I am a participating Influencer at The Entertainment New Media Network. I have received free product for review to facilitate this post. I was not compensated for this review and all expressed opinions are strictly my own.
Here’s a product to create some common ground for coffee and cocoa drinkers – Crio Brü brewed cocoa. It has the nutritional benefits of dark chocolate and brews like coffee. The cocoa beans used are hand-selected and dried by the sun. Then they are also roasted and milled to create savory coffee grounds.
You might remember hearing about the Maya Indians of Central America during history class. They would drink a chocolaty drink called ka’kao. Generations later, the drink was lost. A few attempts were made through history to recreate a similar drink, but were unsuccessful.
Eric Durtschi grew up with a knack to create recipes and had a love of science. These two passions collided. In 2010, he was able to launch Crio Inc. and feature a healthy, unique, chocolaty beverage, Crio Brü. Crio got its name from Criollo beans, which are a rare and fine type of cocoa and the beans sourced are organic for this product.
There are several distinct flavor combinations of Crio Brü: Cavalla, Vega Reál, Coca River, Maracaibo, Kabenau. I was sent Cavalla and Maya to review. Cavalla has 100% ground cocoa beans, but also has flavor notes of coconut and cinnamon that occur naturally from the coffee bean. Other flavor blends of Crio Brü do this naturally too. The other blend I received, Maya, contains cocoa beans, cinnamon, ground vanilla beans, and cayenne pepper for a little bit of heat.
This product has the consitency of ground coffee, but the primary taste of chocolate. Crio Brü does not contain sugar, chemicals, gluten, or dairy. You can add sweetener and creamer as you so wish or drink it by itself with as a poignant, hot drink with only 10 calories and 1.5 carbs per 6 oz. cup.
The cocoa beans used in Crio Brü also provide health benefits:
- Crio Brü has a large amount of antioxidants, more than red wine, açai, blueberries, goji berries, and pomegranates combined
- Contains zinc, which is important for the immune system, skin, liver, and pancreas
- A recent study by the American Heart Association exhibits the helpful effects of cocoa on blood pressure, insulin resistance, vascular, platelet function, and inflammation response
- Beyond being low calorie, cocoa is also an appetite suppressant
- Contains a natural stimulant called theobromine, which is long acting and non-addictive
- Depending on where the beans were grown, Crio Brü has very little (1/20th the caffeine present in coffee) or contains no caffeine at all.
- Beneficial amounts of magnesium, manganese, copper, and chromium
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
To use Crio Brü, brew in a coffee maker with a permanent gold filter or French Press. The instructions state using 2 tablespoons of grounds per 6 oz. water. You can add other spices, like cinnamon to the grounds and can even combine with coffee grounds if you so desire. I didn’t mind the flavor plain, but my taste buds enjoyed it more with half and half. Of course then I sacrificed some of its health benefits with my addition.
Crio Inc. wants to be green and want you to be too. One way to do this is to reuse the used Crio Brü grounds. You can add a few tablespoons to smoothies, brownies, or other desserts. The cocoa grounds can be brewed a second time with less water or adding 50% new grounds. The grounds can also be used as a exfoliating scrub for your hands or compost and feed your plants (only if area is not pet accessible). Crio Brü is made with wind power too.
This is an interesting product. Crio Brü is packaged in 5 oz., 12 oz., and I saw 1.5 lb. and 5 lb. listed on Amazon. There is a 30 day money back guarantee on the product. You can also order a sample pack that includes two flavors of Crio Brü in a 2.5 oz. size to get your feet wet for just the cost of shipping ($4.97).
Crio Brü website
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Crio Brü on YouTube
