Cocoa Absolute

This is a rich and beautiful chocolate note--a must for perfumers, and anyone who uses esssential oils and loves chocolate.

Product information

Theobroma cacao

Grown in Brazil.  Solvent extraction of the lightly roasted bean in France.

This is a very beautiful and rich chocolatey absolute.

Cocoa and Cacao are different—in case you’re wondering.

You start with cacao beans—the raw superfood you can add to your diet—rich in polyphenols (antioxidants) and have a wide array of health benefits. Once these are roasted, they become cocoa—although just to be confusing, these terms are often used interchangeably.

If you are looking for the supplement, you should look at a health food store for cacao nibs-if you’re looking for a beautiful, complex aromatic material to work with, you’re in the right place.

Arctander has no entry on Cacao, or Cocoa, and I’ve taken some information from Harold McGee’s book, Nose Dive, which accurately describes itself as a Field Guide to the Worlds Smells. He explains that a complex series of chemical reactions occur with low temperature roasting—he’s describing the process which makes Chocolate—it’s a very interesting process.

This absolute is thick and not mobile; it must be diluted first, in whichever way you prefer to dilute your perfume ingredients. If you are not a perfumer, we recommend adding to your favorite (non-fragrant) vegetable oil and allowing the smell to permeate, filtering after some days or weeks of this, as you like. Soluble in alcohol—not in carrier (fixed) oils; however, it will transfer its scent—just not dissolve. The absolute will sink to the bottom and the cocoa fat will rise to the top. Understand that it will not dissolve, but it will still smell amazing.

Cocoa (C)5-4-2010

Sweeter than honey, more addictive than coffee
God's greatest gift to man from a single bean
Dark brown,
Rich in flavor,
Silky smooth,
Paranormal exhilaration when I see her
Unusual mental stimulation when I touch her
Beauty designed in liquid, or barred solid
No matter what form, she is my sweet sensation
How could a Cacao Seed create such a beautiful chocolate?

I love her,
I want to have her,
What is it that makes her so sweet?
Is it her silky smooth skin?
Or her elegant aroma?
Is it the burst of energy that she gives me?
Or just the temporary rush that makes her so appealing?
I want her more than she knows.
Not in white,
Not in milk,

Only in dark.
Not with almonds,
Nor with caramel,
Only in dark.
My Cocoa Bean that reveals her chocolaty skin
Sweeter than honey, more addictive than coffee.

---Corey Threet