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A guide to brewing cocoa: process, tips and interesting facts

Cocoa beans are a precious natural ingredient that many enjoy in chocolate bars, baked goods and powders. But have you ever tried drinking them? Brewing cocoa beans helps bring out complex, rich flavours that are unlike any drink you'll ever try. It's not as sugary as a hot chocolate, or as harsh as coffee, but it sits somewhere in the middle, more like a cacao tea. Explore how to make this comforting beverage at home and discover a new side to cocoa.

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How to brew cocoa

Brewing cocoa is a simple process to try for the first time, and essentially any method that you use to brew coffee will be successful for cocoa beans, too. We've shared the step-by-step instructions on how to brew cocoa with a fine mesh strainer or overnight, if you prefer a smooth flavour.  

You can double or triple the measurements to your needs, just make sure to keep the ratio of cocoa beans to water the same: 2 tablespoons of brewing beans to every 236ml of water. 

 

Ingredients 

  • 200 ml of water 

 

Instructions

With a fine mesh strainer or tea diffuser 

  1. Put a mesh strainer or tea diffuser into a cup or teapot.  

  1. Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa beans to the strainer and pour hot water over the beans.  

  1. If you’d like to make more than 1 cup of brewed cocoa, just double both the water and cocoa beans.  

  1. Leave the mixture to brew for about 5 minutes, or to your personal preference.  

  1. Remove the strainer and the beans from the water.  

  1. You can serve the cocoa tea with milk or sugar.  

Overnight brewing  

  1. Make sure to use filtered water for this method.  

  1. Find a sealed glass container and put 2 tablespoons of ground cocoa beans into it.  

  1. Slowly pour in the water, mixing thoroughly.  

  1. Close the container with a seal and leave it on your kitchen counter to brew for at least 18 hours.  

  1. Once the brew is ready to serve, pour it through a strainer so the cocoa grounds are left behind.  

 

Preparation tips 

  • Use cocoa beans for brewing: these have been roasted and ground to the perfect consistency to ensure your brewed drink is rich in flavour.  

  • Don’t leave it to steep for too long: bitterness can overpower all the other delicious flavours in the cocoa beans if you leave them to steep for too long.  

  • Strain the drink well: it may be worthwhile to strain the mixture again or use a finer filter because it will give your beverage a wonderfully smooth texture.   

 

Interesting facts about the cocoa beans used to brew  

The cocoa beans used for brewing are unlike normal cocoa beans; how they are roasted, and ground is quite specific.  

To bring out maximum flavour, cocoa beans for brewing need to be roasted at temperatures of about 100 °C, higher than standard beans and at similar temperatures to coffee.  

The grinding process for brewing cocoa beans is also crucial and unique. It’s a delicate balance between over-grinded beans, which will taste too bitter, or under-grinded, which won’t produce enough flavour.  

The sweet spot is cocoa beans, which have a similar texture and size to coarse sea salt flakes. Normally, because the grinding process can be quite tricky to perfect, cocoa beans for brewing are already sold pre-ground.  

 

Adding cocoa powder in coffee: is it a good idea?

On the days when it’s hard to choose between hot chocolate and coffee, why not try a compromise? Add a small hint of cocoa powder to your coffee and enjoy the richness it brings.   

You’re essentially making a healthy mocha coffee at home. To achieve a delicate texture, we recommend starting with about 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder and mixing it with hot water to help it dissolve into a paste. Finally, pour your coffee over the top and relax.  

 

Is brewing cocoa the same as hot chocolate?

While both are warm beverages perfect for a cosy night at home, brewing cocoa and hot chocolate are not the same. Brewing cocoa is the least processed of the two and is created from roasted and ground cocoa beans, which are then brewed over water.  

Hot chocolate is created by mixing cocoa powder with sugar and, often, milk. It has a much sweeter, chocolate taste than the brewed cocoa beans, which have a more complex flavour profile that can be earthy, bitter, tangy, and floral all in one sip.  

 

What is the difference between brewed cocoa and cocoa powder?

Brewed cocoa and cocoa powder are both crafted from the same ingredient, cocoa beans, but they represent different stages in the production process.  

Brewed cocoa features the beans in their purest form, once they’ve been fermented, roasted and ground. It’s believed to contain higher antioxidants because it’s not as processed.  

To produce cocoa powder, the roasted cocoa beans are first removed from their shells, and the cocoa nibs are then ground into a thick paste. This paste is then pressurised with a machine to remove most of the cocoa butter, leaving predominantly cocoa solids. These solids are then crushed into powder, which many know and love as cocoa powder.