For hundreds of generations, coffee has been the drink most of us reach for first thing in the morning, even with all the alternatives that have shown up over the years.
Lately, brewed cacao keeps getting called a great alternative to coffee. But is it right for you? And is it actually better than coffee, or just different?
Key takeaways
- Verdict: Brewed cacao is not a caffeine substitute for coffee. Its main stimulant is theobromine, a gentler compound, and an 8 oz cup has only about 15 mg of caffeine versus around 95 mg in the same size cup of brewed coffee.
- Flavor: Brewed cacao has a rich cocoa flavor that is slightly sweet with a lingering chocolatey finish. Coffee is generally more bitter and slightly sour, with a taste that shifts by bean type, roast, and brew method.
- Practical cost: Brewed cacao typically needs roughly twice the grounds per cup, and cacao beans tend to cost more than coffee beans, which makes it a more expensive daily drink.
- Watch out: Some people find brewed cacao gentler than coffee, but acidity and how it sits with you vary by product, preparation, and personal sensitivity. It is not automatically a low-acid option.
- Best for: Brewed cacao suits you if you are sensitive to caffeine and love the taste of dark chocolate. Stick with coffee if you want a bigger caffeine dose, more brew-method options, and a lower cost per cup.
In this article, I'll walk you through what brewed cacao actually is and how it stacks up against your usual coffee.
Let's begin!
Brewed cacao explained
You'd be forgiven for not knowing what brewed cacao even is, since it's nowhere near as popular as coffee.
Brewed cacao, a drink made from cacao, has actually been enjoyed for thousands of years.
Archaeological evidence points to cacao use going back at least 5,000 years in the Americas, and cacao drinks later became a big deal in Mesoamerican cultures like the Maya and Aztec.
The cacao tree grows fruit, and the seeds inside (the beans) are what get ground down into cacao for your drink.
There are four main types of cacao bean you'll run into:
- Forastero. This is the most widely sold and least expensive cacao bean in the world. Brewed, it tastes slightly bitter, chocolatey, and earthy.
- Trinitario. This one started out in the Caribbean islands and was brought to South America in the 19th century to create a hybrid bean. Its taste shifts depending on the sub-variety.
- Criollo. This is the rarest cacao bean, making up only up to 5% of all global cacao bean exports. Criollo beans bring a complex fruit flavor and loads of aroma, and they're not as bitter as the others.
- Nacional. This is the newest cacao variety on the scene. It's only been sold since 2011, and it gives you a creamy, full-bodied taste with less bitterness than the other beans.
The differences between brewed cacao vs. coffee
The biggest difference comes down to where the beans grow: cacao beans come from the cacao tree, while coffee beans come from the coffee plant.
Both drinks work fine plain, or dressed up with add-ins like milk or a sweetener.
How people actually drink cacao versus coffee varies a lot from one culture to the next, and even from person to person.
Now that you've got a feel for brewed cacao, let's look at how it really differs from coffee.
I'll compare the two on taste, caffeine, how you brew them, flexibility, and price.
Here's a quick overview before we get into each one:
| Botanical & Brew Variable | Brewed Cacao | Brewed Coffee |
| Botanical origin | Made from beans (seeds) grown on the cacao tree | Made from beans (seeds) grown on the coffee plant (coffee tree) |
| Stimulants & caffeine (8 oz / 237 ml) | Contains theobromine (a natural, gentle stimulant) and about 15 mg caffeine | Contains caffeine; an 8 oz / 237 ml cup has about 95 mg on average |
| Taste profile | Robust cocoa flavor, slightly sweet, with a lingering chocolatey finish | Generally bitter and slightly sour; flavor varies by bean type, roast, and brew method |
| Preparation methods | Contains caffeine; an 8 oz / 237 ml cup has about 95 mg on average | Multiple options: AeroPress, French press, pour over, Chemex, cold brew, and moka pot |
| Grounds needed (cost impact) | Typically needs roughly twice the amount of grounds vs. coffee, which can make it more expensive to prepare | Uses less grounds by comparison, and coffee beans are generally less costly than cacao beans |
| Availability & flexibility | Beans can be harder to find (often organic/health-focused stores or online); less common freshly brewed at shops, but growing | Widely available in grocery stores and easy to buy freshly brewed at restaurants and coffee shops |
| Calories (plain) | Typically low-calorie when served plain, but can be higher than black coffee depending on the product and amount used | Black coffee (nothing added) has fewer than five calories |
| Acidity / sensitivity note | Some people find it gentler than coffee, but acidity/pH varies by product and preparation | Can taste slightly sour; how it feels varies by bean, roast, brew method, and personal sensitivity |
Beans
One key difference between brewed cacao and coffee is the bean each one starts from.
Cacao beans are usually bigger than coffee beans and a little bumpy on the surface, while coffee beans are smoother, with that familiar crease running down the middle of each one.
To make brewed cacao, you roast and grind cacao beans. Coffee works much the same way with ground coffee beans, except those come from the coffee tree, a completely separate plant from the cacao tree.
Coffee beans also come in four main varieties:
- Robusta. This bean packs high caffeine levels and a bold flavor with hints of cocoa and smoke.
- Arabica. As the most popular and widely sold coffee bean, Arabica covers a wide range of tastes, from smooth to bitter, earthy, and fruity.
- Liberica. This is the rarest coffee bean, easy to spot by its irregular shape, with a smoky yet fruity taste.
- Excelsa. Excelsa beans belong to the liberica family, but they taste very different. Brewed, they give you a tart, floral, and woody cup.
Taste
Taste is often the first thing you'll weigh when you pick between the two.
If you normally add sugar or a sweetener to your coffee, you might not need it with brewed cacao, since it's already a little sweet on its own.
Brewed cacao tastes a lot like dark chocolate, where the bitterness of the cocoa bean gets balanced out by subtle, sweeter notes.
Once you've taken a sip, you'll often notice a chocolatey finish that lingers.
Coffee leaves an aftertaste too, and how strong it is comes down to the beans, the roast, and how you brew it.
There are plenty of coffee beans out there with their own distinct flavors, but as a rule, coffee tastes bitter and slightly sour, with subtle floral, nutty, and cocoa notes.
Tip: If you're interested in trying some of the most special coffee beans, you can learn more about Geisha coffee here or check out its brewing guide here.
Caffeine in cacao vs. coffee (Compared)
You probably already know coffee has caffeine, and an average-sized cup (237 ml) holds roughly 95 mg of it.
Brewed cacao has far less caffeine than regular coffee, only about 15 mg in an 8-oz (237-ml) cup.
Instead, most of its lift comes from theobromine, a natural and gentler stimulant.
Preparation method
Another difference between the two is how you go about preparing them.
Coffee gives you several ways to brew, including:
- AeroPress
- French press
- Pour over
- Chemex
- Cold brew
- Moka pot
When it comes to hot brewed cacao, the French press is really the one method that works well.
If you'd rather have it cold, the cold brew method has you covered.
Flexibility
Coffee beans, grounds, and instant coffee are easy to find in just about any grocery store.
You can also grab a freshly brewed cup at restaurants, coffee shops, and pretty much anywhere else.
Cacao beans take more hunting, but you'll usually spot them in organic or health-focused supermarkets, or online.
Freshly brewed cacao is still hard to come by at fast food spots or coffee shops, though it's slowly catching on.
Once you've ground your cacao beans, you can toss the used grounds into baking recipes that call for chocolate chips, cocoa powder, or melted chocolate.
Instant coffee, on the other hand, is great in recipes that already have chocolate, since its bitterness brings out those chocolate notes.
Price
Ground cacao often costs more per ounce than a lot of ground coffees, though prices swing quite a bit by brand, origin, and retailer, and they change often.
For a good cup of brewed cacao, you'll go through roughly twice the grounds you would for coffee.
That pushes the real cost of cacao even further above coffee.
Calories
Both coffee and brewed cacao are low in calories. A cup of black coffee with nothing added has fewer than five calories.
Brewed cacao is usually low in calories when you drink it plain, but it can run higher than black coffee, depending on the product and how much ground cacao you use.
For the most accurate numbers, check the nutrition label on your product.
How to choose the correct option for you
With brewed cacao and coffee laid out side by side, let's figure out which one fits you best.
If you're sensitive to caffeine, or you'd rather have something with less of it, brewed cacao may be the better pick for you.
Some people find brewed cacao gentler than coffee, but acidity and pH vary by product and preparation, and everyone's sensitivity is a little different.
Brewed cacao has that slightly sweet, rich cocoa flavor, so it's a natural fit if you love dark chocolate.
Coffee beans, meanwhile, don't cost as much as cacao beans.
And since you go through roughly twice the ground cacao as coffee, it's a pricey drink to make and might not suit you if you're watching your budget.
Final thoughts
If you want a natural caffeine alternative and you love dark chocolate, brewed cacao is well worth a try.
And if price is what matters most, coffee is a lot cheaper than cacao, which makes it the easy choice on a budget.
So which one are you reaching for? Let me know in the comments below!
