Reading time: ~6 - 7 minutes
(Pronounced: kuh-KOW)
“Cacao” is often used to describe unroasted or less processed chocolate, but that’s a more recent interpretation. The word actually refers to the cacao tree and its beans. What changes the final product isn’t the ingredient, but how it’s processed.
If you’ve ever wondered about the difference between cacao and chocolate, or whether raw cacao is “better”, you’re not alone.
Raw is often positioned as purer. Cleaner. Healthier.
But when it comes to chocolate, the reality is more nuanced.
As someone who works with chocolate every day, I want to bring some clarity to what these terms actually mean, how processing shapes the final product, and how to choose what works for you.
Cacao refers to the tree (Theobroma cacao) and the beans it produces.
Chocolate is what those cacao beans become after processing, including fermentation, roasting, refining, and tempering.
In other words, all chocolate starts as cacao.
Cacao in its original form, before fermentation and processing
This is where most of the confusion starts.
The way the word cacao is used today can be a little confusing.
Traditionally, cacao refers to the tree and its products more broadly. It doesn’t technically mean “unroasted”.
The modern use of “cacao” to describe raw or unroasted products is a more recent convention, largely shaped by wellness and health marketing.
In most cases, “raw cacao” simply means unroasted cacao.
These products are often associated with wellness culture and, more recently, ceremonial or ritual use.
There is a place for this.
For many people, raw cacao is consumed intentionally, often as a drink, in moments of reflection or quiet pause. I occasionally enjoy cacao this way myself. It sits in a different space to everyday eating chocolate, and I respect that distinction.
It’s also worth noting that the way cacao is used today in Western ceremonial contexts isn’t the same as how it was historically prepared or consumed. Traditional cacao drinks were often bitter, spiced, and unsweetened, and used in social, cultural, or political settings that don’t neatly translate to modern wellness rituals.
That doesn’t invalidate contemporary practices. It simply means they’re a reinterpretation rather than a direct continuation.
One important detail often gets overlooked.
All cacao is fermented.
Fermentation is an essential step in cacao processing. It generates heat, drives chemical changes in the bean, and is critical for developing flavour.
So while cacao may be unroasted, it’s never untouched.
From a food science perspective, “raw” is a relative term, not a literal one.
The chocolate I use and work with at Cheeky Cacao is what I think of as modern chocolate.
This is chocolate made using established processes such as fermentation, roasting, refining, and tempering. These techniques, developed and refined through European chocolate-making in the 19th century, transformed cacao from a bitter drink into the smooth, eatable chocolate we know today.
At Cheeky Cacao, I work with thoughtfully selected organic couverture dark chocolate and transform it into finished products designed to be enjoyed.
More simply, what I make is thoughtfully made dark chocolate.
Roasting isn’t about stripping ingredients of value. It’s about developing them.
In chocolate, roasting helps to:
Cacao isn’t the only ingredient where this applies.
Some ingredients are roasted purely for flavour. In our Coconut Rough, for example, the coconut is toasted because it tastes better. It becomes warmer, deeper, and more aromatic.
With other ingredients, like nuts, roasting enhances flavour and also makes them easier to digest.
These decisions aren’t about maximising or minimising processing for its own sake. They’re about choosing the level of processing that best serves the ingredient and the experience of eating it.
Processing is neither good nor bad in itself. What matters is how and why it is used.
I’ll be upfront. I don’t personally love the taste of raw cacao as an eating chocolate.
Even when consumed as a drink, it’s usually balanced with sweeteners, spices, or other ingredients, which makes sense because flavour isn’t always the priority in ceremonial contexts.
Many customers quietly, or loudly, admit the same thing. They’ve been sold on the idea of raw cacao but don’t actually enjoy the taste.
That’s okay.
Taste is a valid reason to choose what you eat.
If raw chocolate or ceremonial cacao is what you enjoy, there are brands doing beautiful work in those spaces. There is room for everyone.
I’m a big believer in trying different styles and discovering what you genuinely enjoy. Life’s too short to eat chocolate you don’t love.
A lot of the conversation around raw cacao is tied to health claims.
I don’t see chocolate as a health product or a supplement. I see it as something to enjoy.
That said, there is a growing body of research exploring the potential benefits of dark chocolate, particularly chocolate with a cocoa content of 70 percent or higher.
What’s important to understand is that most of this research is based on chocolate made from fermented and roasted cacao beans, or on standardised cocoa extracts — not the “raw cacao” products commonly sold in wellness spaces.
This doesn’t make raw cacao inferior. It simply reflects what has been studied so far.
For me, any potential health benefits are a bonus, not the reason I choose to eat or make chocolate.
Chocolate sits firmly in the enjoyment category, not the optimisation category.
There’s space for raw cacao, ceremonial cacao, modern chocolate, and everything in between.
At Cheeky Cacao, my place in that landscape is clear.
I make thoughtfully made dark chocolate designed for eating, sharing, and enjoying.
I prioritise flavour, balance, and thoughtful processing, choosing methods that bring out the best in each ingredient.
If you enjoy chocolate that is rich, satisfying, and made with intention, you’re in the right place.
Because good food isn’t about chasing purity.
It’s about flavour, care, and thoughtful decisions.
What matters most is choosing something you enjoy, made in a way you feel good about.
Cheeky Cacao makes thoughtfully made dark chocolate crafted from real, unrefined ingredients and intentional processes. Our chocolate is designed for enjoyment, shared moments, and genuine connection — surprisingly delicious, without the fluff.
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Celebrate our vision with a sweet bonus! One lucky online customer will win their August order value back in Cheeky Cacao store credit.
After a tough year, here’s the vision and mission driving Cheeky Cacao forward—join me for chocolate, clarity, and connection.
