Pure Naturals Miracles say their cacao is made from the “Highest Quality Arriba Cacao from
Ecuador” & “ Made with the best Arriba Nacional, Criollo cocoa powder from Ecuador”
Seeing I hadn’t reviewed this cacao powder & reading other reviews because there’s no point in
my saying the same things others have already said repeatedly, I realized that I just wasn’t sure if
everything said was true. So, I left Amazon and did a few hours of research of my own: cacao powder,
raw cacoa powder, arriba nacional, arriba nacional crillo, arriba nacional ecuador…… I learned a lot.
All chocolate starts as a seed, in a pod, on the Theobroma cacao tree, which means “cacao, the food
of the gods!” It grows under the umbrella of taller trees which protect it from direct sun. The trees
bloom yr round, producing pods which are filled with seeds which are the (cacao) beans.
Cocoa has been cultivated in Ecuador since the 17th century. In the late 18th century & early 19th
century when buyers from Europe went to Equador to buy cacao & asked locals where they could
find the really good (Nacional) cacao, they were told “arriba… río arriba”, which means “up the river”.
This is where “Arriba” came from. In Ecuador, Nacional cacao is a symbol of quality and great
organoleptic (sensual- as in aroma and flavor) richness. It was the main export up to the 1920s when
diseases struck, destroying crops everywhere. Then the 1997-98 El Niño wiped out most of the
Nacional crop. Arriba Nacional became almost extinct—however, some heirloom Nacional survived,
were nurtured and resurrected w/help from the Ecuadorian gov. and Int’l, worldwide, development
funding, growers’ cooperatives of small family farms formed and worked to preserve the Arriba
Nacional cacao.
Nacional Cacao is one of the first cacaos declared to be an heirloom variety by the Heirloom Cacao
Preservation Initiative (HCP), who’s goal is Identifying and mapping fine-flavored beans and recognizing
growers who produce the highest-quality beans. Today Nacional cacao, exclusive to Ecuador, is considered
to be among the world’s finest. It’s grown in mineral-rich volcanic soil at a high elevation in the Arriba
Nacional forest of Ecuador.
The cacao is grown and processed organically thanks to the Cacaolands project. The cacao is monitored
to ensure total control of the channeling system, to safeguard the environment, to develop sustainable
agriculture and provide a fair & livable income for the farmers.
The strong floral aroma these trees develop is unique to the Nacional cacao & is called the "Arriba"
flavor.
Please note…it can be confusing…especially when marketers are intermixing & using terms like
"Nacional" and "Arriba" for the lessor quality CCN-51— an increasingly prevalent hybrid of mass
market quality and flavor. Arriba can mean chocolate products made from not only Nacional but
also this hybrid. CCN-51 has a high-yield, 3-4 times per hectare more than Nacional, has a high cocoa
butter content, is disease resistance, has a more bitter flavor and is the workhorse of cacao.
Other Natural Cacao varitieties are:
Forastero— Spanish for 'foreigner' or 'stranger' originally from the Amazon basin and domesticated
later than Criollo. Forastero cacao is generally a strong, vigorous plant that grows quickly. It produces
a lot of fruit, accounting for over 80% of the world's cacao and is grown mainly in Africa and Asia. It
was unclear from all I read if Forastero is one & the same as CCN-51 or not.
Trinitario- This is a naturally occurring hybrid of Criollo and Forastero cacao dating back to the 1700’s.
It’s the result of natural cross-pollination between Forastero trees and the few Criollo trees that
survived a natural disaster in the early 18th century. It was developed in Trinidad. Trinitario cacao
has the delicate flavor and intense aroma of the Criollo, combined with the strong, vigorous plant
growth & fruit production of the Forastero bean. Grown mainly in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the
West Indies and South America, it represents about 10-15% of the world's total production.
This raw cacao powder is of the Criollo variety. The ancient Criollo variety of Nacional cacao
was saved from extinction and is sourced from the native-born heirloom species. Crillio means
"native" or "'of local origin". It is believed to be the first cacao variety to be cultivated in
pre-Columbian times. It’s known for it's complex, powerful flavors that can be fruity or spicy,
intense aroma and lacking the bitterness found in other varieties. It’s susceptible to disease, yields
fewer fruit pods, and thus beans, and ripens later. It accounts for approx. 5% of the world crop of
cacao. The Criollo variety is considered worldwide to have the finest floral aroma and flavor profile.
Bottom line: Based on all I learned, I’d say when Pure Naturals Miracles says it’s certified organic raw
cacao powder is “the best Arriba Nacional, Criollo cocoa powder from Ecuador; our premium cacao is
100% pure, raw and unroasted, natural, non alkalized, organic and packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.”——they aren’t kidding. It’s the real deal—no sugar added, no nutrients lost in repeated
heatings to roast or process removing the butter. I’m on my third order of this cacao. I use it: to make
cocoa, put it in fruit & vegetable smoothies. have added it to the cook variety of pudding mix & for baking.
It may cost more, but old sayings get to be that way for a reason—they’re true.
All too often, you really do get what you pay for.
100% Organic Cacao Powder
