How to Buy Cacao Beans
A beginner's guide to sourcing quality cacao for home chocolate making.
Order 2 lbs of single-origin beans from Chocolate Alchemy. Pick one origin, make a small batch, and taste it before buying anything else.
Shop beans at Chocolate Alchemy →Start with a reputable single-origin supplier
The easiest way to get started is to buy from a dedicated cacao and chocolate-making supplier rather than a general food retailer. These shops source directly from farms or co-ops and provide origin and harvest information you simply won't find on grocery shelves. Chocolate Alchemy is one of the most beginner-friendly: they stock beans from dozens of origins, offer small quantities so you can experiment without committing to a full sack, and include fermentation and drying notes for most lots. Start there.
Choose your origin based on flavor, not price
Cacao beans vary enormously by origin. If you're new, pick one and learn it before branching out. Price differences between origins are usually small relative to other costs, so don't let that guide your first purchase.
Look for fermentation information
Good fermentation is the single biggest driver of flavor complexity in cacao. Beans that were under-fermented taste flat, astringent, or beany. Over-fermented beans can turn rancid or acetic.
When browsing a supplier, look for listings that mention fermentation duration (typically 5 to 7 days for most varieties), fermentation method (box, heap, or bag), and whether the lot was audited or tested. If a listing has no fermentation information at all, treat it as unknown quality.
Understand the difference between raw and roasted
"Raw cacao" is a marketing term, not a technical one. All cacao beans sold for chocolate making have been fermented and dried, which involves heat. Beans labeled "raw" simply haven't been roasted after drying.
For home chocolate making, buy unroasted beans so you can control the roast yourself. Roast profiles have a major impact on flavor, and doing it yourself gives you far more range than buying pre-roasted.
Buy small, taste often
A 1 or 2 lb bag is enough to make several small batches and get a real feel for an origin. Beans keep well in a cool, dry place for 1 to 2 years, so there's no rush, but freshness does matter. Avoid buying large quantities until you know you love a particular lot. Many suppliers rotate lots seasonally, so what you buy today may not be available next year. When you find something you genuinely enjoy, note the harvest year and supplier lot number.
Where to buy
Best for beginners. Wide selection, small quantities, detailed tasting notes. Ships reliably.
Direct trade, full transparency reports. Good for when you're ready to dig into provenance.
Works directly with farming communities. Publishes full supply chain transparency on every lot.
Log your beans, roast profiles, and tasting notes in Cacao Journal. The more you record, the faster you learn what you like.
Log a Batch →