You’ will have heard of cocoa, you add it to chocolate cakes and it’s the key ingredient in chocolate.

You may have also heard of cacao, but perhaps thought it was just another word for the same thing with a couple of letters rearranged.

Although Cacao and Cocoa come from the same origin, there are significantly different, especially when it comes to their nutritional content!

Cocoa and Cacao both originally come from the beans of the Theobromacacao tree which translates from Greek to “food of the gods”. The tree produces large pods containing around 40 beans.

Cacao powder is made by cold-pressing raw cacao beans, while cocoa powder is made from beans that have been roasted when processed.

Both go through roughly the same steps of natural fermentation, roasting and cold pressing. The fermentation process develops the distinguished chocolate flavour which is further enhanced during the roasting process. The product is then cold-pressed to remove cacao butter.

However, cocoa powder is roasted at extremely high temperatures and goes through an alkalizing process, altering the molecular structure of its nutrients and destroying certain compounds within the powder. As a result, cocoa tends to be less nutrient-dense and therefore loses the incredible health benefits associated with cacao beans. In addition, cocoa is often mixed with additives and preservatives to reduce its bitterness, increase its shelf life and achieve a flavour suitable for the mass market.

On the other hand, Cacao powder has gone through minimal processing and is roasted at low temperatures to preserve its nutrients.

Cacao vs Cocoa: Taste the difference

Cocoa is actually slightly more mellow than cacao due to the processing and alkalizing that cocoa goes through to achieve its mass-market taste. On the other hand, cacao has a deeper and richer taste. This makes it perfect for creating deep chocolatey flavours.

Cocoa butter, also called theobroma oil, is a pale-yellow, edible fat extracted from the cocoa bean (Theobroma cacao). It is used to make chocolate, as well as some ointments, toiletries, and pharmaceuticals. Cocoa butter has a cocoa flavor and aroma. Its melting point is slightly below human body temperature. It is an essential major ingredient of chocolate and related confectionary products. Around 50% of the cocoa bean’s weight is made up of the cacao butter. 

Unlike Cacao and Cocao Cacao butter and cocoa butter are the same thing. Both refer to the fat found within a cocoa bean (or cacao bean).