Paid for by Chocolate Blog

Xocai makes the seemingly remarkable claim that Healthy Chocolate does not contain caffeine, but many well meaning people will argue that chocolate naturally contains caffeine and deny this possibility.  In a society that has always told us that chocolate naturally contains caffeine and where the chocolate industry repeats this claim, it’s no wonder we’ve been lead to believe it must be true.

There are two issues to consider where chocolate is concerned.  First, theobromine is a readily found stimulant in both the cocoa bean and chocolate.  If you were to compare the chemical structures of theobromine and caffeine, it is obvious they are related. However, these two chemicals are very different and cause very different reactions in our bodies.  Theobromine is much more mild, slower acting and longer lasting as a stimulant when compared to caffeine.  The point: nobody is denying there is a stimulant in your chocolate.  What we are saying is that the energy you feel is from theobromine (and maybe sugar) and not necessarily from caffeine, which could be easily confused with theobromine as a chemical. 

Second, what part of the fruit is used to make your chocolate?  It actually makes a difference.  The cocoa bean itself doesn’t contain any caffeine.  However, cocoa beans are seeds found inside a pod (the fruit of the cocoa plant).  The seeds are inside a protective membrane, similar to how apple seeds are encased inside the core of an apple.  In the cocoa pod, this membrane contains caffeine.  When making cocoa powder, manufacturers must choose whether they are going to grind only the seeds (cocoa beans) or if they are also going to grind up the protective membrane.  Obviously, grinding up the membrane produces more powder per pod decreasing their cost to make chocolate; however, the cocoa powder is also of a lower quality and contains caffeine from the membrane.

Now, let’s look at Healthy Chocolate.  Xocai is sold through direct or referral marketing.  Like most products distributed in this manner, they are of very high quality because they depend on word of mouth and good reputation to sell their products.  A lower quality cocoa powder would not contain the same concentrations of antioxidants Xocai prides itself on, nor would it produce as high in quality product as their distributors and customers have come to expect.  Thus, Xocai does not grind the membrane into its cocoa powder, leaving Healthy Chocolate caffeine-free.

Hope that answers your question!

~Beth~