Fairtrade Friday Review – Power Super Foods Raw Cacao Powder.

Welcome to this week’s Fairtrade Friday. Admittedly I am posting it on a Saturday here where I live… but as it’s still Friday somewhere in the world, I feel I can get away with it! 😉

This week has just been super busy as my kids are about to head back to school and so I needed to ensure we had a stocked pantry of good, organic, wholesome homemade treats!

Which brings me to this week’s Fairtrade Friday… Yes, it’s a food! If you have been following my Fairtrade Friday reviews you’ll know all about what I’m doing here. If you’ve not been following them… do so now – it’s never too late!

I will admit that this week’s product comes under the ‘Fairly Traded’ umbrella more than the certified Fairtrade. It is an Australian Certified Organic item and to gain that certification the company must only use workers and farmers who are fairly treated. I’ve done a big long spiel on this in another Fairtrade Friday post so go check it out if you need more clarification.

And this week’s item is all about the chocolate! Being the huge chocoholic that I am – what? You couldn’t guess from some of my other reviews? – I have found quality over quantity is very important. That is why I do prefer cacao powder over cocoa… though there is a time and place for a good quality cocoa rather than a cacao, just to be confusing!

To learn more about what cacao powder is and the difference between it and cocoa – a web search is probably your best bet. Though Power Super Foods do explain it a little too.

The basic summary (from how I understand it) is cacao powder is the less refined version of cocoa. It’s when the cacao bean (where we get chocolate from) is slow roasted at a lower heat than the process used to make cocoa and therefore a lot more nutrients are kept. The higher the heat and the longer you process something, the less nutrients survive. See refined and unrefined sugar or sea salt versus table salt for some good examples.

So, in layman’s terms, cacao powder can be seen as the less refined, more nutrient dense form of cocoa. And being denser in nutrients, it has a more potent flavour. And sometimes this flavour is just too strong and can destroy the delicate balance of flavour I am after in my baking/making, or it makes the product taste too strong for my children’s developing taste buds… which is why I do admit to still using cocoa powder. There is a time and place for both… just remember to choose quality (and therefore ethically better) products for either of them.

Before we start, here is a bit of a disclaimer for you all:

I bought this product with my own money, I am not being paid to make this review, nor will I be reimbursed for my work. I’m just trying to give an open and honest review on Fairtrade items I buy to help raise awareness as to how easy it is to do.

And so here we go! Today’s Fairtrade Friday shout out goes to…

Power Super Foods Raw Organic Cacao Powder.

 

 4 out of 5 stars.

This is my favourite all-purpose cacao powder. Don’t boggle at the concept as I do find some cacao powders have a stronger, more over powering taste and so aren’t suitable for hot chocolates, smoothies or bliss balls – especially when making them for the kids.

Although I do find it a little ‘tame’ when it comes to making my own raw dark chocolate, it is such a better all-purpose cacao for all my other cooking, making and baking that I don’t mind. Chocolate making (for me) is only a few times a year while hot chocolates can be daily. 😉

I will admit here and now I am not a band wagon jumper and I tend to avoid the whole ‘we eat it because it’s a super food’ deal. I don’t buy this cacao powder as it is a super food, I buy it because it tastes great and, since researching this product, realise those who supply it are doing their best to make the world better for the farmers, producers and consumers. They are ensuring it is ethically produced and they care about the environment it comes from. Always important!

Please note that this is another product some people will freak about the price of. Don’t freak – this product is very reasonably priced for what you get. Unsurprisingly, when you pay the farmers and producers the money they deserve, the end product is going to cost more! The huge bonus to this is that Power Super Foods openly show that they put their profits back into the community through charitable donations.

Another thing I like about this company is their hearts and minds are in the right place. And you can see what I mean by this by visiting their site here.

For me, I also find this cacao powder better suited to me – as I get that glorious ‘at peace’ buzz from it without getting the screaming headache after affect some other cacao powders give. This comes from the levels of Theobromine (I think) and the higher the levels the better the buzz but the stronger the crash and burn sensation afterwards. This cacao powder doesn’t do that to me as often as other cacao powders – so a definite bonus. Though I will state here and now ‘everything in moderation’. I can’t consume this product every day for a week and expect to walk away unharmed. But if I mix it up a little – cocoa berry banana smoothie one day, chocolate brownie another, skip a day of chocolate and so on – I’m fine.

The glorious thing about this cacao powder is that it’s so rich and satisfying I don’t need chocolate every day! A shocker I know! For someone soooo addicted to chocolate, I find this great news. I get such a good ‘hit’ from Super Foods Organic Raw Cacao it can last me a week or two before I need another. And a little goes a long way.

Would I recommend this product to others?

Yes I would. As I’ve said, it’s my favourite all-purpose chocolate flavour when baking and making foods. It comes from an ethically minded producer, is easy to find in my neck of the woods, is versatile and tastes great.

Would I buy this product again?

Yes I would. Just did in fact. It’s how I discovered they have different packaging for same item. The one I used to buy is their ‘kraft’ bag and my new one is in their ‘origin’ bag. As the kraft bag is paper on foil and their origin bag appears to be just plastic – I’m curious to see how the flavour changes as I’m not a huge fan of plastic packaging as I do feel it changes the flavour. Time will tell and I may need to post an update!

In summary: Yummy, versatile, organic and ethically produced where the farmers and producers are dealt with fairly, even if they’ve not gone the extra mile (and expense) to be certified as Fairtrade. Definitely a cacao powder to go out and try when you next want to add some depth and ‘wow’ factor to your baking!

Until next time.