A Little History of Chocolate and Cacao

If you were wondering, “cacao” generally refers to a cacao plant or its beans before processing. What we call “chocolate” is made from these beans.

We get the word “chocolate” from the Aztecs’ word xocoatl, which was a luxurious drink made of cacao beans and spices. And the Latin name for the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, means “food of the gods.” Appropriate, huh?

For most of chocolate’s history, it was actually a bitter beverage, not a sweet food. Historians estimate that humans have consumed cacao for 2,000-4,000 years, beginning in modern-day Latin America. Throughout this time, cacao has always been highly-valued. In fact, for some civilizations, cacao was valuable enough to be used as currency. According to food writer Amanda Fiegl, 16th-century Aztecs could trade one bean for a tamale, while 100 beans could purchase a good turkey hen (Source).

Chocolate Goes Global

The idea of sweetening chocolate actually came from Europeans. According to legend, the Aztec king Montezuma mistook conquistador Hernán Cortés for a reincarnated god. As a result, Montezuma welcomed the foreign invaders and served them xocolatl.

To make a long story short, after lots of bloody fighting, Cortés returned to Spain with many Aztec riches, including the recipe for drinking chocolate. The Spanish aristocracy adapted the recipe to their tastes, adding more vanilla and sugar, and fewer spices, setting the foundation for chocolate as we know it today.

Did You Know?

• By the 17th century, fashionable upper-class Europeans were drinking chocolate throughout the continent. They believed it had nutritious, medicinal, and even aphrodisiac properties.
• A British Quaker man, Joseph Fry, made the first chocolate bar in 1847. Later, his company became part of Cadbury.
• During the American Revolutionary War, soldiers were sometimes paid in chocolate instead of wages.
• Today, the average American eats about 1/2 a pound of chocolate each month.

Please scroll down to read more about CommuniTea Center’s loose leaf chocolate tea blends!

(O) = contains 95% or more organic ingredients

Loose Leaf Chocolate Tea: Pu-erh Tea Blend

Loose Leaf Chocolate Tea: Herbal Blend