It’s getting colder and that means it’s time again for coffee and tea. But what if you’re not a coffee or tea person? Maybe you’re a chocolate person (I mean, who isn’t?).
You could have hot chocolate (make your own like this), but that won’t get you energized enough to keep you going through midterms.
Enter Crio Bru: it’s a coffee and tea alternative made from roasted cocoa beans.
Photo by Grace Merkler
Cocoa beans (the same ones used for making chocolate) are dried and roasted similar to how coffee beans are treated. The beans are then ground to make brewable chocolate-y goodness.
Crio Bru is caffeine free (find the full list of benefits here) since cocoa beans contain a natural stimulant, theobromine. It’s a relative of caffeine, but doesn’t give you the jitters or a crash afterwards. It’s also non-addictive.
Photo by Grace Merkler
About two months ago, I bought a bag of Crio Bru’s brewed cocoa. When you open the bag and inhale, your nose is filled with the scent of rich, dark chocolate — it’s like having the Lindt chocolate factory in your house.
Crio Bru is best brewed in a french press or with a permanent filter.
#SpoonTip: You cannot brew it in a paper filter — it will clog and overflow.
Photo by Grace Merkler
To brew a cup, put two tablespoons grounds per every 6-oz. cup in your French press. Boil your water and pour it over the grounds. Stir the grounds, steep for 6 minutes, then stir again and steep for 6 minutes more. Stir one last time to meld the flavors and depress the piston.
Now pour your cup of liquid chocolate.
Photo by Grace Merkler
Crio Bru tastes much less bitter than typical coffee when you drink it black. It has the taste of a very dark chocolate. Each variety (find ’em here) boasts different notes.
Crio Bru is also great with some milk or sugar.
Photo by Grace Merkler
If you’re a self-proclaimed chocoholic (like me), you might want to trade in your coffee for something less addictive with all the chocolaty taste and none of the calories.
Or, if you’re still not ready to give up your coffee just yet, brew half coffee grounds, half Crio Bru grounds to get a mocha taste that could rival even Starbucks.