Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/2/2009 (2758 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Here are some facts about chocolate in its many forms:
-Quality chocolatiers will frequently list a percentage on the label. This indicates by weight the amount of ingredients derived from the cacao bean. For instance, Lindt & Sprungli (Canada) has a new 90 per cent cacao which falls between the 85 and 99 per cent cacao range. But it's less bitter than one might expect from cacao in this range, with a taste profile of between 70 and 85 per cent.
-Cocoa powder is made by pressing some of the cocoa butter out of roasted cacao beans. This is "natural" cocoa powder. The powder can then be "dutched" or "alkalized," a process of washing the cocoa with an alkaline substance such as potassium carbonate to reduce harshness and acidity.
-Chocolate nibs: Chocolate or cacao nibs taste like chocolatey unsweetened nuts. They are the roasted and chopped nut of the cacao bean with the outer hull removed.
Source: Chocolate for Breakfast by Barbara Passino (Hoberman) and Lindt & Sprungli.