One Hundred Percent

Our appreciation for unsweetened chocolate goes all the way back to 2010, before Ritual had officially begun.

That spring, we traveled to Costa Rica as part of an Ecole Chocolat course led by chocolate maker Steve DeVries. It was our first trip to cacao origin and a deep dive into how cacao was grown, fermented, processed, and woven into local culture.

In the beach town of Puerto Viejo, we visited a small bean-to-bar café called Caribeans. Among all the chocolate treats and drinks on offer, the one that intrigued us most was their 100% cacao sipping chocolate.

They made it simply: equal parts 100% chocolate and water, steamed together and served in a tiny espresso cup, with a little sweet chocolate sauce on the saucer for an occasional break from the intensity.

We expected something overwhelmingly bitter. Instead, it was incredibly rich and complex: fruity, nutty, deeply chocolatey, and unlike anything we'd tasted before.

The cacao was locally sourced, lightly roasted, and gently refined, allowing all of the nuanced flavors to remain in the finished chocolate. It was an early lesson in something that has shaped the way we've made chocolate ever since: when you begin with beautiful cacao and treat it carefully, you don't need much else.

That experience stayed with us and eventually inspired both our 100% Cacao bar and our 100% Drinking Chocolate.

If you're new to 100% chocolate, start small. Rather than eating it like a conventional chocolate bar, break off a small piece and allow it to melt slowly on your tongue. As the cacao warms, different layers of flavor begin to emerge.

We love it with green tea, where the bitterness and more savory qualities of the chocolate work particularly well.

It's also a versatile ingredient to have in the kitchen. Chop or melt it for baking, pair it with naturally sweet ingredients such as dates or dried cherries, or use it anywhere you want complete control over the amount and type of sweetness you add.