The One-Ingredient Coffee Alternative: Why We Drink 100% Cacao
Many coffee alternatives are powder blends. 100% cacao is a single ingredient you can read, test and taste. How it compares, how much caffeine...
5.0 ★ on EtsyLab testedShips from California
Labeled by hand in Cusco Try it in your coffee
★★★★★
5.0 on Etsy · A family business in Cusco, Peru
The One-Ingredient Coffee Alternative
- 47.7% cacao butter, so it melts instead of clumping.
- Chuncho from the La Convención valley, Cusco.
- Ships from California with tracking.
100% Chuncho cacao from Cusco, Peru. Melt a piece into your coffee, or drink it instead.
One ingredient · Lab tested · Labeled by hand · 30-day money-back guarantee
In every box
- The bars4 or 8, 100 g each
- Quick Start Guide
- Thank-you card
- Lifetime Ayllu accessFree shipping on the Ayllu Pack
- Lab tested in Cusco & Lima
- 1 ingredient
- Never alkalized
- 0 g added sugar
- Labeled by hand
- Ships from California
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Keep your coffee, or replace it
- Add it to coffeeBreak off a piece, stir 30 seconds.How to do it
- Half and halfA real-cacao mocha.The mocha recipe
- Instead of coffeeA creamy cacao latte.The latte recipe
Most cocoa has had its best part pressed out.
Our bars keep the whole bean.
47.7%
cacao butter in our bars, on our most recent lab test
0 g
added sugar. Ever.
Just one ingredient
- 100% cacao, one ingredient
- Chuncho from La Convención, Cusco
- 47.7% cacao butter
- Never alkalized
Tested, not just trusted
We sent samples to third-party labs in Cusco and Lima. Nobody required us to.
- Lead Below the detection limit
- Cadmium 0.17 mg/kg
- Salmonella Absent
What people say
Heads up it is NOT sweet at all
I love my coffee so this was a tall order to add in to my routine. But this stuff is actually really good. I’ve been cutting back on coffee and this scratches the itch. you still get a lift but it doesn’t make me feel like garbage at 2pm. Heads up it is NOT sweet at all, it’s 100% cacao so don’t bite into it expecting a candy bar. I shave some into hot water with a little honey or sweetener and it’s basically a really rich dark hot chocolate. Takes 5 min. Highly recommend, great product
Such a beautiful thing. Thank you!
The individual humans behind producing and selling this select few cacao from that side of the world to my side of the world is such a beautiful thing. Thank you! Life long customer
5.0 ★ on Etsy (2 reviews). We are new; more as they come in. Read them on Etsy
Us vs. the usual
Not a mix, not a powder. Just whole cacao.
| What we compare | New Incan Empire | Cocoa powder | Hot chocolate mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ingredients | 1 | 1 (pressed, fat removed) | Many |
| Cacao butter kept | Yes — 47.7% | Mostly removed | Varies |
| Added sugar | 0 g | 0 g | Usually yes |
| Melts into coffee | Yes | Tends to clump or float | Dissolves (sugar) |
| Lab tested, results shared | Yes | Rarely | Rarely |
She took a cleaver to a block of cacao and dropped a piece in my coffee.
I left California in 2019 with no real plan and ended up in the high jungle of Peru. That is where I met my wife. The first time she made cacao for me she did not make hot chocolate — she took a kitchen cleaver to a rough block and dropped a piece into my coffee.
I have had it that way most mornings since. We still label every bar by hand, in the evenings in Cusco, with her family.
Austin, co-founderMy wife's family is from the valley this cacao comes from.
Join the Ayllu
the New Incan Cacao Society
Ayllu is Quechua for family and community. When you order, you join ours.
Monthly Q&A with our family
A live call on the first Sunday of every month. Ask anything about cacao, how to prepare it, or life in the Andes.
Recipes and how-to guides
A classroom of preparation ideas, recipes and short videos, added to as we go.
Closer to the source
My father-in-law is an Andean priest. He sometimes joins our calls to share his knowledge from the Andes, and I translate.
Lifetime access with any pack. Brand new: you would be one of the first members.
Ready to try? Start here.
Both packs ship from California with tracking, and both come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
The Starter Pack
- 4 bars of 100% Chuncho cacao
- Quick Start Guide
- A thank-you card from our family
- Lifetime Ayllu access
FREE SHIPPING
The Ayllu Pack
- 8 bars of 100% Chuncho cacao
- Quick Start Guide
- A thank-you card from our family
- Lifetime Ayllu access
Subscribe and save 10% on either pack. Skip, pause or cancel anytime.
Your first cup is 30 seconds away.
30-day money-back guarantee · Ships from California with tracking
Any last questions?
Is it a coffee alternative?
Yes. Melt a piece into hot water and milk for a warm, rich, one-ingredient drink instead of coffee. Or keep your coffee and melt a piece into it. Many of our customers do both.
How do I put it in coffee?
Break off 13–20 g (about a fifth of a bar or a little less), drop it into hot coffee, and stir for 30 seconds or froth for 10. For iced coffee, melt it into a little hot water first, then pour it over ice.
Does it have caffeine?
Cacao naturally contains some caffeine, less than a typical cup of coffee.
Is it sweet?
No. It's 100% cacao with no added sugar. It tastes rich and deep, like very dark chocolate. Add honey, maple syrup or sugar if you like it sweeter.
What sizes and prices do you offer?
The Starter Pack is four 100 g bars, $49 plus $8.95 shipping. The Ayllu Pack is eight 100 g bars, $99 with free shipping. Subscribe and save 10% on either pack, delivered every 4, 6 or 8 weeks.
Is there a guarantee?
Yes, a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you don't love it, email us and we'll make it right.
From the Journal
Can You Put Cacao in Coffee? How to Do It Without Clumps
Yes, and it's easy once you know one thing: use whole cacao, not cocoa powder. How much to use, three ways to make it,...
Does Cacao Have Caffeine? Cacao vs Coffee, and Why Chuncho Is Different
Cacao has caffeine, but less than coffee. Here are the real numbers per cup for cacao, coffee and popular coffee alternatives, plus what studies...
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Recipes, how-tos and the date of the next live Q&A.