TruVibe 100% Organic Raw Cacao Nibs, 1 lbs (16 Ounce)

These nibs have three very important characteristics: they are good quality, they have ethical trading certification (very important for cacao products) and they are reasonably priced. TruVibe has a great product.First, a few comments on the quality. I have been through two bags of these nibs and they have both been excellent compared to many other brands I have tried over the years. They taste fresh, grind readily and roast very well. Please know what to expect when you open a bag of nibs: not just these nibs but any cacao nibs. They are not sweet, and can have various scents including what smells like vinegar. These odors are part of the product - read up on cacao and you'll find it. If these smells make their way into your nibby concoction and that disappoints you, I would recommend roasting the nibs first. I have tried various times and temperatures (this is where some of the chocolate craftsmanship comes in) and my favorite is a moderate oven temp like 350F for 20-30 mins to roast a whole pound of nibs.Regarding the ethical sourcing, I was initially dismayed when I ordered this and the cacao powder to find that the packaging did not indicate Fair Trade certification while the Amazon product title did. So I emailed the company and received a well-worded response from Jason Dekker the co-founder. He responded saying "Our Cacao is indeed Fair Trade and it is Fair Choice Certified by Control Union." I had not heard of the Control Union Fair Choice certification, but visiting their website, I found their comments were in-line with what Jason stated is his response to me: "Control Union has very strict Fair Choice processes to receive it's certification." Based on this response and a little research, I feel confident that TruVibe is doing a reasonable job with the ethical sourcing of their cacao products and we should see the relevant certifications showing up on their packaging in the future.Lastly, the price. I have searched long for the perfect combination of cacao products: ethical, organic and regional (meaning at the least, specifying country of origin, but preferably indicating plantation or farm). You can find these products if you look hard enough and you will pay handsomely for them. I have tried some of them and the quality is all over the map. When I stumbled on TruVibe, the price as offered on Amazon was at the low end of the scale for this kind of product. As such I was not expecting a consistent product based on prior experience buying at this price point. But I have been pleased thusfar. So TruVibe has delivered the almost unattainable at a price that makes it affordable for even the casual chocolate consumer.Keep up the good work, guys.

I had purchased Navitas cacao nibs in the past and enjoyed them, but these were on sale one time so I decided to give them a try. I like them even better than NN's! My current favorite way to consume them is to make a mocha freeze for breakfast. I put milk, coffee beans, chia seeds, coconut oil, cocoa powder, Ceylon cinnamon, a dash of vanilla extract, and unflavored, unsweetened whey protein powder into my Vitamix and blend on the highest speed until the beans are pulverized. Then I add a sliced frozen banana, some cacao nibs and a little crushed ice and blend just until the bananas are processed. I like a little bit of "crunch" from the ice and nibs and I like to eat it with a spoon. If you don't want any crunch, add the nibs in the beginning. You can also skip the ice and blend on high until it's hot if you prefer a hot drink.For a delicious healthy treat I also like to make a kind of "sorbet/ice cream" with either frozen cherries or strawberries, a little milk, cocoa powder and cacao nibs. Then I add a dash of almond extract if I use cherries, or vanilla extract if I use strawberries, and some agave nectar to sweeten. Process in the Vitamix until blended. I usually have to use the tamper. So delicious, and much healthier than grocery store ice cream! I suppose if you really want to be decadent you can substitute cream or half and half for the milk.

Great price for fresh cacao nibs. The crushed nibs are fairly uniform in size throughout the entire package. See picture for a sample.I began adding these to my morning smoothie for the antioxidant benefits. However I was pleasantly surprised that it has enhanced the flavor of my smoothie. I love the taste! It really gives my morning fruit and protein smoothie a nice dimension/depth of flavor without making it noticeably chocolaty. I use a Vitamix to get everything evenly blended and liquefied. If you don't have a powerful blender, I don't know how the nibs would work out for you. I would probably recommend you trying raw cacao powder instead.Some people say they eat these instead of chocolate. I cannot eat these straight. I find them very unpalatable. It is nothing like chocolate. I find them worse than eating roasted coffee beans. Even though these don't taste anything like chocolate, I still found that once I started blending these nibs into my morning smoothies, I don't crave chocolate quite as much! That's a WIN in my book!I deducted one star for poor packaging. While it certainly keeps the product fresh initially, it is difficult to open using the built-in tab. Once pulled, the whole top ripped apart. The bag is supposed to be resealable but the pull-tab destroyed the resealable part. See picture. Anyway, I ended up pouring the contents into a lidded mason jar for storage. I like that better actually. It ended up easier to open, scoop, and pour.

I ordered this brand a few times because it's a pretty good flavor, but this brand has more shells and odd chewy bits that don't break down (not sure what those are - they look like nibs with a different texture) in it than others I've tried. I've found less expensive brands that don't require so much combing through and taste just as good or better.