Full disclosure: Not getting paid for this, didn't get any free product, I paid the full price for the full-sized bag and two sampler bags. Just thought it sounded interesting and that others might also find it so!
I bought the Nicaragua medium roast, already ground. You can smell the cacao through the bag - I think there's a port in it similar to higher-end whole bean coffee. It looked like a pretty coarse grind.
I brewed it per the package directions - 2 tbsp cacao per 8 oz cold water. Standard Black & Decker drop coffeemaker; of interest, they say to use a permanent gold filter rather than a paper one. It doesn't say why, but it says "no paper filters" repeatedly on the website. As it brewed, it filled my kitchen with the smell of chocolate.
Normally I drink my coffee with no sugar and a little 1% milk. I decided that, to get the full experience, I needed to try this black, as I normally do, and with some sugar.
Black: As I raised the cup to drink it, the chocolate aroma intensified but was never overwhelming. It's pretty bitter, a little more so than coffee. I could drink it this way, but not sure I could do my usual 1-1.5 full pots a day black.
White: About the same; the bitterness wasn't really cut.
Sweet: As you'd expect, it's not that far off from hot cocoa. The mouthfeel is different - since I use 1% milk, it's not nearly as thick and rich as most cocoas are. Much stronger aroma of cocoa than actual taste.
The key question: how's it compare to caffeinated coffee?
Cost: $14.95 for 10-oz bag. https://www.criobru.com
