Cacao Bean
The seeds of the tree Theobroma cacao, found surrounded by pulp within a pod that grows from the tree’s trunk. Cacao beans were consumed as a beverage and used as currency by the Aztecs, Mayans, and possibly earlier cultures. The modern chocolate industry makes a distinction between high quality “flavor” cacao and poorer quality bulk cacao; further, chocolate makers describe them as “criollo”, “forastero” and “trinitario“, a quality distinction based on the tree’s genetics. In actuality, the genetics of modern cacao are heavily mixed, and there are a large number of small strains and cultivars with different characteristics.
The cacao bean, when fermented in its pulp, dried, ground and winnowed (separated from its husk) is used to make chocolate. It is comprised of roughly 50% cocoa butter; the remaining compounds contain a great deal of flavor-producing compounds. It is therefore possible to evoke a wide range of flavors depending on how the bean is processed. Cacao beans contain an insignificant amount of caffeine, but also a similar compound called theobromine. The stimulating effects of theobromine are milder than caffeine but longer lasting.