Hemp Chocolate – Milk & Dark Chocolate with Hemp Seeds, Strawberries & Pistachios

Hemp Chocolate - a Delight of a Special Kind

With our new HANAFSAN chocolate creations, we combine meltingly smooth dark and milk chocolate with crispy hemp seeds, fine pistachio kernels, and the fruity sweetness of dried strawberries for an unforgettable taste experience! Together with the family business Fenkhart-Schokoladengenuss in Hohenems, Vorarlberg, our HANAFSAN chocolate stands for the highest quality of ingredients, regionality, and an incomparable aroma. At Fenkhart, chocolate is made “Bean to Bar,” meaning from the bean to the finished bar with great dedication and creativity on-site in the region.

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What is Chocolate Made From?

The heart and most important raw material for chocolate are cocoa beans, the fruits of the cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao), which originally comes from South America and is now also found in parts of Africa and Indonesia.

Its flowers grow on the branches and directly on the trunk and mature into the characteristic fruits, which can be up to 20 cm long and weigh 500 grams, after pollination. Botanically, they are classified as berries. Due to their thick, yellow to red, leathery-hard shell, they are also referred to as “armor berries.” Well protected under the shell and embedded in a slimy, white, yet deliciously sweet pulp are approximately 30-60 seeds arranged in five rows, the precious cocoa beans.

The main harvest season for the beans is from October to January. The ripe cocoa fruits are cut open after picking and placed on banana leaves or in containers, where they ferment in the heat for five to ten days. During this process, the pulp separates from the cocoa beans, in which many bitter substances are broken down while they develop their characteristic aroma, which can vary depending on the growing region and seasonal conditions. After fermentation, the beans, which can still contain up to 50% water, must be dried to be more durable and storable. Whether in the sun, in drying ovens, or large airy halls, with a moisture content of 4-8%, the cocoa beans can be packed in jute bags and shipped on their journey.

Upon arrival at the chocolate factory and after quality control, they are cleaned, and then the beans, well protected in their husks, are roasted. The chocolatier optimally adjusts roasting times and temperatures to the individuality of the beans so that nothing of the unique spectrum of flavors is lost! The usual temperatures range from 100 to 150 degrees Celsius, and roasting can take from a few minutes to several hours. Then, the beans are broken open with the help of rollers, and the husks are separated from the valuable "cocoa nibs," which should be as pure as possible for further processing. As they are ground finer and finer, the very smooth and intensely fragrant liquid cocoa mass is gradually obtained, which gives chocolate its individuality and special taste. It contains cocoa butter, which forms when the fat contained in the cocoa bean liquefies due to the heat during roasting and grinding, and cocoa dry mass, which often comes to market as defatted cocoa powder.

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Chocolate Offers a Happy Soul, an Alert Mind, and a Healthy Heart!

For true chocolate fans, there is no doubt that chocolate makes you happy, especially when it contains a high cocoa content! Even the Aztecs knew of its uplifting properties. Theobromine, an alkaloid related to caffeine, provides good mood with its mildly stimulating and mood-enhancing effects, amplified by substances like serotonin, dopamine, phenylethylamine, and anandamide, all of which are also found in cocoa. Cocoa beans are among the richest natural sources of magnesium, accompanied by other minerals and trace elements such as calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, and copper. And they are just a small part of the over three hundred known valuable ingredients. For example, the flavonoids from the group of polyphenols, which are secondary plant compounds, have strong antioxidant effects. Especially flavanols can protect blood vessels by preventing arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure. The positive influence of polyphenols on cholesterol levels has been demonstrated in various studies, e.g., at the University of Hull in England.
The crispy HANAFSAN organic hemp seeds in our chocolate, with their valuable fatty acids and proteins, vitamins, and minerals, harmonize perfectly with the high-quality ingredients of cocoa beans and invite you to enjoy something you shouldn't resist!

Sources:

www.schokoladengenuss.at
www.zentrum-der-gesundheit.de
www.roh-kakao.de
www.de.statista.com
Mellor D D et.al., High-cacao polyphenol-rich chocolate improves HDL cholesterol in Type 2 diabetes patients; Diabet Med. 2010 Nov; 27(11): 1318-21.doi: 10.1111/j.1464-5491.2010.03108.x.
Jose P Garcia et. al., The Cardiovascular effects of chocolate; Rev Cardiovasc Med. 2018 Dec 30; 19(4): 123-127.doi: 10.31083/j.rcm.2018.04.3187.