful antioxidants and the ability to reduce inflammation.

cacao nibs

Because these compounds improves blood flow through your body, this reduces your risk of neurodegenerative diseases and brain function.

These actually go through the blood-brain barrier and supplies nutrients to the brain for the production of neurons and other necessary molecules for proper functioning.

Multiple studies found that daily intake of cocoa flavanols raised the blood flow to the brain by 8% to 11% during a time span of just 2 weeks.

Reduces High Blood Pressure and Improves Heart Health

Raw natural cocoa powders and dark chocolate forms of cacao beans both have equal strengths in helping lower blood pressure.

The purer the powder, the better the effects. A large number of flavanoids are lost during commercial processing, so buying the most unprocessed, raw, and natural cocoa powder product is most optimal.

Mostly linked to the high levels of flavanols and flavanoids, cocoa increases nitric oxide levels in your blood which strengthens blood vessels, arteries, and your heart.

Can Improve Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes

In actuality, cocoa is full of anti diabetic reactions. The flavanols slow down the carbohydrate absorption and digestion in your gut, raises insulin secretion of the pancreas.

It also makes the transfer of energy from glucose in the blood to your muscles more efficient and internally reduces inflammation in people who are diabetic or non-diabetic.

dark chocolate bar godiva on a table

Protects Against Certain Types of Cancer

All of the flavanols, flavanoids, anti-inflammatory reactions, antioxidants, polyphenols, and phenolic acids all contribute to the strengthening of your gut biome and immune system.

80% of your immune system cells reside near the small intestine and large intestine, having a strong gut biome is your best line of defense against infections, viruses, diseases, and cancer.

Multiple test-tube studies on unsweetened cocoa powder being able to protect cells from degenerative and oxidative damage, inhibits cancerous cell growth and spread, as well as induces and facilitates cancer cell death due to it’s high levels of flavanols.

Cocoa Powder Side Effects and Detriments
Negatively Interacts With Many Medications
One of the biggest factors that hinders global, general public use is its negative interactions and side effects with multiple medications.

Adenosine (Adenocards) negatively interacts with cacao because it contains caffeine. The caffeine in cocoa can block the effects of the medication since caffeine attaches to the same neural receptors that Adenosine binds to.

Adenosine is often used by doctors to perform tests for the heart, primarily used as a cardiac stress test and for facilitating sleep since it’s a vasodilator. Stop taking cocoa or other caffeine-containing products at least 24 hours before a cardiac stress test.

Clozapine (Clozaril) is an atypical antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia, decreasing the rate of suicidal behavior. The body breaks down and metabolize clozapine in order to get rid of it.

The caffeine in cocoa decreases how quickly the body metabolizes clozapine, increasing its concentration. Taking cocoa along with the medication can increase the effects and side effects of clozapine.

Dipyridamole (Persantine) inhibits PDE5 in the blood, which inhibits blood clotting and causes blood vessel dilation. Dipyridamole negatively interacts with the caffeine in cocoa as it might block the effects of dipyridamole.

Caffeine interferes with the dilation of your arteries and increases coagulation of your blood, reducing the blood thinning effects of dipyridamole.

Ergotamine (Ergomar) is an alkaloid that’s structurally similar to a neurotransmitter. It behaves an a vasoconstrictor to reduce the blood flow through the cardiovascular system, used to treat acute migraine attacks.

Caffeine can increase how much Ergotamine the body absorbs. Taking cocoa powder along with Ergotamine may increase the effects and side effects of the medication.

Estrogen pills (Estradiol). While the body breaks down the caffeine found in cocoa powder. Estrogen decreases how the speed at which your body breaks down caffeine, no matter the source.

Taking caffeine along with foods containing estrogen or estrogen supplements may cause jitteriness, headaches, an increased heart rate, and other side effects. If you take estrogen supplements, you should limit or in some cases restrict your caffeine intake.

raw cacao powder

Rating and Recommendation
Extremely Recommended

Going through the huge list of health benefits and side effects of cocoa powder, it's a very easy inclusion in your diet.

Dark chocolate is a staple ingredient in modern day cuisine and baking recipes because it has a unique flavor, it’s even used by the health conscious because it has amazing health impacts.

Here’s the full list of the health benefits of cocoa powder:

Brightens Mood, Boosts Happiness, and Reduces Depression

Can Boost your Libido and Sexual Performance

Boosts Energy and Aids With Weight Loss

Boosts your Cardiovascular Health and Overall Heart Health

Boost your Skin Health and Brain Health

High in Polyphenols, Flavanols, and Antioxidant Enzymes

Reduces High Blood Pressure and Improves Heart Health

Can Improve Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes

Protects Against Certain Types of Cancer

Here’s the list of side effects of cocoa powder:

Negatively Interacts With Many Medications

And the list of medications that can cause harm, it clashes with:

Adenosine

Clozapine

Dipyridamole

Ergotamine

Caffeine

Estrogen Pills

Due to cocoa's great flavor, boost of mental and physical health, and especially the boost in sex drive, is highly recommended to include into your daily diet.

Although the side effects can cause harm when consumed with chemicals found in certain medicines, it's best to avoid consuming any other form or product while taking these medications.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Cocoa Powder?
Cocoa, also known as cacao or chocolate is a dried and fermented seed coming from the theobroma tree. It's the basis for anything made of chocolate.

The theobroma tree is native to the Amazon basin and Aztec cultures in South America. Popularized by the Spanish, they brought and distributed the seeds to major continents like Europe, Asia, and West Africa.

A theobroma tree can only grow properly in tropical areas accompanied by lots of rain. Unlike most other exotic trees, it's able to be harvested multiple times per year.

The cacao pods fruits that grow from the tree are either green, purple, or red when young; but become a lighter shade of yellow and orange when fully matured.

The pods have a rough leather like texture encapsulating the beans.

The Ivory Coast is the largest exporter of pods and beans globally. Currently at around 2,100,000 tonnes per year. While the United States and Germany are the largest importers at around 2.8$ billion and 2.33$ billion dollars worth respectively.
Is Cocoa Powder Vegan?
Yes, cocoa products are all vegan by nature. Specifically, it's the seeds of the fruit originating from the theobroma tree.

Although some chocolate products have milk, eggs, and other animal products. Pure dark chocolate powder products have no animal products at all, making them safe for all vegans.
Is Cocoa Powder Healthy?
Yes, cocoa powder is very healthy actually. There are so many positive health benefits that come from including it into your diet.

It can: 1. Brighten your Mood, Boosts Happiness, and Reduces Depression

Can Boost your Libido and Sexual Performance

Boosts Energy and Aids With Weight Loss

Boosts your Cardiovascular Health and Blood Flow

Boost your Skin Health

High in Polyphenols, Flavanols, and Antioxidant Enzymes

Reduces High Blood Pressure and Improves Heart Health

Can Improve Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes

Protects Against Certain Types of Cancer

Where To Buy Cocoa Powder, Beans, or Nibs?
There are many places like amazon, walmart, and other supermarkets that sell organic, natural cocoa powder, beans, or nibs

On February 6, I decided to start some traditional mead in primary that I would add raspberries to in secondary. A started 2.75 gallons in a bucket and the OG was 1.102. I used TOSNA 2.0 and by 2/21 the SG was 1.010. I added 3.5 pounds of raspberries in a muslin bag and sealed the bucket back up. I swirled the bucket a couple times per day for two weeks. On 3/7, I removed the fruit from the bucket and then on 3/8 I racked it to 2 4L carboys and about 1/2 of a 3L carboy. The FG was .999. Since then, I added 1oz of cacao nibs to one of the carboys for one week. Last Saturday, I racked the two 4L carboys off of the sediment and into two two 1 gallon carboys. I tasted the one that had sat on the cacao nibs. It was VERY sour from the raspberries and had barely just a hint of chocolate. It tasted pretty bad. I stirred a bit of honey into my sample and it was better but not great. I sampled the plain raspberry from the other carboy and it was just plain sour.
So, now I have one gallon of sour raspberry with barely a hint of chocolate and one gallon of sour raspberry. I also have the 3L carboy half full in secondary. All of it is just too sour. I'm sure I can backsweeten it to make it better but I was wondering if anyone might have any other ideas.
EDIT: I like how I got down voted by someone. Is there something wrong with my question?

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So I tried to make almond milk a couple of weeks ago, and it tasted, for a better word, like ass. :P Not just that, it separated in about 30 mins and it was thin and watery and it just SUCKED.
This time, I tried things a little differently, and it turned out PERFECT. So here's how I did it:

Soak about 3 cups of almonds overnight. The next day, rinse well.
Bring a big pot of water to boil, and pour in the almonds. Boil for 60 seconds, and then put in ice water or rinse well under tap water.
Press the sides of the almonds and it'll shoot out of the skin. Do this for the entire batch of almonds. This isn't necessary, but makes for a cleaner final product.
Take the blanched almonds and toast them on a heavy bottomed pan for a few minutes. This makes for a milk with fuller flavour.
Put them in a blender with a splash of water. Blend on high to make a smooth paste. Once you have a smooth, non-grainy paste, put in more water to your taste. Blend till the mix is evenly distributed.
Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth, and press the ball of almond paste through the cheesecloth to extract as much of the milk as possible. You can do a second press if you want.
Now comes the fun part! Pour your almond milk into a sauce pan and heat it, stirring constantly. You'll essentially be scalding the milk, while making sure it doesn't burn. After a few minutes, the milk will suddenly become thicker. Take the milk off the heat and pour it into the container you're going to keep it in. And voila! Creamy, thick, non-separating almond milk, just like store bought!

You can add flavours and sweeteners as per your taste. You can add it to smoothies, or savoury recipes and it's creamy, and delicious and perfect!
Edit: I think it's getting thicker when you heat it more. Made some hot chocolate with it by heating it with cacao nibs powder, and it was very thick. Like heavy cream. Damn, wonder if it can be whipped to soft peaks. Could make 2 or 3 ingredient icecream.
P.S: You can dry the almond paste and make almond flour. You can also dry and toast the almond skins and add it to boost the fibre content of pretty much any food like yoghurt or smoothies. If that isn't appealing, you can toast and grind the skins to make a great, gentle exfoliating scrub.

EDIT: The drive is over!
Thanks to everyone who posted their advice, much more detailed responses than I was expecting, what a great community.
Here's what the final days looked like:
DAY 1, Falling Sky Deli in Eugene, their beer was even better than the last time I visited. Dreadnut was the standout. Was able to get on the road earlier than anticipated, so I made the decision to end the night in Santa Rosa. I think I made the best call for my circumstances even though it eliminated a lot of good options. Stopped in Arcata for dinner at Six Rivers. Macadamia Nut Porter made it worthwhile. Also swung by Redwood Curtain. I thought they were good brews but not to my taste preferences. Then powered through to Russian River for the last stop of the night. Got to enjoy their big taster line up with some pliny bites. It was unfortunate that I had to drive that stretch of the 101 at night, and that Lagunitas closed too early for me to reach them, but because of this I was able to continue on the 101 for the rest of the drive. So much better than that hypnotically boring stretch of the 5.
DAY 2, unfortunately nothing was open early enough to justify waiting in the bay area, so drove to Paso Robles for some Firestone Walker. Luckily I went into their Beer Emporium which has a separate tap list, which is where Parabajava and Stickee Monkee were on tap. Fantastic. Stopped for Rancho Nipomo Deli & BBQ in Santa Maria as suggested, quite tasty. Then stopped at the Santa Maria Figueroa Mountain Brewing location. That was my first time having any of their beers and I was impressed. They had just tapped a cask of Davy Brown with cacao nibs that was one of the best beers of the trip.
Then drove the rest of the way to Placentia (after crawling through LA traffic). This is when I knew I made the right decision. The sheer volume of beer I wanted to try would have been impossible if this wasn't my last stop of the night. I tried 14 beers at The Bruery and loved many of them. My favorites were The Grade and Mash and Vanilla. Bought some bottles at Mr K's liquor store, thanks to all who recommended this. But thanks most of all to everyone who pushed me to go to Bottle Logic. What a fantastic brewery. I thought The Bruery would be far and away my favorite stop, but Bottle Logic is something special.
Thanks again everyone!
The original post:
I've got a big drive coming up, so I was looking for some advice for breweries to hit. I only want to hit one or two per stop (unless it's the end of a day's journey). My preferences on beers are dark, smokey, and sweet. Love Baltic Porters and Doppelbocks the most.
The plan so far:
Day 1, leave Eugene Or around noon (unfortunately won't be able to leave earlier than that). I'll hit Falling Sky for lunch on the way out. Drive to Eureka area and stop there for the night. (Hit Mad River, Lost Coast, Eel River?)
Day 2, leave Eureka area and drive to Santa Rosa/Petaluma area (hit Russian River, Lagunitas?) for lunch. Then drive to Placentia to hit the Bruery.
Day 3, Rest of the drive, other stuff happening that day that'll make brewery stops impossible.
How's that sound for an itinerary? I'm open for suggestions for alternatives for breweries in Eureka and Santa Rosa. I'm not interested in flagship ales but instead smallbatch beers and/or experimental beers. For that The Bruery's taplist sounds the most up my alley so I'd love more places in the same vein. I'm also not married to the route but the late starting time on the first day and the desire to hit The Bruery make it difficult to find a better route.
Also which breweries along these stops are the best for food?

I had posted this once on another account of mine, and I deleted for some reason. I've revised it somewhat so I'm going to throw it out again since /FoodDev seems to have more people reading it on a regular basis now compared to when it was first posted. Amus also messaged me asking why I removed it, so I figured I'd pay some respect and put it up again.
This menu was originally planned for Valentine's Day, and I thought it'd be cute and fun to make chocolate the star of a tasting menu. The menu is split into two sections, dark and light, with dark featuring dark chocolates and light featuring white chocolates. I'd like to add a section called yin and yang that features white and dark chocolate together, but I'm still working on it. I do consider white chocolate to be chocolate by the way, even though it lacks cocoa solids because cocoa butter is still derived from the cacao bean. By this definition, pure cocoa butter can be considered instead of using white chocolate for the light menu. Throw out any ideas that you may have, and any improvements that you think should be made.
If anyone is a cheese expert, I'd love to get some better cheese pairings as I think mine are rather banal and could be better.
Here's what I got:
Dark

Amuse-bouche: Cocoa nibs, raspberry, Mexican chorizo, parsley, and feta cheese

Roasted beets, caramel glazed pistachios, bittersweet chocolate, pecorino romano, grapefruit segments, and mixed greens with mustard-sherry vinaigrette
Chipotle and dark chocolate soup with bacon with sunchokes chips (maybe sweet potatoes or parsnips instead)
Chocolate pappardelle with duck ragu topped with chocolate shavings and orange gremalota (I'm still a bit on the fence with the gremolata, but I think it'll provide some brightness to the dish, when I tried it though, I made it way too salt by accident so I didn't use it)
Coffee, chile, and cocoa rubbed flank steak with kale and parsnips (I think roasted leg of lamb or buffalo instead of the flank steak would work well here too)
Palet d'Argent (this but with silver dragees instead) from Thomas Keller and Sebestien Rouxel's Bouchon Bakery; it's a layered chocolate cake with chocolate mousse between the chocolate cake layers, then covered with a chocolate glaze (not ganache, it's cream, sugar, water, cocoa powder, and gelatin)

Alternative to dish 3: Chocolate sweet potato gnocchi with crispy pork belly, rosemary, Parmesan cheese, and raspberries
Light

Amuse-bouche: White chocolate and caviar (uni, and other types of fish roe can be substituted)

Mexican chorizo, lime, cilantro, white chocolate truffle, cashews, and argula on flat bread
Hazelnut, charred orange segments, cocoa nibs, white chocolate, tarragon and ricotta cheeseballs, and mixed greens with chili-orange vinaigrette
Cocoa butter, rosemary, and saffron risotto with seared scallops and macadamia nuts
Lemon and thyme fried chicken and waffles with a pink peppercorn and white chocolate sauce
White chocolate brownie with pistachio gelato, orange segments (or perhaps orange sorbet) and juniper berry caramel.

Alternative dish 4: Pan seared cod (or some other type of white fish; I need to learn more about fish), watermelon, turnips, pink peppercorn beurre blanc (use cocoa butter in the beurre blanc)
Alternative dish 3: Serrano chile, corn, and white chocolate soup with shoestring sweet potatoes and kale chips
Yin and Yang

Pork shoulder braised with cocoa powder and cumin, white chocolate coated sweet potato fries, swiss chard sauteed with lemon zest, and pomegranate coulis (the coulis maybe unnecessary)

Yin and Yang to be continued...
Ideas from the previous post:
From Amus:
Vanilla with lobstemonkfish is super traditional. You could use white chocolate the same way. Boring I know, but lobster is pretty traditional for Vday. Cocoa butter poached would be pretty awesome theoretically.
I made a red velvet cake with beets and it went very well together. What about a roasted beet salad with shaved bitter chocolate, Parmesan cheese and endive/chickory? Cocoa nibs for crunch?
Turkey is often served with chocolate down south, but turkey isn't really romantic. Perhaps a super old fashioned mousseline with truffle and pistachio and a cocoa unsweet custard sauce or cream? chocolate/ancho crusted seared beef tenderloin carpaccio, with hazelnut oil and crispy fried garlic.
Cocoa butter pommes puree
From ummusername:
How about a soup? Cocoa Tinged Beef Stew is very tasty and not too difficult to make (the long prep time is mostly due to simmering time). If you can, serve this with Cocoa Seasoned Kale Chips.
Also, a neat seafood recipe: Chocolate-Dusted Scallops with Vanilla Butter Sauce. Only warning is that this is fairly rich and filling.
Lastly, I saw this recipe, and I'm dying to try it: Pomegranate and Cocoa Glazed and Pear Stuffed Quail. It looks like it's served over risotto (cilantro risotto would be really nice, i think).

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