It is strange that this ridiculous and wasteful means is still in use at all, as next to none of the valuable portions of the nib are extracted. The quantity of matter removed by the hot water is so small, that close upon 90 per cent, of the nourishing and feeding constituents are left behind in the undissolved sediment, the substances extracted being principally salts and colouring matters. One can but suppose that the long habit of drinking an infusion from coffee-beans and tea-leaves has fixed in the mind the erroneous idea that the substance of the cocoa-bean is also valueless. The fact remains, however, that it is still customary at
some hydropathic establishments, and perhaps in a few other instances, for doctors to order "nibs" for their patient, which may sometimes be accounted for by injury having resulted from drinking one of the many "faked" cocoas offered for sale; the order for "nibs" being a despairing effort to obtain the genuine article.
2. Consolidated Nibs—i.e., cocoa-nibs ground between heated stones, whence it flows in a paste of the consistency of cream, which, when cool, hardens into a cake containing all the cocoa-butter. Cocoa in this form (mixed with sugar before cooling) is served in the British Navy—a somewhat wasteful and inconvenient practice, as when stirred, the excess of fat at once floats to the top of the cup, and is generally removed with a spoon, to make the drink more appetising.
3. Cocoa Essence.—This is the same article as No. 2, with about 60 per cent, of the natural butter removed; consequently the proportion of albuminous and stimulating elements is greatly increased. It is prepared instantly by pouring
boiling water upon it, thus forming a light beverage with all the strength and flesh-forming constituents of the decorticated bean.[9]
Chemical analysis of cacao-nibs and cocoa essence shows them to contain on an average:
| Cacao-nibs. | Cocoa Essence. | |||
| Cocoa-butter | 50 | parts. | 30 | parts. |
| Albuminoid substances | 16 | " | 22 | " |
| Carbohydrates (sugar, starch, and digestible cellulose) | 21 | " | 30 | " |
| Theobromine | 1.5 | " | 2 | " |
| Salts | 3.5 | " | 5 | " |
| Other constituents | 8 | " | 11 | " |
| ——— | ——— | |||
| 100 | 100 | |||
The cocoa-butter when clarified is of a pale yellow colour, and as it melts at about 90° F. it is of great value for
pharmaceutical purposes, especially as it only becomes rancid when subjected to excessive heat and light, as to the direct rays of the sun.