St. Lucia Cacao Tea


This month’s Eat the World is taking us to a tropical location; St Lucia, a Caribbean island and popular tourist destination.  


Of course, island fare is always heavy on seafood and local fruits/vegetables that are not easily sourced in the winter in the US, but I’m not one to be discouraged easily.


Early on in my search, I found references to “cocoa tea”.  Color me interested.  The recipe uses a grated cocoa stick and spices to make a tea.  



I had no idea what a cocoa stick was but the internet says that they are typically made from sun dried fermented cacao beans.  With this definition in mind, I deduced that the closest local equivalent would be cacao nibs.


This was an interesting recipe to make.  It starts off very much like tea as the water is infused with the spices and cacao nib flavors, since cacao nibs don’t melt.


Things get interesting in the second step when cornstarch and milk are added to the strained tea, suddenly the color of the tea more resembles that of hot cocoa and the cornstarch even mimics the mouthfeel of a thick cocoa!


In the end, cacao tea is a fascinating drink that is almost hot cocoa but definitely not and worth giving a try!

Eat the World

St. Lucia



Cacao Tea

Adapted from Another Rum Punch


¾ cup water

2 tablespoons cacao nibs

⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 bay leaf

1-2 teaspoons honey

2 tablespoons water + 1 teaspoon cornstarch

¼ cup almond milk (or milk of choice)


Place the water, cacao nibs, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and bay leaf into a small saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a low boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 15 minutes.


Strain the tea.  Return the liquid to the saucepan and return to a simmer.  Stir in the water/cornstarch slurry, honey, and almond milk.  Cook until thickened and serve hot.


 Amy Eats the World in...

  1. Cuba: Ropa Vieja (Slow Cooker Beef)
  2. Ireland: Cheesy Potato Soup with Irish Ale
  3. Thailand: Chicken Satay
  4. Kenya: Crunchy N’Dizi (Peanut Crusted Bananas)
  5. Sweden: Rodbetssallad med Getost (Grated Beet Salad with Goat Cheese)
  6. New Zealand: Kiwi Burger 
  7. France: Fougasse (Provencal Flatbread)
  8. Argentina: Chimichurri Sauce
  9. Mexico (Halloween Special): Pan de Muerto (Day of the Dead Bread)
  10. India: Spiced Golden Milk 
  11. Poland: Chrusciki (Angel Wing Cookies)
  12. Ethiopia: Buticha (Hummus)
  13. England: Wizarding World of Harry Potter Leaky Cauldron-Style Mini Cottage Pie 
  14. Georgia: Lobiani (Bean-Stuffed Bread)
  15. Mexico: Crispy Pork Carnitas
  16. Cambodia: Loc Lac (Shredded Beef with Lime)
  17. Israel: Chicken Albondigas (Chicken Meatballs)
  18. Finland: Sima (Lemonade) 
  19. Puerto Rico: Arroz con Tocino  (Rice with Bacon)
  20. Egypt: Ghorayebah Cookies
  21. Ukraine: Scuffles (Rohalyky) Cinnamon Crescent Rolls
  22. Portugal: Bitoque (Steak & Eggs) 
  23. Germany (Christmas Special): Lebkuchenherzen (German "Gingerbread" Cookies) 
  24. Trinidad & Tobago: Trini Macaroni Pie 
  25. Iraq: T'bit (Slow Cooked Chicken & Brown Rice) 
  26. Fiji: Fijian Creamy Lentil Soup (Dhal) 
  27. Senegal: Cafe Touba (Senegalese Spiced Coffee) 
  28. Colombia: Cañón de Cerdo (Colombia-Style Pork Loin Roast) 
  29. Soul Food (United States): Oven-Baked Ribs with Cola BBQ Sauce 
  30. Bangladesh: Shemai (Sweet Vermicelli Pudding) 
  31. The Netherlands: Dutch Farmer’s Cheese Soup (Boerenkaas Soep) 
  32. Laos: Khao Piak Sen (Lao Chicken Noodle Soup) 
  33. Jamaica: Chicken &  Pumpkin Soup 
  34. Vietnam: Vietnamese Chicken Porridge (Chao Ga) 
  35. Sudan: Red Lentil Soup (Sudanese Addas) 
  36. Luxembourg: Bouchée à la Reine (Vol-au-Vent)
  37. Uruguay: Pasta Caruso
  38. China: Homemade Fortune Cookies
  39. Lesotho: Borotho Bread
  40. Scotland: Tattie Scones
  41. Native American Tribes of North America: Wild Rice, Squash, & Corn Soup
  42. Guyana: Butterflaps
  43. Greece: Cabbage Roll Rice Bowls
  44. Réunion Island: Rougail Z'Andouille
  45. Japan: Yoshinoya Beef Bowl (Gyudon)
  46. Australia: Fairy Bread
  47. Ecuador: Lentil Soup with Rice (Arroz con Menestra de Lentejas)
  48. Slovakia: Garlic & Potato Soup (Cesnaková Polievka)
  49. Turkey: Simit Bread
  50. Dominican Republic: Taco Shepherd’s Pie (Pastelón de Papa)
  51. Libya: Macroona Imbakbaka (Libyan Minestrone)
  52. Malta: Brodu Tat-Tigiega (Maltese Chicken Soup)
  53. Wales: Cawl Cennin (Welsh-Style Leek & Potato Soup)
  54. Morocco: Kefta Tagine with Eggs in Tomato Sauce
  55. Bermuda: Bermuda Triangle Cocktail
  56. Philipines: Pork Siomai
  57. Chile: Chilean Beef & Corn Shepherd's Pie (Pastel de Choclo)
  58. Slovenia: Slovenian Flatbread (Belokranjska Pogača)
  59. Lebanon: Ka’ak (Lebanese Purse Bread)
  60. Congo: Moambe Chicken (Congo Poulet Moambe)
  61. Guatamala: Fiambre (Guatemalan Salad)
  62. Austria: Viennese Kaiser Rolls
  63. French Polynesia: Vanilla Bean Lemonade
  64. Seychelles: Creole Rice
  65. Switzerland: Bündner Gerstensuppe (Swiss Barley Soup)
  66. Brazil: Brigadeiro (Brazilian Fudge Balls)
  67. Madagascar: Hen`omby Ritra (Malagasy Simmered Beef)
  68. Spain: Tortilla Española (Potato Omelette)
  69. Afghanistan: Aush (Afghan Noodle Soup)
  70. Indonesia: Nasi Goreng with Chicken
  71. Denmark: Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs)
  72. Oman: Omani Bread (Khubz Ragag)
  73. Costa Rica: Costa Rican Garbanzo Bean and Chicken Soup
  74. Palestine: Whole Chickpea Hummus (Musabaha)
  75. Zimbabwe: Beef Hifiridzi (Beef Short Ribs with Greens)
  76. Kiribati: Kiribati Squash Coconut Soup
  77. Belize: Pan de Muerto
  78. Azerbaijan: Sweet Turmeric Milk Bread (Shirin Chorek)
  79. Iceland: Piparkökur (Icelandic Pepper Cookies)
  80. Zambia: Zambian Spinach
  81. Burma/Myanmar: Garlic Oil Noodles with Chicken
  82. Moldova: Zeama (Moldovan Chicken Soup)
  83. Samoa: Keke Pua’a (Samoan Steamed Pork Buns)
  84. Honduras: Honduran Style Refried Beans
  85. Czech Republic: Česnečka (Czech Garlic & Potato Soup)
  86. Vatican City: Gnocchi al Vaticano
  87. Montenegro: Pečena Piletine Sa Rižom (Baked Chicken & Rice)
  88. Mauritius: Mauritian Beet & Potato Salad
  89. Togo: Zowey (Togolese Spicy Peanut Balls)
  90. Liechtenstein: Gerstensuppe (Barley Soup)
  91. Korea: Dwaeji Bulgogi (Korean-Style Pork BBQ)
  92. Northern Italy: Tiramisu
  93. St. Lucia: Cacao Tea

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