Cold brew cacao is rich and smooth with subtle notes of true cinnamon, cardamom and chocolate. Whizzed in the blender with a splash of raw hazelnut milk and a drop of hazelnut flavoured stevia is my favourite way to enjoy this refreshing brew. I am not a coffee drinker, not because I don’t like it, it just doesn’t agree with me. Making a cold brew with cacao instead of coffee is the perfect way to reap the benefits of raw cacao on a hot summer day. Theobromine, the stimulant in cacao results in a steady crash-free buzz unlike caffeine and is loaded with antioxidants and minerals.
Raw cacao nibs are readily available at your local health food store and if you want to make your own hazelnut milk, follow the instructions for hazelnut milk in the “Nut Nog” recipe.
Special equipment: food processor and blender
Ingredients:
- 11/2 cups of raw cacao nibs
- 9 cups of water
- 1 tbsp. of true cinnamon
- 1 tsp. crushed cardamom pods
- a 1 gallon jug
- a nut milk bag
- 1 recipe of raw hazelnut milk or milk of your choice
- hazelnut flavoured stevia
In a food processor, grind the cacao nibs to a coarse powder. Grinding it too fine will allow the beans to escape through the nut milk bag so keep it fairy coarse.
Line a 1 gallon jar or large pitcher with a nut milk bag, securing the bag around the top of the jar or jug. Scoop the ground cacao nibs, the cinnamon and crushed cardamom pods into the nut milk bag and then pour 9 cups of water over the ground cacao into the jar.
Cover the jar with a tea towel and let the cacao steep in the water overnight or up to 16 hours.
Remove the cacao filled nut milk bag from the jar, squeezing gently to remove the excess liquid. Strain the remaining cacao tea into a pitcher using a fine mesh strainer or a chinois as pictured below.
Store the mixture in the fridge.
To Serve:
Combine 1 cup of the cold brew cacao in a high speed blender with 1/4 cup of fresh hazelnut milk, a few ice cubes and a few drops of hazelnut flavoured liquid stevia or to taste. (Remember that stevia is extremely sweet so add a little at a time!)
Enjoy!