Choffy Brewed Cacao Coffee Alternative Substitute - 32 Oz Volta Dark Flavor - Caffeine Free Brew Cacao Ground Drinking for Coffee and Dark Chocolate Lovers, Healthy Rich Chocolate Drink, Nutrients for Mood & Energy

This smells wonderful - half the pleasure is in opening the canister to measure it into my Keurig cups. The flavor is rich and luxurious, but very different (and with a lot fewer calories) than hot chocolate or chocolate flavored coffees. Some describe it as a tea, but that is not quite right, either -- imagine a very low fat unsweetened cocoa, richer than tea by far. I drink it like coffee, sometimes mixed with coffee, with a splash of half and half and no sugar. It is warming rather than stimulating like coffee, and I drink it in the evening with no ill effects on my sleep schedule. I helps with my ongoing diet efforts, too, a genuine treat with no chemical or fake flavors.One thing for keurig machines -- cacao measures differently than coffee, and I fill the capsules only about 3/4 full. The grounds swell considerably more than a similar measure of coffee, and can become so solid the water doesn't pass through. I brew on "strong" so the machine releases the water more slowly, the water lingers more in the cacao and so brings more flavor. For mocha, I brew half a cup of coffee, and half a cup of the cacao. I have used a French press to brew the cacao, as recommended by the producer, but I find that more messy than the Keurig, it produces more beverage than I can easily consume in a sitting, and I don't find the results significantly tastier than the Keurig-brewed product.

Perfect blend of flavor, not too dark, not too light. We tried multiple kinds and this is out favorite.

Let me first say that I am NOT a coffee drinker. I've tasted coffee a couple times, so I'm familiar with the horrible taste. lol First, I bought the Nigeria and Volta for comparison since both of them had similar reviews, and in my opinion the Volta has the best flavor. With that said, the flavor from cacao is definitely not like a hot chocolate drink, the bitter flavor lends itself to coffee with a slight chocolate after-taste. If you're trying to find a coffee alternative I can see cacao as being a good choice, especially the dark roast versions. I use the Body Chambord French Press to brew the cacao.Pros: Interesting bitter dark chocolate flavor.Already ground and in a resealable bag.Cacao is 'supposed' to be good for you.Cons: Definitely an expensive drink.Like coffee, its an acquired taste.Cleanup with the French Press is a pain.Takes a long time to brew.

I suck down too much coffee throughout the day, so I have started to branch out. I like a fair amount of tees, but wanted something different. Enter Cacao. It smells like hot cocoa, tastes, well, like a watered down, less sweet hot chocolate. Its not bad, but you need to add some type of milk to it, or else its kind of tough on the tummy. It also has effects like caffeine. I am not sure if its caffeinated itself, but I had a cup and 1/5 at 4 PM and was up until 2:00 AM. Definitely less jittery of a feeling than too much coffee, but repeating the experiment, yielded the same results. I love the flavor and its something different. Would buy this brand again!I brewed it in a standard electric drip pot, but used the "slow/strong" setting. If you do not do this, it will leak over the top of the maker and make a mess! It takes a lot longer for the steeping/drip than ground coffee.

Saw this and thought I'd try it. It tastes good, but I'm not sure if I'll buy it again.1) Clogs: I've tried 3 different drip methods, ceramic filterless cup, stainless steel filterless cone, and Melitta cone with paper filter. Every one of them clogged up, perhaps because there's so much oil/fat plus grind is coarser/larger than coffee. I don't own a French press (recommended brewing method) and don't want to buy one. What has worked for me is to pour boiling water over the grounds in a large measuring cup, let it sit a few minutes to brew, then pour into the cup through a tea strainer. The mesh of the tea strainer is fine enough to filter out the grounds bu not so fine that it clogs.2. Expense: Instructions say to use 2 tablespoons (= 2 coffee scoops) per 6 oz cup, which is twice as much as you'd use for coffee. So, more expensive than coffee to start plus you use twice as much, making it slightly more than twice as expensive as coffee.3. Taste: It does taste very good -- with milk & sugar added it tastes like high-quality cocoa. And it smells wonderful when brewing.

Drinking coffee first thing in the morning can upset my stomach, and the taste of black coffee upsets my taste buds. I tried Choffy because I love chocolate and wanted something warm to drink on winter mornings. Went with Choffy because it was cheaper than Crio Bru; still never have had Crio Bru, so I can't compare. But I love Choffy! Tried it in a regular drip coffee maker with a paper filter (which the instructions say NOT to do), and it overflowed. Tried it in a Keurig mesh pod, and the taste was weak and meh. Tried it in a drip coffee maker with a gold mesh reusable filter, and it was great. I mix it with a little milk.If you're expecting a hot chocolate taste, you'll be *bitterly* disappointed. But I'd take black Choffy over black coffee any day (though I don't drink Choffy black, as mentioned above). I find myself craving it like I do solid dark chocolate.The biggest drawback to me is the cost. When I had a job that required me to wake up early, I drank Choffy every day as a splurge/survival strategy. Now I only drink it occasionally as a treat. I would drink it a lot more if it were the same price as coffee.