Disclaimer: I received a free product for my post! These views are my own and were not at all influenced by the party who gave me this opportunity..
I think it is safe to say that most people I know like chocolate. And brewed coffee. Crio Brü brings you the best of both worlds with their brewed cocoa. That’s right, chocolate that you brew like coffee!
Crio Brü is made up of 100% pure, premium roasted Criollo cocoa beans milled into fine grounds. The beans are hand-selected and dried naturally by the sun. When brewed, the cocoa beans give you the flavor and health benefits of dark chocolate in a drink like black coffee. The beans come in five flavors–Cavalla (coconut and cinnamon flavors,) Vega Reál (strawberries and citrus flavors,) Coca River (green banana and blackberry flavors,) Maracaibo (citrus and cherry flavors,) and Kabenau (lime and grapefruit flavors.)
I had the opportunity to try out two Crio Brü flavors, the Cavalla Ivory Coast and Maya (spicy notes.)
What I Love
I love that Crio Brü brewed cocoa is healthy! Made with one of nature’s superfoods, Crio Brü is chock full of antioxidants–150% more than pure pomegranate juice! It has benefits to help with blood pressure, insulin resistance, vascular, platelet function, and inflammation response. Crio Brü is even low calorie having only 10 calories per serving. Besides being low in calories, it also has 0 grams fat, 0 grams sugar, 0 milligrams sodium, and 1.5 grams of carbohydrates per 6 oz. serving and helps to satisfy your appetite so you do not over-indulge throughout the day.
I love that Crio Brü naturally gives you a boost of energy from theobromine, a gentle and long-lasting and non-addictive stimulant that helps you to feel focused and energized. The beans either have no caffeine or less than 1/20th the caffeine of coffee.
I love that Crio Brü is organic, Fair Trade Certified, and sustainable. The cocoa is 100% responsibly grown and ethically traded. Fair trade prices are paid and organic beans are purchased as often as possible. You are able to reuse the grounds from brewing to mix into smoothies or protein shakes, in baked goods, reuse to brew with less water or 50% new grounds, exfoliate and moisturize your hands, or add as compost for your plants (non-pet accessible ones.)
You can brew Crio Brü In a coffee maker with a gold filter or in a French press or you can use the grounds themselves without brewing. So simple!
What I’m Not Huge One
I brewed my Crio Brü in a French press and I have to say—it was not for me. I tried the Maya brewed and it was a bit bitter, perhaps from the spicy flavor notes, and it did not have much flavor besides that. I added some milk as it suggests, but it did not help much. I am a black coffee drinker, but it has to be strong and flavorful for that so the brewed cocoa was just not what I was looking for. In the future, I am hoping to get a gold filtered coffee maker and try to brew that way to see if I prefer it by that method.
I also tried the Cavalla cocoa grounds mixed in a banana protein shake. I enjoyed the flavor it gave to my shake, however, some of the grounds were larger rather than fine and were getting caught in my teeth. At home this would be no big deal, but when I had my shake on the go my smile looked a little silly.
Overall, while the Crio Brü brewed chocolate was not for my taste, if you enjoy coffee and chocolate, give it a try then come back and let me know what you think! Click here to visit their website and learn more about ordering.
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-Have you tried brewed cocoa? What did you think of it?
