We get this question quite a bit so we thought we should talk about it. Simply put, we only use natural sweeteners like coconut sugar, honey and maple syrup in our own home, so coconut sugar was the natural choice for us to use in our chocolate. We did make a few batches of chocolate using cane sugar in the beginning but found that we prefer the taste of our chocolate made with coconut sugar. The milder sweetness compliments the flavor profiles of our cacao beans instead of overpowering them.<\/p>\n
While coconut sugar has gained some recognition as a better choice amongst sweeteners, we do not want to mislead anyone into believing that it is a health food. Coconut sugar does have a slightly lower glycemic index and a higher content of nutrients (iron, zinc, calcium, potassium) than table sugar but there no caloric difference. It is sugar, and sugar of any sort should be enjoyed in moderation.<\/p>\n
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about where coconut sugar comes from. We reached out to our friends at Madhava<\/a> to help us with this one. According to them, Madhava Organic Coconut Sugar<\/a> is grown and harvested sustainably in Indonesia. It is an organic, unrefined sweetener that is derived from the nectar of coconut palm tree blossoms. The nectar is boiled to evaporate the water, and the remaining concentrated nectar is crystallized into sugar.<\/p>\n