375189 Mon Feb 26 14:55:21 -0800 2007 9 2 Los Angeles Area 0 2331480 not exactly a search for deliciousness but ... My son is doing a school project on chocolate and would like to bring in some whole cocoa beans. Surfas and Penzey's don't carry them ... at least they said on the phone that they don't have them. Any thoughts? Mon Feb 26 14:55:21 -0800 2007 10914 PaulF 1 2331896 Used to be that Scharffen Berger sold jars with cocoa "nibs" which were basically roasted, slightly crushed cocoa beans. Not sure if they still sell this product, but it's the closest thing to whole beans I've seen around. Mon Feb 26 16:41:24 -0800 2007 2331480 10134 David Kahn 1 2331938 Surfas carries the nibs. Mon Feb 26 16:56:20 -0800 2007 2331480 11279 Burger Boy 1 2331995 If you don't need them in an incredible hurry go to www.chocoshpere.com Domori (Italian) chocolate has them in all sorts of heirloom varieties. Mon Feb 26 17:11:36 -0800 2007 2331480 70643 rachaels 1 2332491 Try a market geared toward a Central American clientele. I've bought them in Santa Ana at the El Toro Bravo Supermarket on 1st St and Hesperian, where they have a section for imports from El Salvador & Guatemala. They were cheap enough that I bought them on impulse and didn't give it a second thought. If you're in L.A., try the Liborio Market chain. Dunno if they have them, but it's worth a call. Mon Feb 26 19:52:51 -0800 2007 2331480 10023 Professor Salt 2 2332549 Just a bit curious Prof., did you do anything cool with them? Mon Feb 26 20:14:51 -0800 2007 2332491 10864 sel 3 2332697 I mainly bought them for curiosity's sake. Since I couldn't conch them finely enough to make a smooth cocoa liquor, I ended up crushing the bean into cacao nibs. Much cheaper than the Scharffenberger product, but more work. Lot more work. Mon Feb 26 21:15:43 -0800 2007 2332549 10023 Professor Salt 1 2332718 So. Whim. I actually just registered my account in order to answer your question. You can get whole cacao beans at Co-Opportunity at 15th and Broadway in Santa Monica. You can get them whole or you can get them kind of crushed. I think they just got them in. To make hot chocolate you need a toaster oven and a coffee grinder and maybe a cd to listen to. Loretta Lynn worked out alright for me. You can get them in some south american groceries on the east side too. Mon Feb 26 21:32:07 -0800 2007 2331480 78153 thenovice 2 2333913 Nice. Very nice. Tue Feb 27 10:48:35 -0800 2007 2332718 10134 David Kahn 1 2332925 Thanks all ... Tue Feb 27 01:21:32 -0800 2007 2331480 10914 PaulF