Mountain Rose Herbs Blog

Try This Coffee Alternative: Herbal Cacao-ffee Recipe

Written by Alieta | January 29, 2015

I love trying alternatives for coffee to mix up my morning routine. From our organic yerba mate and herbal coffee, to fun recipes like our Roasted Chicory Coffee, or stirring some of my beloved maca powder into a fresh fruit smoothie, there is no reason to get stuck in a morning rut! While some coffee alternatives, like this one, still have a little caffeine in them, their herbal constituents lead to a different sort of alertness, and often they are not associated with the jittery coffee stimulation some people experience. 

A while back in the office, our Events Coordinator, Mason, had the brilliant idea of filling our tea press with roasted cacao powder instead of coffee. The results were wonderfully stimulating, and exceptionally delicious (as you can imagine). Since many people ingest chocolate daily, why not incorporate it at the most convenient time of day when the effects of unadulterated theobromine will get you delightfully zipping along to your duties. This inspired me to try another brewing method, and we couldn't help but toss some of our favorite herbs in with the brew. If you like more of a "cocoa" drink and like adding milk and sugar, I would suggest the tea press method. If you are more of a black coffee drinker, try the cacao pour over! 

 

We Love Organic & Fair Trade Cacao...

 

Theobroma, the Latin name for cacao, translates to food of the gods. Precious cacao was believed to impart wisdom and strength by the Mayan people and was used to make a ritual beverage for marriage ceremonies. It was also used as a form of currency in the Aztec Empire, traded secretly for 100 years in Spain, and eventually considered a staple food in Europe and the United States.

 

 

 

Now for the Recipes!

Spicy Cacaoffee Tea Press Recipe

Serves 2-4. Pictured left.

Directions:

  1. Place 1/4 cup of cacao powder in bottom of tea brewer with ginger and cardamom pods. Use the larger amounts if you enjoy an especially spicy flavor.
  2. Fill with boiling hot water to the bottom of the silver wrap at the top.  
  3. Let steep for five minutes.
  4. Press and serve!
  5. Optional: I prefer mine with a pinch of raw sugar, as I find it helps bring out those spicy notes I love so much.  Feel free to experiment with your choice of milk and sweetener.

 

 

Cinnamon Cacaoffee Pour Over Recipe

Serves 2-4. Pictured above right. 

Directions

  1. Heat 16oz of water in a kettle. 
  2. Prepare filter, folding and shaping if necessary to fit your brewer.
  3. Pre-soak filter with a splash of hot water, moisten entire filter.  Empty water from brewer if needed. 
  4. Place cacao and cinnamon in filter. 
  5. Splash cacao with roughly a 1/4 of the hot water and let steep for one minute. 
  6. Slowly pour water over cacao powder, making sure to pour in the center of the filter.  Pour a steady stream until the filter is half full of water, then begin pouring the remaining water in a very light stream. Make sure not to go over the filter while pouring. 
  7. Wait for the water to slowly drip through. This could take around 15 minutes.
  8. Pour into a mug and top with some fresh grated nutmeg. 
  9. The end result is closer to cacao tea, and will remind you more of coffee than hot cocoa.

 

Enjoy your day!