Drinking cacao is the whole cacao bean, ground with its cocoa butter kept in and nothing added. Hot chocolate is usually a powder mix of sugar, cocoa powder and often milk powder. Cacao melts into a thick, less sweet cup and you add any sugar yourself. Hot chocolate dissolves into a thinner, sweeter one.
Both start with the same bean. The difference is what happens next. To make cocoa powder, most of the cocoa butter is pressed out, and hot chocolate mixes are built on that powder with sugar. With drinking cacao the whole bean stays together, which is why it comes as a solid stick or block rather than a powder. Here's how they compare.
| Drinking cacao (our Pure Cacao) | Hot chocolate mix | |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients | Cacao, nothing else | Usually sugar, cocoa powder, often milk powder and flavourings (check the label) |
| Cocoa butter | Kept in, around half the weight | Low, because most is pressed out of the cocoa powder |
| Sugar | None in the pack, sweeten it to taste | Often the first ingredient |
| Texture | Melts and whisks into a thick, glossy cup | Dissolves into a thin to medium cup |
| Form | Solid 20g sticks | Loose powder |
| Cost per cup | About £2.18 (£24 for 11 sticks), or about £1.82 when you buy three packs for £60 | Depends on the brand: divide the price by the servings on the tin |
If you like a sweet hot chocolate, make drinking cacao with hot milk and add honey or sugar until it tastes right. You get a thicker cup and you decide how much sugar goes in. More in What is drinking cacao?
Can I use drinking cacao to make hot chocolate?
Yes. Melt a 20g stick into 300 to 400ml of hot milk, whisk until smooth and sweeten it to taste. That's a hot chocolate made from the whole bean, with the sugar left to you. More in How to make drinking cacao.
Why is drinking cacao thicker than hot chocolate?
Because the cocoa butter is still in it. Cocoa butter is around half the weight of the bean, and it melts into the cup, which gives it body and a glossy finish. Most hot chocolate is made from cocoa powder, where most of that fat has been pressed out. More in What is full-fat cacao?
Does drinking cacao taste sweet?
Not on its own. It tastes closer to dark chocolate melted into a cup, with a gentle bitterness and some fruit from the bean. Add milk, honey or sugar until it suits you.
Is cacao the same as cocoa?
Both come from the same bean, and neither word is regulated in the UK. Cocoa usually means the powder in a tin, with much of the cocoa butter removed. The ingredients list and the fat per 100g on the nutrition panel tell you more than the name. More in Cacao powder vs whole bean cacao.
How much does a cup of Sierra drinking cacao cost?
£24 buys a pack of 11 sticks, one stick per cup, so about £2.18 a cup. Three packs are £60, which brings it to about £1.82 a cup.
Where is Sierra Cacao from?
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northern Colombia. It's bought direct from the growers, local farmers and Indigenous people in the Sierra Nevada, and hand harvested. Nothing added, cocoa butter kept in, and sent out from Nottingham. Shop Pure Cacao
Try it for yourself.
Single-origin Pure Cacao from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. 11 sticks per pack, or a Month Supply of 33.