Review & Giveaway: Crio Bru Roasted Cacoa Bean Drink

Crio Bru is a very unique company in that they offer a product that no one else does - a healthier alternative to coffee made from cocoa beans. But wait…that’s been done before, right? Not the way that Crio Bru does it. They have devised a way to roast and grind the beans that delivers the perfect drink without additional ingredients.

“Crio Brü is made from 100%, perfectly roasted cocoa beans. Nothing more, nothing less. No sugar, no chemicals, no dairy. Although Crio Brü roasts the cocoa beans, many of the health benefits found in its natural state are preserved, giving you a superior product with sky-high antioxidants, abundant minerals and healthy energy.”

According to Crio Bru, cocoa beans contain a natural stimulant called theobromine which is a relative to caffeine. The difference is that theobromine gives you a long lasting energy boost without the jitters or crash that caffeine does. Very high in anti-oxidants, cocoa beans also provides a number of health benefits including a boost to the immune system, appetite suppression, supports heart health, digestive system health, bone health, and supportsbrain development/function.  The anti-oxidant properties of cocoa beans also oxygenates the blood and helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels, increases focus, reduces stress, and helps you sleep better. 

While I am not a medical doctor nor have I extensively studied cocoa, Crio Bru does actually link to clinical studies from their website to support these claims.

I initially heard about Crio Bru on an episode of Shark Tank, a TV show in which famous business men and women invest in start-up companies to help get them off the ground in hopes that they will get a return on their money. The investors didn’t seem to like the drink very much at all but I was curious and figured I would give it a shot.

I got a bag of their Crio Beans, chocolate covered cocoa beans, Crio Bru Cavalla, one of their drinks touting flavor notes of coconut and cinnamon, and a Bodum French press. 

Upon opening the bag you are greeted by the most wonderful scent of cocoa imaginable. 

In fact, my wife and I just stood there sniffing the bag for a few minutes taking in the wonderful aroma. 

Initially I followed the directions provided on the French press. I have never actually used one, before. My experience was much the same as that of the sharks on Shark Tank.

My brew came out looking very watery with not much flavor at all. 

The aroma was absolutely amazing, but it honestly tasted horrible. Then I decided to look on their website for some information on how to get a good brew to see if I was doing something wrong. 

After reading the instructions provided on their site (which is also on the bag of grounds) I decided to give it another try. The results were much better this time!  That'll teach me not to read, first!

Now to be fair, I hate black coffee. I have acid reflux so it’s often not a pleasant experience to drink coffee at all though I do love it. 

Crio Bru Cocoa Bean Drink next to Regular Black Coffee

When I do drink it I always add milk or creamer and sugar. I often times will drink what I refer to as “fufu” coffees from the big name coffee shops. I love the variety of flavors they come in and I very heavily rely not only on the caffeine content but the sugar as well. 

I know… I’m horrible. 

I did find though that Crio Bru was much more pleasant to drink plain than coffee is. It’s not nearly as bitter and definitely has a very unique flavor. Maybe my palette is just not as refined as others but I did not get any kind of coconut or cinnamon flavors at all. But it was still a great drink. 

After finally figuring out how to brew this stuff I began to experiment with it. I tried adding milk and sugar, milk and honey, milk and agave, and even tried throwing in some flavor syrups, all of which produced a great flavor with undertones of rich dark chocolate.

Now the part that you are probably waiting for. The ENERGY! 

I was quite surprised by just how much of it I had after drinking a small glass. I didn’t know what to do with myself. So I cleaned the kitchen. 

It was very surprising to me to feel that energy. I have become so accustomed to caffeine in my daily diet that it doesn’t seem to affect me. I will often drink multiple energy drinks during the day and then overload on sodas during the evening while I am at home. I felt like I needed that much caffeine just to be able to function normally. 

Not with Crio Bru. It wasn’t a surge of energy necessarily. More like a slow build that soon had me ready to take on the world (or at least a long boring day in the IT Support Office). Then the gradual decrease in energy happened so subtly that I didn’t even really notice it. And yes, there was no crash! I still felt great!

One of my favorite Crio Bru products is their chocolate covered cocoa beans. These things are amazing! My wife and I snacked on them for almost an entire month. We both snack constantly so that actually says something for how long a single bag lasts. 

I was very impressed by their shipping as well. The beans were packed with an ice pack to keep the from melting. Unfortunately I have yet to have find an ice pack that can stand up to the summer heat in the Mojave Desert. They were just a tad melted and pretty soft when I opened them but just popping them in the fridge over night and they were perfect. 

I was also very happy with the clear instructions on how to use and care for the Bodum French Press. 

I have never used one so I was a bit intimidated by it until I got my hands on it. It is made of pretty light plastic (they mention a glass version in the instruction manual) but still felt very solid and withstood the heat of the boiling water just fine. 

I will say that even though plastic does have a tendency to warp after being exposed to heat for a while, in the month or so that I have been using it I have not noticed any issues at all. 

The plunger and screen still fit just as snug as the day I took it out of the box. 

The only negative issue I can really say about it is that in my brief experience, it doesn't work as well with smaller batches.  

That may be operator error though, and I'm still learning.

I was very impressed with everything that I received from Crio Bru and will be happy to continue purchasing products from them in the future. 

I would ultimately like to try all their different varieties and, at a mere $11.97 per bag there's no reason that I won't! I was not able to find the same French Press on that I received for sale on their site, however, they do stock a beast - the 34oz. Bodum Chambord will set you back $39.97. And the bag of cocoa beans? Only $6.97! For all of the health benefits they tout combined with their prices I am sure to be a repeat customer. 

Head on over to their website and check them out. 

Also, the folks over at Crio Bru have offered a free 12 oz. bag of their Cavalla Cocoa Bean Drink to one lucky reader in the continental US, worth $11.97.  This giveaway ends just before midnight ET on October 27.

Don't forget to sign up! This is one giveaway you don't want to miss. Happy sipping!


To enter the giveaway, leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Rafflecopter, then leave the name you commented under and your email in the box in the Rafflecopter entry. (This lets us contact you if you win!)  This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning.

Good luck, everyone!

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