Cacao vs Cocoa: What’s the Difference?

Did you know there is a difference between cacao and cocoa?

What is cacao?

Cacao usually refers to chocolate products made from beans that are raw or minimally processed. The beans are either unroasted or roasted at low temperatures, which helps preserve more of their naturally occurring compounds.

Because of this gentler processing, cacao retains more:

Antioxidants (flavanols)
Minerals such as iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc, copper, and manganese
Naturally occurring compounds that support mood and focus, knows as neurotransmitters.

Cacao has a lighter brown colour and a more intense, bitter flavour compared to cocoa — closer to the bean’s original taste.

You’ll commonly find cacao as:

Cacao nibs – crushed pieces of dried cacao beans
Cacao powder – made by cold-pressing unroasted beans to remove some of the fat (cacao butter)
Raw cacao chocolate – chocolate made using cacao rather than cocoa

What is cocoa?

Cocoa is more heavily processed. The beans are typically roasted at higher temperatures, and often treated with alkalising agents (a process sometimes called “Dutch processing”). These steps reduce bitterness but also lower the level of naturally occurring nutrients.

Cocoa generally:

Contains fewer antioxidants and minerals than cacao
Has a darker brown colour (the darker the cocoa, the more processing it has usually undergone)
Tastes milder, smoother, and slightly sweeter

Cocoa is commonly used in:

Cocoa mass – used in chocolate making
Cocoa powder – popular for baking and hot drinks
Cocoa butter – the fat extracted from cocoa mass

Which one should you choose?

Both cacao and cocoa have their place. Cocoa is familiar, versatile, and widely used in baking. However, when you have the choice, cacao is the better option if you’re looking for: