Cocoa Basics

What cocoa powder is and how it behaves: natural vs Dutch-process, cacao vs cocoa, baking technique, storage and substitutes.

Cocoa Basics
White Cocoa Powder: What It Is and How to Use It
White cocoa powder is usually white chocolate powder made from sugar, milk powder and cocoa butter, not bleached cocoa. See how it compares with unsweetened cocoa,…
Cocoa Basics
Cocoa Flavanol Supplements vs Cocoa Powder: Label Guide
What a cocoa flavanol supplement is, how it differs from cocoa (cacao) powder and cocoa blends with protein or collagen, how to read Supplement Facts, and…
Cocoa Basics
Cocoa Powder Conversion Chart: Cups to Grams
One cup of unsweetened cocoa powder weighs about 86 g (3 oz) and a level tablespoon about 5.4 g. Look up cups to grams, grams to…
Cocoa Basics
Cacao Powder: What It Is and How to Use It (Unsweetened)
What cacao powder is, why it is usually the same as cocoa powder, what unsweetened and 100% cacao mean on a label, how it is made,…
Cocoa Basics
Single Origin Cocoa Powder: What It Means and How to Choose
What single-origin cocoa powder means, how it differs from a blend, which origins are known for which flavors, how to read the label and how to…
Cocoa Basics
Bulk Cocoa Powder: How Much to Buy and How to Store It
Buying cocoa powder in bulk: how many mugs of hot cocoa or pans of brownies each size makes, how much a home kitchen uses, how to…
Cocoa Basics
Is Cocoa Powder Keto? Net Carbs per Tbsp and ¼ Cup
Is cocoa powder keto? Yes: plain unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder has about 1 g net carbs per tablespoon. See net carbs by serving, which cocoa…
Cocoa Basics
What Is Breakfast Cocoa? How It Differs From Regular Cocoa Powder
What is breakfast cocoa? It is unsweetened cocoa powder with at least 22% cocoa butter under US rules, also sold as high fat cocoa. See how…
Cocoa Basics
Ceremonial Cacao vs Cocoa Powder: What It Is and How to Drink It
Ceremonial cacao is whole ground cacao that keeps all its cocoa butter. How it compares with cocoa powder, what is in a cup, and how to…
Cocoa Basics
Drying Cocoa Beans: How Farmers Dry Cacao After Fermentation
How cocoa beans are dried after fermentation: sun drying, solar tents and dryers, how long it takes, the right moisture and what goes wrong when drying…
Cocoa Basics
Roasting Cocoa Beans: How Roasting Shapes Chocolate Flavor
How cocoa beans are roasted, what happens to flavor, moisture and acidity, how light and dark roasts taste, and how to roast cocoa beans at home.
Cocoa Basics
How Many Flavanols Are in Cocoa Powder? Natural vs Dutch
Natural (non-alkalized) cocoa powder contains roughly 35 mg of flavanols per gram on average, or about 190 mg in a level tablespoon, according to a study…