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Old-Time Jamaican Chocolate Tea (Aka Hot Chocolate)
Relive The Experience!

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Hot Jamaican chocolate tea in cupJamaican chocolate ("Chalklit") Tea
Jamaican chocolate tea cocoa tea balls freshJamaican 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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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...

  1. Picking the ripe cocoa beans (fruit) from the tree
  2. Breaking and removing the seeds/beans
  3. Fermenting for a week
  4. Drying the beans
  5. Stripping the beans (by hand)
  6. Grinding the beans
  7. Spicing it with cinnamon powder, nutmeg and vanilla
  8. Beating the mixture (paste) in the mortar & then ...
  9. Rolling the paste into balls (by hand) and leave to dry & then
  10. Packing
Green Jamaican cocoa beans on treeGreen Jamaican cocoa beans on tree
Jamaican cocoa bean on tree for chocolate tea productionRipe Jamaican cocoa bean on tree for Jamaican chocolate tea production
Jamaican cocoa beans, fresh out of the podPicked, ripe Jamaican cocoa, ready to be processed
Drying the Cocoa BeansDrying the Cocoa Beans
Fire side used to roast the cocoa beans to make chocolate teaFire side used to roast the cocoa beans to make chocolate tea
jamaican_cocoa_beans_roastedRoasted Cocoa Beans
Grinder for the beansGrinder for the roasted beans
Grounded cocoa beans, ready to be turned into chocolate tea sticks or ballsGrounded Jamaican cocoa beans, ready to be turned into chocolate tea sticks or balls
Mortar used to make beat cocoa beans to make Jamaican chocolate teaMortar used to make beat cocoa beans to make Jamaican chocolate tea
Jamaican chocolate tea, rolling the paste into sticksRolling the Chocolate 'dough' into sticks
Jamaican chocolate tea sticks or ballsFresh Jamaican chocolate tea sticks

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

Jamaican chocolate tea in cupJamaican 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

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

Click Here to see the full list of our easy and exciting Jamaican recipes, completely free!

Where To Get Jamaican Chocolate Tea Balls or Sticks?

New! You can now get authentic Jamaican chocolate sticks, as well as other authentic Jamaican products conveniently via my Etsy store.

Here is the link:
https://www.etsy.com/MyIslandJamaica/listing/778996135/traditional-jamaican-chocolate-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.





Mr. Atkinson at his cocoa bean farm

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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