This drink has a special place in my chocolate-loving heart. And there is a lot to share about it — but I have to start by saying that you need to try it for the simple reason that it tastes amazing.
Our goal with this mocha was to create a delicious treat that you feel good about enjoying. No sacrificing the delicious part, though, which is why we had numerous recipe trials and stakeholder tastings. Treats have to taste great. Period. And this mocha is a treat.
What is the Cacao Almond Milk Mocha?
It’s a mocha (a chocolate latte) made with organic raw cacao, sugar, almond milk, and Streamline espresso. Compared to a typical mocha it has:
- less sugar & fat (including less saturated fat)
- no dairy or additives
- more antioxidants and greater health benefits
- more energy-boosting goodness
It’s not as sweet as a typical mocha (although we add the sugar separately and can add more or less to accommodate your taste) and has a hint of nuttiness that beautifully complements the espresso. You do NOT need to be a health nut to love the taste! In fact, many prefer the flavor to a typical mocha before even knowing the health benefits.
What’s Cacao?
The Healthy Precursor to Chocolate
If we trace chocolate to its origins in nature, we land on cacao beans. Cacao beans are packed with antioxidants and nutritional value.
Chocolate is made by roasting and processing cacao beans. Roasting cacao beans at high temperatures to make cocoa or chocolate changes the structure of the food, causing it to lose much of its nutritional value. Chocolate processing also adds milk and lots of sugar to roasted cacao.
Articles reporting the wonderful health benefits of chocolate are often actually referencing the health benefits of the flavanoids in cacao, which are present in relatively small amounts in most chocolate.
With the Cacao Almond Milk Mocha, we wanted to have our chocolate cake and eat it too. So we went back to the original source of chocolate: raw cacao that’s still packed with flavanoids.
Raw cacao, which we use in the Cacao Almond Milk Mocha, is NOT roasted or processed, so it maintains its naturally occurring health benefits. It has about 4-8 times the antioxidant content of dark chocolate.
What’s so great about cacao?
- Antioxidants: Cacao is full of flavanoids (antioxidant nutrients). Raw cacao has more antioxidants per gram than almost any other food! More than blueberries, raspberries, goji berries, etc. We know. It’s crazy.
- Energy: In addition to caffeine, cacao has theobromine, which provides energy
- Other nutrients such as magnesium, fiber, and iron are also found in cacao
Studies show that the flavanoids in cacao can help the heart & brain.
Heart Health
- Lower blood pressure
- Lower cholesterol
- Prevent blood clots
- Lower insulin resistance
http://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/chocolate-pros-and-cons-of-this-sweet-treat
Brain Health
- Improve attention, executive function, and memory
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cocoa-sweet-treat-brain-201502057676
Why Almond Milk?
The Cacao Almond Milk Mocha is made to order so we can use soy milk, whole milk, or skim milk if you’d like. We chose almond milk as the default for this drink for a few reasons:
- We love the flavor of almond milk with the cacao and Streamline espresso!
- The jury is out on whether cow’s milk prevents our bodies from absorbing nutrients in cacao. Some studies indicate that milk does inhibit nutrient absorption, others indicate that it does not. By using almond milk, we’re steering clear of dairy altogether.
- Like cow’s milk, almond milk has calcium, but it has less sugar and saturated fat. Compared to cow’s milk, almond milk has:
- Just as much calcium & vitamin D
- Fewer calories
- No saturated fat (cow’s milk has 5g saturated fat per serving)
- No sugar and less carbohydrates
- Vitamin E (cow’s milk has no Vitamin E)
- More fiber (cow’s milk has no fiber)
- More Iron (cow’s milk has no Iron)
But really, taste it.
If you’re hesitant — because how is cacao really going to taste? — come in on a Monday or Friday morning when I’m at the cafe and ask me to try one. I’ll be happy to make you one. And talk your ear off about it.