Cacao... raw, sugar-free, uberdelicious, anandamide-filled....

The cacao beans you use make a difference to the flavor - and the medicinal qualities.

For example, a merlot grape tastes very different from a champagne grape. Both are grapes, but the variety matters.

A merlot grape grown in Sonoma, or grown in New York State, taste different. This is the basis for terroir. Location matters for cacao beans, too.

Ysanne works with cacao beans grown in a single estate in Ecuador, from an heirloom variety. This is what makes her cacao-based foods work, in terms of the medicinal qualities. Multiple scientific laboratory tests have linked high-quality cacao beans to elevated mood benefits, and other benefits, including the anti-oxidant properties of cacao. Most commercial grade chocolate products don't elicit these benefits, but Ysanne's source of cacao does.

It's all about the variety, the terroir of the farm, and the farming techniques.