Cacao Nibs Organic - 80 Oz / 5 Lb - Criollo Bean - Raw Unsweetened Chocolate Substitute - Certified Organic - Keto, Vegan & Non-GMO - Antioxidant

I've been buying Healthworks Raw Organic Cacao Nibs for three years. I decided to give them a try when the other brands I had been using (1lb and 2lb bags), prices kept going up. Not only was the price per pound in the 5lb bag a much better buy, but I was thrilled to discover how great the quality is! When you open the bag and inhale the fragrance, you can tell how fresh they are. They're also very clean. Now if you've never eaten cacao nibs raw, you may not like them - they are not sweetened, and very hard. Don't think chocolate chips! But over time, I have come to enjoy them even as a snack on their own. I use cacao nibs almost daily (so I love having the 5lb bag!) in what I call a "protein freeze" - as a much healthier alternative to ice cream treats - in my Vitamix made with protein powder (my favorite is Dymatize ISO 100), a little milk (of any kind), with some ice and usually a frozen fruit, either banana, strawberries, or cherries, that tastes so decadent and delicious! I'd rather eat that than ice cream! I like a little texture, so I put the nibs (2-3 Tbs) on top of the other ingredients. Use the tamper and as soon as it starts to blend on it's own (forming the four ball shapes) I stop it immediately. I eat it with a spoon. Sometimes for extra nutrition I'll throw in some frozen apple chunks, spinach (you can't taste it) and/or some cooked sweet potato chunks that I've frozen on a cookie sheet and put in a zip lock (I do the same thing with the spinach & apples). Or I also enjoy them added along with nuts to oats or plain shredded wheat (that I also add protein powder to). They are a great way to bump up the fiber (practically zero net carbs) and healthy fat. You get all of the health benefits of "chocolate without the sugar, processing, and extra calories.

Please note that I bought this product in February of 2015 and that the reviews already on Amazon with a lot of negative votes are all over two years old. I am no expert on cacao nibs, but I absolutely love them and I can certainly tell bad tasting nibs from a good ones. These are most assuredly excellent-quality raw organic cacao nibs; no doubt about it. They are not roasted, as one reviewer falsely claimed; they’re raw and natural. And so far as finding a small piece of shell every now and then, don’t let any reviewer imply that any manufacturer can sell you nibs entirely free from tiny bits of shells. It just can’t be done! Some tiny bits of shells do make their way into the bags. It just goes with the territory. The shells are the exact same color as the nibs, there is no way for either a machine or a human to detect the difference except by putting them in your mouth and trying to chew them: the nibs crunch and burst into a buttery symphony of flavors; the bits of shell, stop your teeth dead in mid chew and make you want to spit out the entire mouthful. It happens; you just have to deal with it. Don’t worry, it doesn’t happen often. I love cacao nibs so much, I’d easily admit that I’m addicted to them. Heck, why else would I buy a FIVE-pound bag of this stuff? After all, there’s just one cacao nibs eater in my family and that’s me. I’ll go through this entire bag in a few months. I used to like dark chocolate. I still do. But now, if you give me a choice, I’d probably prefer to eat cacao nibs instead of dark chocolate. Why? Because nibs provide such a burst of extremely complex chocolate flavors…it’s far better than any kind of dark chocolate…at least that’s my perception. In addition, I love their nuttiness! I’m a nut lover; I love the texture and process of chewing nuts. For me, nuts (and nibs) are satisfying in some primitive way. I started out eating cacao nibs raw and plain. That was okay for me, because I honestly enjoy slightly bitter tastes; for example, I love eating bitter veggies and drinking bitter beers. But eventually—with these nibs—I gravitated toward adding a slight bit of sugar to enhance the pleasure. Here are the three ways I generally eat nibs: 1) 2 tbsp nibs with 1 tbsp diced dried dates 2) 2 tbsp nibs with 1 tsp sunflower seed butter mixed with 1 tsp stevia sweetner 3) 2 tbsp nibs with ½ tsp soft (salted) butter and 1 tsp stevia sweetner Recipes 2 and 3 both have enough oil to make the sweetener stick to the nibs. I eat them in very small mouthfuls of about ¼ tsp at a time. Each one of these recipes allows for a burst of exceptionally complex flavors. [I tried mixing the nibs with both honey or with maple sugar, but both of those strong flavors overwhelmed the complexity of the nibs’ own natural flavor, so I never tried that again. I particularly like recipes number 2 and 3 because they have a very tiny bit of salt as well as sweet and these both help enhance the complexity of the cacao flavors.] You’re probably not even reading this review if you didn’t already know that cacao nibs are an outstanding source of nutrition. I don’t have enough space here to explain in detail about how healthy this food is for you. If you’re interested, please explore more on the Internet and learn why cacao nibs figure as one of the more important nutrient-dense superfoods, i.e., one of those exceptional natural foods that can really go to work to increase your health and help your immune system. There’s no disagreement among nutritionists and doctors: cacao is exceptionally good for you. This Healthworks Certified Organic Raw Cacao is an excellent product. I was very troubled to see a few negative reviews with high votes. What they said was just not true…or if it was true at one time, it is no longer true. The taste of these nibs is definitely natural raw organic cacao nibs, not roasted. There are some very occasional small pieces of shell, but no more so than any other sellers. This seller offers these nibs at a very good price. That’s why I purchased them here. The last batch I ate cost significantly more but the quality and taste was no different. I’m extremely pleased I purchased these and I amhappy to give them a five-star rating.

Most Americans are used to sugary, processed dutch cocoa. But I know how horrible processed foods and sugar are for our health, and how damaging it can be for our minds and bodies in the long run. Cacao is natural, healthy and delicious, but it's something you have to get used to. It's not particularly sweet like chocolate bars. These raw cacao nibs from Healthworks are pretty bland and slightly bitter. It's not sweet, and if you're expecting it to be, you won't like it. However, I like the quality of this food, and I especially love how good it is for our bodies. If you cook, or want to experiment with healthy recipes, this is perfect. I like to experiment with herbal tea blends, so I decided to mix the cacao nibs with peppermint leaves. I added them to empty tea filters with echinacea & spearmint leaves, and elderberries.. with the most prominent flavors being the cacao and peppermint. It came out really good.. you can taste the chocolate flavor, and it's great with the mintiness of peppermint. I made cold teas in glass bottles so I can enjoy them whenever, wherever. These cacao nibs are perfect for smoothies and low-fat desserts.. it will help you satisfy your sweet tooth without actually damaging your health with mounds of sugar. I definitely recommend this for those who care about their health and wellbeing. Which should be everyone.♡

Nice but higher in calories than other nibs.