Cocoa Powder Explained: History, Differences, Health Benefits and Risks

A few nights ago I made myself a hot chocolate. And then another. I almost made a third, but I controlled myself (yes, it wasn’t my finest moment).

I then lay in bed wide awake. Why? I was wired, I later learnt, because cocoa is laced with caffeine.

That made me realise that I know virtually nothing about cocoa.

I know it is rich in vitamins, minerals and protein. I know it’s slightly poisonous. I know it comes from the Americas, and that the Aztecs drank it during rituals — or was it the Mayans?

In reality, I know nothing. Or more correctly, I knew nothing.

Because my lack of knowledge inspired a deep dive into the world of cocoa, the insights of which I’m now sharing with you.

History

Mesoamerica

But first, where did it all start? How long have we been nursing our sadness with chocolate bars?

Not as long as you might think.

Long before the days of chocolate porridge, Willy Wonka and Cadbury, chocolate was a Mesoamerican exclusive.

The cocoa tree has been cultivated in the region since as far back as 1900 BCE, and enjoyed by many local cultures, including the Mayans and the Aztec (right twice — always a nice feeling).

By 1500 BCE, the Mesoamericans were grinding cocoa beans and mixing them with cornmeal and chilli to create a bitter concoction.

The Aztecs enjoyed beverages like this at rituals and royal feasts, and they also used cocoa beans as currency and as a reward to soldiers.

“The [Aztec] emperor Montezuma,” the New York Times wrote in 2006, “was said to consume the bean in copious amounts to fuel his romantic trysts.” More on that later.

At this point and prior to the 16th century, nobody outside Mesoamerica had even seen cocoa. Chocolate simply didn’t exist.

The Europeans Arrive

It was only with the arrival of Europeans in the Americas that this fact changed.

Their arrival spelt devastation for the locals — up to 90% of some native populations were decimated by Europeans with their guns, germs and steel.

But it marked a totally different story for cocoa. Their arrival led to the heyday of cocoa.

Today, cocoa is one of the most popular crops in the world.

It isn’t clear when or how cocoa beans first arrived in Europe.

Some claim that Colombus brought them back after his 4th voyage; that Cortez brought it back to Spain after his visiting the court of Cuauhtémoc in 1519 or that Mayan representatives brought beans with them when they visited Spain in 1544.

Whatever the case, after the first recorded shipment arrived in Spain in 1585, the floodgates opened for Willy Wonka, Cadburys and a lot of regretful overeating.

First came early versions of a hot chocolate — a bitter drink which proved good for illness, and began to spread across Europe.

As Europeans began experimenting by adding sugar, cinnamon and vanilla, the drink continued to gain popularity.

So-called “chocolate houses” began popping up across England, France, the Netherlands and beyond.

The English added milk to the hot chocolate concoction and by the 19th century, chocolate became a common treat across Europe and the fledgling U.S.

Chocolate innovations

At this stage in history, the idea of “chocolate” was limited to sweetened, milky cocoa beverages — in other words, hot chocolate.

We still didn’t have chocolate as we know it today.

And we didn’t have cocoa powder.

That changed in 1828 when the Dutchmen Coenraad van Houten and his son revolutionised chocolate production with the invention of the hydraulic cocoa press.

The cocoa press enabled the separation of cocoa solids (i.e., cocoa powder) from the fat of the cocoa bean, known as cocoa butter

It isn’t entirely clear (to me, at least) what motivated van Houten to invented the press. But in retrospect, the benefits are as clear as melted cocoa butter. (Uhm, that’s an expression, right?)

Separating out cocoa butter from the solids enabled manufacturers to reconfigure the two ingredients in different ratios. More on that later.

Experiments with other ingredients, such as sugar and milk powder, throughout the 19th century led to the invention of the modern-day chocolate we know and love.

But I digress. The invention of the Dutch press is the end of history for cocoa powder.

So how does it work?

From bean to powder

How it’s made

Once the cocoa beans are harvested from the cocoa pods, they are fermented and then shipped to factories across the world.

70% of cocoa is grown in West Africa, with the Cote d’Ivore alone producing 40% of the world’s supply.

At the factory the beans are cleaned. Stones, twigs and other debris are removed.

Then the beans are roasted, just like coffee. And just like coffee, this process brings out the deep aromas that chocolate is famous for.

Roasted beans have a fragile shell that’s easily removed with a winnowing machine which cracks the beans and blows away the light, thin shells. The cocoa nibs are left behind. (The roasting process is sometimes alternatively done after winnowing).

The nibs are then ground into a thick paste, which is subsequently melted. The melted liquid is called chocolate liqueur (sorry, it’s not alcoholic — it’s just an archaic name).

At this point in the processing of cocoa beans, the process is the same regardless of whether you’re making cocoa products or chocolate.

From here, you have several options depending on what kind of product you want to make.

The chocolate liqueur can be hardened to form baking chocolate (bitter); mixed with sugar and additional cocoa butter to make sweet chocolate or mixed with milk powder to make milk chocolate.

(White chocolate is technically not chocolate since it contains no cocoa powder. But alongside milk powder, sugar and flavourings, it does contain cocoa butter).

Alternatively, the liqueur can be pressed to reduce cocoa butter content. The dry cocoa left behind can then be pulverised to make cocoa powder.

This works by using the van Houten press (yes, we’re still using it today). The liqueur is pressed by a hydraulic press that weighs up-to 25 tonnes. The cocoa butter, a clear vegetable fat, pours from the sides. The process removes around 74-92% of the cocoa butter

The cocoa solids, known as a “cake,” remain. They can be made into cocoa powder by being further crushed, milled or finely sifted.

The cocoa powder and butter can then be sold as products themselves, or used to create other products.

Natural vs. Dutch-processed

Okay — but what’s the difference between natural, unsweetened cocoa powder and Dutch-processed cocoa powder?

Well, those van Houtens were an innovative family.

Aside from the cocoa press, they also invented a method for treating cocoa powder to give it a milder, less bitter flavour and to make it more water-soluable.

It also has a lower acid content.

This method, known as Dutch-processing (creative name, I know), entails treating the cocoa with alkaline potassium carbonates.

Natural unsweetened cocoa powder is powder that has not been manipulated in this way, and follows the method outlined earlier.

Dutch-processed cocoa powder is generally darker and smoother, whereas natural is light or medium brown.

The two powders can be used interchangeably for puddings, frosting and products that do not rise. Most of the time, the acid content isn’t relevant.

But for cakes, brownies and bread-like products, the acid content is important. If you’re baking a product like this, follow the recipe exactly.

Nutrition, health benefits and risks

We know where cocoa powder comes from, we know how it’s made, and we know it’s delicious.

But is it okay to eat cocoa powder all day every day? Is it perhaps even… healthy?

Healthy? Probably, yes. But it’s probably not a good idea to replace all your meals with bowls of cocoa powder.

While chocolate, which is laced with sugar and other ingredients, is widely considered unhealthy, cocoa powder is often considered a so-called superfood.

Cocoa powder is high in protein, carbs, fibre and a handful of minerals.

Here’s the nutritional breakdown per 100g of cocoa powder:

• Energy: 228 kcal
• Protein: 19.6 g
• Total Fat: 13.7 g
  • Saturated Fat: 8.07 g
  • Monounsaturated Fat: 4.57 g
  • Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.44 g
• Carbohydrates: 57.9 g
  • Total Sugars: 1.75 g
  • Fiber: 37 g
• Caffeine: 230 mg
• Minerals(of particular note):
  • Phosphorus: 734 mg
  • Potassium: 1520 mg
  • Magnesium: 499 mg
  • Calcium: 128 mg
  • Theobromine: 2060 mg
• Amino Acids
  • Tryptophan: 0.293 g

Anti-oxidants

Cocoa powder is a rich source of polyphenols.

These are antioxidants with supposed health benefits. Some reported health benefits of cocoa powder include:

• Reduced inflammation.
• Better blood flow and brain functions.
• Lower blood pressure.
• Better cholesterol and reduced blood sugar levels.
• Correlative data suggests reduced risk of heart attack and stroke.

It’s important to note, though, that these claims are not proven with clinical trials. Thus your milage may vary.

Caffeine

One reason you may want to avoid cocoa powder is the high caffeine content that I alluded to earlier.

Cocoa powder contains 230mg of caffeine per 100g. According to James Hoffman, an average double espresso shot contains 110mg of caffeine.

That means gram for gram, cocoa powder provides a stronger hit of caffeine than espresso.

That is mind blowing.

But let’s come back to reality for a second. I doubt you’re going to eat 100g of cocoa powder. It’s more probable that you’ll eat much less, and so the caffeine content may not be so relevant.

But be mindful when eating chocolate or drinking hot chocolates at night: cocoa does contain a notable amount of caffeine.

Theobromine: is cocoa powder dangerous?

Ever wondered why you shouldn’t feed chocolate to dogs?

It’s not because of the sugar. Dogs may have a lower tolerance for sugar, but they can eat it.

It’s actually because of theobromine, a mineral found in cocoa powder, which is toxic to dogs.

Interestingly, this mineral is also toxic to humans — but not in amounts you’ll actually need to worry about.

Claire Maldarelli did the maths.

For a human to potentially die from theobromine poisoning, they would need to consume 1,000mg of the mineral per 1kg of body-weight.

For the average human, that would mean consuming 711 Hershey’s milk chocolate bars. A tall order, even for the mightiest of chocolate enthusiasts.

If you ate that much chocolate, I think you’d have problems way before you die from theobromine poisoning.

In short, we humans do not need to worry about theobromine poisoning — but your dog does.

Tryptophan

Have you ever heard that chocolate is an aphrodisiac?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s probably not true.

The chemical tryptophan, an amino acid that is a building-block of serotonin, is cited as one possible reason for chocolate’s apparent love-inducing capacity.

Phenylethylamine, another chemical which is often found in chocolate, is also cited as potential cause.

This chemical is related to amphetamine and is released in the brain when 2 people fall in love.

The problem is that no study supports the relationship between chocolate and the impact of these chemicals.

These substances are likely too small in chocolate to have any effect.

Scientists believe that any aphrodisiac properties chocolate may have are likely psychological, not physiological.

Should you eat it?

That leaves only one question: should you eat cocoa powder?

My opinion: yes, absolutely.