Cacao to Cacao.
After reading your post I gave it a shot. Yum. Delicate yet complex flavor. I think there’s something psychoactive in there. I definitely felt a little boost and it didn’t feel like caffeine. Next experiment will be with vodka to see what the alcohol will pull out of the nibs. Not so much to make it a boozy drink, but just to get some of the non-water-soluble stuff out.
I don’t see why vodka (or any alcohol) wouldn’t work, but much like making vanilla extract I’d imagine the process would take weeks compared to hours. At the same time I don’t know if the bitter components are water soluble to the point where you’d end up with a bitter vile mess if you left it to do it’s thing for a month or so (if I was going for extract I’d probably not grind the nibs first).
Righto, I have made vanilla extract. It takes about 6 months total but the flavor is there earlier. I was just following some instructions that I found online. But, um, chocolate + vanilla extract - sounds yum yum yum.
I wonder if a three step extraction process might wotk–oil soluble, ethanol, then water. And if you used an emulsifier at the end the texture might be okay.
Now that I’m thinking about this, and it could be really gross, buy starting with a roux and nibs, followed by cold ethanol and finally water (strained at the end) may be stable. Kinda like a buttered rum minus the sugar.
You may want to rethink the Sugru as it’s not food safe. They’re working toward that but they’re pretty clear about it.
I am likely biased, but a 304/314 stainless couple would sink a nylon bag of grounds with ease. They are food safe, cheap, easy to clean, and indestructible.
http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=36_38&product_id=200
Isn’t that the second time you’ve linked to that very coupling in the past month or so?
i don’t think so, but if i have it’s because they are awesome. easy to solder/weld, inexpensive and nearly unbreakable. i am certainly more than game to link to more couplings and valves if there is interest 
(bargain fittings three part 1 inch valves plus quick disconnects are a joy to work with).
Just curious if you’ve ever tried Crio Bru?
www.criobru.ca
It’s 100% ground cocoa beans
4 tablespoons or more in a 2 cup French press YUM!
Their Maya blend is excellent as well
I’ve been using a whipping siphon to rapid infuse the water and concentrate with N20. This has been working extremely well. This week I decided to try using Elijah Craig 12yr Bourbon instead of water. The bourbon took on a much deeper chocolate flavor than when using water, and left a very distinct aftertaste of hot chocolate. I was also surprised that the chocolate was able to take over the nose almost completely.
Cold brewed chocolate is also really good mixed 1:3 with coffee (I like it black), or 1:2 with whiskey (I’ve done both Canadian Club 100% Rye and Jack Daniels, both were excellent in different ways). Coconut or almond milk is also a great mix for those of us who don’t do dairy.
I’m working on experimenting with infusing vanilla bean and peppermint leaves (separate batches) with the cocoa nibs, and seeing what I get out of that.
After your last post, I tried to recreate this using unsweetened cocoa powder (couldn’t find these cocoa nibs anywhere). The result was not exactly disgusting, but what I somehow expected, like dissolving pure cocoa powder in cold water. Not really my favourite.
Tried making some cold brew chocolate last night. Used the grinder and the nibs that Cory recommended, soaked 4 ounces of ground nibs in 2 quarts of water overnight for more than 12 hours, then pushed the liquid through an Aeropress to separate the liquid.
The result was… not great. Future wife hated it by itself, saying it reminded her of tequila. Adding cream didn’t help. The taste was too bitter.
Then I tried hot brewing it with the Aeropress like I brew hot coffee. Added cream and sugar. That didn’t work for us, either. Still just too bitter.
I still have two bottles of that batch left. I’ll probably try it with some vanilla almond milk to see if that helps the flavor at all. (I usually drink cold brew coffee with chocolate almond milk, one part each.) At this stage, though, I’m convinced Cory and I just have very different taste buds.
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