Raw Cocoa/Cacao Nibs 5 lbs. Bulk Arriba National Bean From Ecuador

Pros: Delicious nutty mocha flavor with only the mildest bitternessCertified Raw OrganicLess than $8 a pound with shipping!!Hot air treatment to kill all bacteria and mold before packaging.Addictive flavor and mood enhancerGreat snack foodCons: Addictive flavor & mood enhancerIt's easy to do too much of a good thing they way these taste!Hot air treatment to kill all bacteria and mold/sterilized- unknown to the extent this affects nutrients(not really "roasted" as in over a fire or over 250 degrees for processed chocolate but not left naturally fermentedeither- they use 150 degree air blasts for health/safety in shipping internationally [from Ecuador])Large variation in nib sizes- runs to centimeter lengths in some casesI use nibs and share them with friends and family for undeniable health benefits. I am still looking for the "perfect" nib- one that retains the most nutrition while still having great flavor and the least bitterness. Yet tradeoffs are necessary. I suspect there is significant nutritional degradation over "lightly" or fully sun/field fermented yet we have also seen where these more purist products may be tainted with mold and bacteria. And what is the cost to our health in that case or are we really losing that much nutrition this way?Not really trying to scare anyone, but the open responses from Plant Guru gave me reason to question the health benefits of less heat without entailing other health/packaging risks. But that is best left for a discussion elsewhere.Suffice it to say, these are the best tasting nibs I have yet to try and I feel confident that I will never receive a bad batch from them and they are certified organic.And thanks for taking the time Plant Guru to share with me the harvesting/shipping process of these Ecuadorian Nibs.(this review was not requested by the seller or reimbursed- I paid for these nibs and am very pleased)

This is my second time buying cacao nibs from this company. They're unbelievably delicious. Hard to believe there is no sugar in it. They smell just like M&Ms and are so good when mixed with vanilla ice cream. They were double packaged and very fresh. I don't know how fast they shipped because I still had half of the other bag left when I re-ordered so I didn't follow the tracking. I highly recommend cacao nibs in general but this company specifically.

I bought a five point bag and divided it between three of us. Mine was great but both my daughters who live 2000 miles apart, without talking to each other complained that some of the beans had a petroleum flavor or smell and wouldn't eat the, We are not new to cacao beans. Amazon refunded my money (Yay Amazon; that's why they have my business). I am tempted to try it again, considering all the great reviews, the great price and my love of cacao beans, but I still wonder what contaminated part of these beans. Or is there something in the processing that could cause the bad petroleum flavor?

Very Good stuff. However, next time I will order it powdered as my coffee grinder is only +/- 90% effective in powdering it for my drink. I add several pieces of dried pineapple to my cup to sweeten it up a little bit plus a 1/2 teaspoon or so of dark cocoa to add some flavoring and dark color to it.Also I am careful to keep temp of my water to less than 158 Degrees and pour over the mix in my cup to make sure the flavenoids are not destroyed by overheating.

My husband and I each consume about a tablespoon of the cacao nibs each day. We find this product to be consistently fresh and palatable. We have purchased this product for the past couple of years and the one time that there was a packaging issue, it was promptly and satisfactorily resolved. I highly recommend this product.

very fragrant and flavorful. works well in a variety of cooking applications. i have not tried more than a few brands of cacao, but these are the best so far and i will continue to buy them here. not sure what the low heat treatment means as far as being 'raw,' but they are organic and definitely not roasted.

I've been a daily cacao nib nibbler, eating them straight out of the bag for almost 10 years. I have always experience variations in flavor from order to order even from the same vendor. Sometimes the difference is fairly large. Sometimes I do not like taste of a new order, but I have always acquired a taste for it after a day or so, and wound up enjoying the remainder of the order.This is the first time I ordered from this vendor. I chose them based on the price. The flavor is so bitter and generally unpleasant that I have been unable to acquire a taste for it after almost 2 weeks of daily eating. Instead of the flavor growing on me like every other time, it seems to be getting harder and harder to consume it even in small quantities.

Probably all cacao nib packages contain rocks and shell pieces. Buy whole beans, because it's not worth chipping a tooth to save about $5 pound.