Old-Time Jamaican Chocolate Tea (Aka Hot Chocolate)
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Jamaican chocolate ("Chalklit") Tea

Jamaican chocolate tea cocoa tea balls fresh

Jamaican chocolate tea sticks

Ever had the old-time (traditional) Jamaican Chocolate Tea, aka 'Chalk-lit tea'?

I tell you I absolutely love it! I have it at least twice per week now!

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For Traditional Ja'can Chocolate Tea

Click here to jump to the recipe.

For those unfamiliar with this, it is the traditional Jamaican version of hot chocolate, except in my opinion, richer, more organic and healthier :-)

( See health benefits below )

And so, I, like a child, can't wait for the dawn of day for that sought after school trip, couldn't wait to get to the little rural farm where the entire production takes place.

It is called ROCK FARM and is located in the hills of St. James, a place called Catadupa.

It was a long trip, challenged by rocky, windy roads, but it was totally worth the effort.

I observed the entire production and managed to capture the entire experience on video so I could share it with you!

I also have a simple recipe to share with you!

Ready?

Let's start with the video!

WATCH: The Chocolate Farm Video Tour! (Click PLAY Below)

It is a simple family business but Mr. Atkinson was totally open to share the entire process with me.

With the use of pictures posted as well as live demonstration, he demonstrated the entire process which involves...

Picking the ripe cocoa beans (fruit) from the tree
Breaking and removing the seeds/beans
Fermenting for a week
Drying the beans
Stripping the beans (by hand)
Grinding the beans
Spicing it with cinnamon powder, nutmeg and vanilla
Beating the mixture (paste) in the mortar & then ...
Rolling the paste into balls (by hand) and leave to dry & then
Packing

Green Jamaican cocoa beans on tree

Jamaican cocoa bean on tree for chocolate tea production

Ripe Jamaican cocoa bean on tree for Jamaican chocolate tea production

Jamaican cocoa beans, fresh out of the pod

Picked, ripe Jamaican cocoa, ready to be processed

Drying the Cocoa Beans

Fire side used to roast the cocoa beans to make chocolate tea

Roasted Cocoa Beans

Grinder for the roasted beans

Grounded cocoa beans, ready to be turned into chocolate tea sticks or balls

Grounded Jamaican cocoa beans, ready to be turned into chocolate tea sticks or balls

Mortar used to make beat cocoa beans to make Jamaican chocolate tea

Jamaican chocolate tea, rolling the paste into sticks

Rolling the Chocolate 'dough' into sticks

Fresh Jamaican chocolate tea sticks

Oh, and did I tell you I had a freshly brewed mug of Chocolate tea before I left? If course I did!

Jamaican chocolate tea in cup

A refreshing learning experience I tell you.

By the way, I ran into an aging flyer posted on the wall that highlighted the amazing benefits of chocolate tea, made from Jamaican cocoa beans.

Health Benefits Of Traditional Jamaican Chocolate Tea

If you read closely you would have noticed that, amoung other things, it mentioned that.

'According to Cornell University, Rock Farm Chocolate, which is made from Jamaican cocoa beans, has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and up to three times the antioxidants found in green tea.

Rock Farm chocolate also contains magnesium, iron, chromium, vitamin c, zine and also reduces high blood pressure".

All wonderful stuff right?

Jamaican Chocolate Tea Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1.5 Jamaican chocolate sticks (or balls)
For extra strength I sometimes just use 2
3 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup milk or Lasco Soy Milk
I use that a lot here - no paid advertisement :-)
Approximately 1 quart water or 4-5 cups.
Pinch of salt
Cinnamon and nutmeg for extra flavour

PROCEDURE

Bring water to boil
Grate chocolate sticks (or balls)
(I mainly drop it directly in the pot and leave it until it boils out)
Boil for 14-20 minutes
The longer it boils, the tastier and more of the fatty cream that comes to the top :-)
Remove and sweeten to taste with milk, sugar and spices.
Serves 4
Remember to drink with caution. It is usually hotter than it appears!

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Where To Get Jamaican Chocolate Tea Balls or Sticks?

At this point my only reservation is that this is product is not widely available outside of Jamaica as I would have hoped.

But that said, I noticed that Amazon has a particular brand on their website. You may check the current price here.

For those persons in Jamaica, several of the leading supermarkets in Jamaica has Jamaican chocolate tea, even though it may not necessarily be from Rock Farms.

To contact Rock Farms directly, you may call Mr. Atkinson using the following information:

Email: rockfarmgroup@gmail.com
Phone is 876-567-0351

KEY LEARNINGS FOR ME...

The longer the chocolate is boiled, the more 'cream' comes to the top.
Each bean has to be stripped by hand (as it is now).
That's a lot of work!
Mr. Atkinson started this business because he saw the cocoa beans wasting on the family land in the country.
Also do your due diligence!
He indicated he got a machine that strips the bean but it didn't work! He admitted he should have 'checked it out' first.
Sometimes the simple things we take for granted are the most beneficial to us.

What part of the tour do you find interesting. Please be sure to leave a comment on the video on YouTube.

Pages Related To The Jamaican Chocolate Tea

Return to Free Jamaican Recipes from Jamaican Chocolate Tea
Return to My Island Jamaica Homepage from Jamaican Chocolate Tea

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About The Author

A patriotic Jamaican who adores his culture, Wellesley has been using this medium to share what he calls 'the uniqueness of Jamaica with the world' - since April 2007.

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