Raw cacao from Ecuador: a 500 gram block
What arrives is not a powder but a solid block of cacao paste weighing half a kilo. The whole bean has been ground into a mass that sets firm at room temperature, with the cacao butter still in it. Our raw cacao products come mainly from the Amazon region; this block is sourced in Ecuador and cold pressed without additives. No sugar, then, no milk powder and no flavourings. Expect a pronounced bitterness, because everything that smooths that bitterness away in a chocolate bar is simply absent here.
What Ecuador is known for
Ecuador has long counted among the leading origins for what the trade calls fine flavour cacao. The country owes that to its native Nacional variety, sold as Arriba or cacao fino de aroma, which has a reputation for floral and fruity notes. This block's packaging names no variety, so we will not credit the taste of this particular block to Nacional; the Ecuadorian origin, on the other hand, is certain. How much of that floral side you pick up also depends on how you prepare it: in water the cacao comes across barer than in plant-based milk.
From block to cup
- Shave or chop off the amount you need. A large knife is the easiest tool, though a coarse grater works as well.
- Count on roughly 20 to 30 grams per cup, which puts a 500 gram block at around twenty cups.
- Heat water or plant-based milk to just below boiling and stir the pieces in.
- Whisk until smooth and season to taste, with cinnamon, vanilla, a pinch of cayenne or a sweetener of your choosing.
The same block pulls its weight in cooking: grated into baking, or stirred into a savoury sauce that wants a bitter base. Since the cacao butter is still present, melted paste behaves differently from powder, so cut back a little on the fat in a recipe written for powder.
Storage
Keep the block cool, dry and dark, and close the packaging properly. Because the product is barely processed and still holds its cacao butter, it can soften or shift shape during warm months, which says nothing about the quality. Once cooled it cuts and melts exactly as it should.
Related products at Avalon
Alongside this Ecuadorian cacao, the Avalon Magic Plants herb shop carries the 500 gram block of raw cacao from Peru, handy if you want to taste two origins side by side, and the 30 ml Ceremonial Cacao Shot for anyone who would rather skip the shaving and stirring. Your order is packed and shipped discreetly.
