Customer Reviews

Navitas Naturals Organic Raw Cacao Powder, Mayan Superfood, 16-Ounce Pouches (Pack of 2)

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1 star:		(4)

 

 

Hello Raw Cacao Lovers!

Here is the real truth about vitamin C (ascorbic acid) content in Raw Cacao:

Despite the trafficked reports circulating the internet, the honest truth remains: even when processed at low temperatures (i.e. "raw"), there is no vitamin C (ascorbic acid) present in cacao.

Recently, highly trafficked websites such as[...] have highlighted the misinformation of cacao's supposed vitamin C content. Included in these reports are claims that raw cacao is "extraordinarily high in vitamin C."

Back in 2004, our Navitas Naturals lab tests directly looked for vitamin C content in raw cacao, but came up negative. Despite these results, the current media blitz brought us back again for another round of lab testing of our best-selling raw cacao products (beans, nibs and powder) for vitamin C. This time, we used two different laboratories instead of one, and utilized three different analytical methods: High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Capilary Electrophoresis (CE) with UV detection, and Titration.

Though all three methods have their place in the scientific community, Titration is the most commonly used method in the food industry when determining vitamin C (ascorbic acid) content. However, there is a critical detail within the Titration method many companies miss when testing raw cacao. The method of Titration is unable to differentiate the vitamin C (ascorbic acid) from the vitamin's analogs. The result is what is known as a "false positive."

This is why, at Navitas Naturals, we use HPLC when testing raw cacao's vitamin C content. The HPLC method looks directly for vitamin C (ascorbic acid), and not just the analogs. Additionally, after sending samples of our products to another lab to test using the CE method, the reports returned consistent the HPLC results.

We have now also tested one of the largest raw cacao brands in the United States using the Titration and HPLC methods. And yet again the results confirm our previous conclusion that raw cacao has no vitamin C (ascorbic acid) present.

Cacao is a tremendously beneficial superfood, containing a wide spectrum of minerals and phytonutrients. It is important to be clear however, Vitamin C is not amongst these nutrients.


Sincerely,


Zach Adelman, President
Navitas Naturals

I love this chocolate powder. My family and I recently became aware that MSG and its hidden forms (autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed protein, yeast extract, calcium caseinate, natural flavors, etc.) are the source of our health problems. This discovery led to searching for less processed (especially by high heat) food products. This is a great find! Do beware, if you try this stuff you will not be able to go back to Hershey's....it is that good. Hot chocolate, chocolate ice cream, chocolate nut butters are all fabulous made with chocolate powder rather than highly processed cocoa powder.

Okay, so I'm a vegan, and I'm a baker and now that its cold, I become obsessed with this stuff. It has 5g of protein in a serving, is unprocessed so you actually get the cacao benefit instead of Hershey crap, and honestly, its the best cocoa I've ever used. Seriously. The quality is unsurpassed and I cannot even begin to tell you how much you'll use it once you try it. I make my hot chocolate with it! Once you go natural cacao, you just don't go back.

I have a subscription to this product because it's so good, and you can't beat the price. The powder easily mixes into anything. It has a full, rich flavor with no additives or fillers and it's raw. My favorite way to use it is to mix it into coconut oil and agave, with a little extract like peppermint, orange, or lemon. It makes a lovely chocolate sauce that hardens on contact when it touches something frozen. I add the sauce to banana icecream, which is made from frozen bananas which I run through my juicer machine with the blank plate to make raw soft serve. It's a wonderful, raw healthy treat that I sometimes have in place of a meal. Go ahead and subscribe and get Amazon prime. It's totally worth it for this cacao powder.

I love this product. I add it to protein/whey/yogurt shakes, and to give a more chocolatey kick to hot chocolate. I take only half of the cheap hot chocolate mix and add a spoonful of this chocolate. The resulting hot chocolate is much richer and not nearly so sweet. I also use it with Acai powder (Sambazon or Amazon Thunder) and add one or two drops of stevia. Acai/Chocolate blend is really the best for mental energy, not just physical energy; It helps me focus for studying, writing, or problem-solving. This powder is a bit coarse, so it works better in cold drinks if shaken or blended, and in hot drinks you need to stir a few more times than usual. This a good price in a two-pack.

This is a great product I use in place of cocoa for EVERYTHING! Makes great smoothies, cocoa, baked goods, etc., but of course, I use it RAW in smoothies and raw recipes as much as possible. YUM!

I bought this because I wanted to try using it for some new frozen and dessert treats (using raw agave and fruit). But the first thing I made after getting it a couple days ago is hot cocoa, and it was marvelous. When I opened the reclosable pouch, the scent was heavenly. It mixes beautifully (no floating gobs). Tastes richly chocolatey. I also made an organic chocolate dipping sauce with some organic virgin coconut oil. YUM!

Now that I have two pouches of this lovely, fine powder, I am eager to try it in recipes (including smoothies, shakes, raw pies and frozen treats that I've gotten used to from a delivery service here in Miami).

I definitely recommend this for chocolate lovers who want something less processed, organic, and very tasty for assorted uses (and I really like that it's reclosable).

I love this raw cacao. This is a really good value. This is so much more expensive in Whole Foods.

I make a banana ice cream/pudding with it that tastes amazing. 3-4 frozen bananas pureed with 1-2 teaspoons of raw cacao and a pinch of salt. I place it in the freezer for a bit to set. Simple, Healthy and toddler approved.

My son (18) uses this in his breakfast smoothie every morning instead of having a cup of coffee to get him going. Together with some protein powder and maca, fruit and milk. He's slightly ADD and the cacao helps to boost his dopamine levels in drug-free way.
The brand is always fresh, full flavored and the price is really good on Amazon - and it's organic!

Great tasting raw cacao powder. It's not the same as a chocolate powder, you need to add a sweetner otherwise it's too bitter. But, it tastes great in beverages and on cakes.

It's a deal here less than in the stores.