Cacao from Rancho Gordo

From Rancho Gordo:

Hand roasted on a clay pan over a wood fire, these discs are the essence of chocolate. Ground with only canela and piloncillo, our traditional Mexican chocolate is ideal for hot cocoa, sweet and savory dishes and, of course, mole.

In the beautiful state of Guerrero in Mexico, a cooperative of women grow and harvest their own cacao, toast it on clay comales (pans) and then stone grind it with piloncillo (an unrefined sugar) and canela, the famous soft cinnamon preferred in Mexico.

You can make traditional Mexican hot chocolate with milk or water but this chocolate can also be used in pork rubs, as a seasoning in a pot of beans and of course a batch of Mole Poblano or Mole Negro. Sadly, the staff has discovered you can also just eat it like candy with very little trouble and most of us are addicted to the rustic, almost smoky flavor. It's hard to stop once you start.