Cacao is one of the healthiest plants on Earth, and is typically used to make chocolate, one of the most flavorful and delicious food items known and enjoyed the world over.
Recently, I had the opportunity to try something made from the cacao plant that I’ve never had before — cacao soda from the company Xo’ca, which is made from the cacao fruit, the squishy inner part of the plant.
I personally have long been a fan of soda, or pop as we call it here in Michigan, for decades.
Soda and other sparkling drinks are my absolute favorites, and this soda ended up being one of my new favorite drinks as well for a laundry list of different reasons.
Cacao Fruit Benefits
The juice of the cacaofruit and cacao itself are rife with benefits, and it tastes tangy and Earthy, sort of like a sweet and tangy root beer in my personal opinion.
The benefits of cacaofruit juice include:
-40 times the antioxidants for blueberries, with an ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) of 98,000 per 100 grams, compared with blueberries’ 2,400 score.
-It’s the highest plant-based source of iron according to BeGoodOrganics.com
-Is rich in magnesium
-Has more calcium than cow’s milk
-Is a natural mood elevator and anti-depressant
Xo’ca’s Delicious Flavors
Photo via @drinkxoca/Instagram
I had the opportunity to try Xo’ca’s two main flavors: cacaofruit and cherry, and cacaofruit and ginger, which can be ordered on their website here.
The cherry variety has sparkling water, cacaofruit juice, cherry juice, and natural flavors and stevia leaf extract as its ingredients.
The cacaofruit and ginger has sparkling water, cacao fruit juice, ginger flavor, lemon juice concentrate, natural flavors and stevia leaf extract.
Overall, I thought the ingredient were very good although I would have preferred to see organic certification. The ingredients are non-GMO, excellent for gut health and immunity support, and crafted from Ecuadorian cacaofruit juice with sustainability in mind.
While drinking these sodas I noticed their smooth taste and the uplifting, sublime feeling I got while drinking them.
So far, this is one of the tastiest drinks I have had this entire year.
I personally see Xo’ca more as a healthier soda than a full-on health drink, not that that’s a bad thing because I love soda and these drinks still have plenty of benefits.
Overall, I would definitely recommend trying these drinks if you’re looking for something new, delicious and exciting — I could see these going well as a drink mixer, or just as a unique drink for when you’re looking for something different.
Special thanks to Xo’ca for providing these drinks for me to try.
If you’d like to try them, visit their website here.
You can also find them on Amazon.com by clicking on this link.
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About Nick Meyer
