In our home, we are big fans of Crio Bru.
For the uninitiated, it’s brewed cacao beans. So, like coffee, but chocolate (or my fellow members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, it is WoW-friendly).
Years ago, when Todd first heard about it, he was immediately intrigued. He’s a b i g chocolate-lover, and liked the idea of having a regular, cozy drink. Now, it’s become an important part of our family rituals. I think the beginning of 2020, or end of 2019, was when we really started drinking it daily. Once we’d successfully put the kids down, we’d get a little warming drink, as a treat. Especially when it’s cold out, Crio Bru is a delightful way to start the morning, or end the day.
If you’ve never made anything like it before, we use a french press. You add the ground beans, boiling water, stir, and steep for 9 minutes. Stir; and once it’s re-settled, press. Top off with milk.
Recently, Todd’s been warming his milk in the microwave before adding the Bru, and he really enjoys it that way.
Like coffee, it can be an acquired taste. In fact, when we first got Crio Bru, I brewed it in milk. And added sugar. What a rube! Now I prefer my cup 3/4 full of Bru to 1/4 milk, though Todd is more of a 2/3 Bru and 1/3 milk guy himself.
There are a wide variety of flavors….most of which are currently in our house (Hey, we ran out once, and it was no fun, so I’m determined to prevent that from happening again, okay?!). Light roasts are likely going to be the be the tastiest if you’re new to it. But there’s lots of flavors and roasts to choose from. Todd’s favourite is probably Hazelnut. Though we like to keep Venezuela, Nicaragua, Mocha, and Mexico as our evergreen roasts. My favorite is 1,0000% Guatemala. It’s sadly a limited edition, but it’s so, so good. It’s a medium roast with citrus notes. So, think fancy milk chocolate with a slight fruitiness.
Our young kids are even fans of Crio Bru (to varying degrees, depending on the day). In fact, we have a weekly Poetry Bru Time tradition, where I read them poems while we drink Bru together. It’s one of my son’s absolute favourite parts of the week––he asks if it’s ‘tea time’ most days.
If you’re looking to add a little pick me up in your day—whether it be motivation to get up when it’s cold out; needing a tiny energy boost in the afternoon; or you just want a sugar-free cup of hygge to end your day—I highly, highly recommend trying out Crio Bru!
You can check out their flavors, or even get an entire starter kit on their website.
