Fair traded, Certified Organic Raw Chocolate, Pure Cocoa nibs.

The story of chocolate starts with a tree called the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao). This tree grows in equatorial regions, especially in places such as South America, Africa and Indonesia.

What makes eSutras raw chocolate different?

Our raw cacao nibs contain no sugar and are approximately 45% fat. They have not been roasted or processed. They have not been ground, pressed, or changed in any way except for a natural fermentation that occurs under banana leaves. They are certified organic and come from a certified organic farm deep in the Amazon...we help sustain the trees by shade growing our cocoa.

Our cocoa nibs are always kept at a low temperature during the harvest and fermentation process. The temperature of the air under the shade trees (heat is generated during the fermentation process) does not exceed 45° C (113° F). During the 2-3 day fermentation process these beans take on a richer chocolate taste and lose some of their bitterness.

Because of the high humidity under the leaves throughout the fermentation process, the cacao beans must be dried. Our cocoa nibs are dried in indirect sunlight under the canopy shade, taking 5 - 6 days, making them even more delicious. The conventional way for drying cacao beans is by using direct sun.

The cacao beans are then chopped into nibs. The outer peeling, along with the seed shell, is removed from the inner seed. The result is a delicious cacao nib that does not contain any dairy, sugar, or additives.... for you to enjoy!

Raw chocolate contains approximately 380 known chemicals, many of them that help us. Dr. Drewnowski from the University of Michigan found that chocolate triggers the production of opioids. Opioids are chemicals, such as those found in opium, that produce a feeling of well-being (euphoria). He found that eating chocolate causes the brain to produce natural opiates, which dulI pain and increase a feeling of well-being.

If the receptors in the brain that signal the presence of opioids were blocked, chocolate bingeing decreased.

Does chocolate affect the brain in the same way marijuana and opium does without the side effects ?

The active chemical in marijuana is called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and there are receptors in the brain that bind THC. When THC binds to these receptors, the person feels "high." Anandamide is a lipid that is normally found in the brain; it can bind to the same receptors as THC and thus produce a similar effect to "being high."

A receptor is a structure on the surface of a cell that interacts with certain chemicals. Receptors have different shapes, and thus interact with specific molecules. Scientists describe the interaction between receptors and these chemiclas like this: "the active compound will lock itself to the protein and that triggers a reaction inside the cell." Cannabinoids are substances that act like cannabis, also known as “marijuana” a plant that has been used to create euphoria.

There are chemicals in chocolate that act like THC, resulting in production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter. There is no THC in chocolate, but there are chemicals that act the same way. One of the compounds in chocolate is anandamide, which is already produced in your brain. Once produced, Anandamide is broken down quickly by our body so we do not feel relaxed all the time.

But now science has proven that chocolate may extend the feelings of well being…by extending the time that the Anandamide actually stays in our blood stream without the side effects of chemical drugs!

So here it is for you to enjoy - the incredible flavonids, the anandamides, the powerful polyphenols all in their virgin, unadultrated version!

Fair Traded, Certified Organic, Pure, Raw Chocolate.......Just chew them when you want, or melt slightly to add to desserts or grind to a powder and add to coffee...Enjoy!