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Is Xocai everything it's made out to be?
Up front: I am not a fan of Xocai and the company that makes and markets it, MXI Corp. I don't believe in promoting chocolate as a panacea for what ails you. I don't believe in MLM businesses, and I am tired of their reps contacting me and trying to clue me in to the next best thing since, well, since chocolate.
So, it did not surprise me when I saw this article published in the Sydney Morning Herald about obstacles MXI reps face in their climb to financial freedom.
What do you think? About the article? About the product; anybody tried it? About the company; any ChocolateLife members an MXI rep?
:: Clay
PS. I met Dr Warren in 2006 (or maybe before then) at a trade show in Las Vegas. I am very aware of who he is, his background, and the claims he makes for chocolate. I have read a lot of his writings as well as the research he references. I am also very aware of the company's products and if I believed in them and thought I could make money selling them I would have jumped at the opportunity over two years ago and been near the very top of the pyramid. But I'm not and I didn't. I don't believe chocolate is supposed to be virtuous. The fact that there are health benefits is a bonus, not a reason. When I eat chocolate I want to eat the best I can find. If I want antioxidants I consume fruits and vegetables or take a vitamin.
So, it did not surprise me when I saw this article published in the Sydney Morning Herald about obstacles MXI reps face in their climb to financial freedom.
What do you think? About the article? About the product; anybody tried it? About the company; any ChocolateLife members an MXI rep?
:: Clay
PS. I met Dr Warren in 2006 (or maybe before then) at a trade show in Las Vegas. I am very aware of who he is, his background, and the claims he makes for chocolate. I have read a lot of his writings as well as the research he references. I am also very aware of the company's products and if I believed in them and thought I could make money selling them I would have jumped at the opportunity over two years ago and been near the very top of the pyramid. But I'm not and I didn't. I don't believe chocolate is supposed to be virtuous. The fact that there are health benefits is a bonus, not a reason. When I eat chocolate I want to eat the best I can find. If I want antioxidants I consume fruits and vegetables or take a vitamin.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by cybele on -
I've resisted reviewing it on my blog, merely because I get so much spam from the company's minions as it is. (I've banned all mention of it in the comments on the blog since I had a nasty incident two years ago when I first reviewed Dove of all things.)
I've tried other fortified chocolates and find them chalky or waxy or simply lacking the chocolate qualities I love.
Like you, chocolate is for enjoying. If I need something extra in my diet I'll eat it or take it as a pill.
I'm still curious about it, because I do believe that you can create healthy snacks. (I might just need to adjust my thinking that it's not chocolate, just some confection.)
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Permalink Reply by Alessandra on -
It's interesting that this should come up now. I was just contacted by one of their reps a couple of days ago. I've been so busy with work that I didn't do anything about it. Now I'm glad I didn't. I really don't know much about the chocolate, but I don't like being bombarded by any company, no matter how good their product is.
But I agree with the other poster, I really don't care about the health benefits of chocolate. I want to enjoy it.
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Permalink Reply by Jeff on -
Oh god. This is scam, has always been a scam and reeked of scam the moment it went up. I have had so many laughs at these people expense over the last two years it pains t me to think people actually buy into this garbage.
First of all, like you said clay, any health benefits chocolate may have are a bonus--NOT the selling point. It is all part of this delusional "raw chocolate' movement. If one more company starts exploiting people for "raw chocolate' and the health benefits I am going postal.
There is no such thing as RAW CHOCOLATE. In order to make chocolate the beans must first be fermented---that is a cooking process. All these raw food folks are nut jobs if they think that buying nibs is raw chocolate. The stuff has been fermented and then roasted. truly raw and dried cacao beans are friggin nasty and are basically inedible. 'nuff siad.
PT Barnum was right.
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Permalink Reply by Jeff on
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Ok....lest play semantics..........
So the upper limit for raw food is 122F?......well then that leaves out cacao. The fermentation process for cacao often reaches into the 160's and above. It is a cooking process no matter how you slice it. yes the heat is caused by the fermentation which is used to break down the thick skin through an enzymatic process, but it is cooking the innards of the bean. Stick your hand in 160 degree water and see if you dont cook.
You say one of the major roles of cooking is to kill organisms; as a life long chef I disgaree. The major role of cooking for me is to make food taste good. I like raw foods too but a pan seared mahi mahi with a ginger sesame crust is a thing of beauty. A quickly grilled lamb chop --still bleeding rare(118F) and mewling if possible- is ambrosia. Cooking is an art form elevated by humans to not just kill the mold and mildew of spoiled food but too enhance and transform and elevate.
Cacao that has not been 'cooked" through fermentation tastes aweful and even then the nibs need to be roasted to have any intrinsic flavor. That alcoholic/winey purple bean is just unpalatable for me. a nice slow roast to bring out the nuances of the bean are what I dig.
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Permalink Reply by Eric Durtschi on -
One of the things that truly separates great chocolate from good chocolate is this fermentation process. Just like Samantha said, if the temperature gets too high during fermentation it can actually "cook out" some of the intrinsic nuances in each bean. This is why most, great, chocolatiers actually go to the plantations so they can confirm that the fermentation meets their exact specifications, coaxing out the maximum potential in the beans.
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Permalink Reply by Clay Gordon on -
Sam:
There is a reason for the ads showing up. Google "knows" the contents of this page and because Xocai is mentioned it serves up ads for Xocai. At some point I will get rid of the Google ads so it will go away as an issue.
I also have heard that 120-125F/50C is the upper limit for temperature before things are cooked. One challenge I have with this is that pathogens on the outside of the beans are not killed at these temperatures. I've heard that some raw chocolate companies wash their beans in hydrogen peroxide but I have no idea what the risks/benefits are to this. Recently, I've become interested in UVC light as a means to kill the pathogens effectively and safely. There are companies here in the US that make equipment that seems perfect for this use.
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Permalink Reply by Randy Compton on -
I am so glad you brought this up. I just discovered Xocai and was impressed by their claims and other claims by scientists in the community. Unlike you, I really like the taste of their chocolate. However, like you I am wary of MLMs and found that money seems to often bias people to the honest truth. If it is so good, why doesn't Xocai just sell it to retailers?
I do remain curious about the health benefits of chocolate in moderate dosages. Isn't there a reason to drink a glass of red wine if it is good for you? Sounds like a win-win situation that could be the same for chocolate, no? And if so, why not get the best quality chocolate that has the best taste and the best health benefits?
Personally, I would rather eat a moderate amount of chocolate than take a pill. Either way, I'm still wondering about Xocai...
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Permalink Reply by Alan McClure on -
For what it's worth, chocolate connoisseurs almost unanimously agree that:
The best tasting chocolate is made from fermented and roasted cacao.
Scientists would probably almost unanimously agree that:
The healthiest chocolate would be made from raw, unfermented cacao.
You can see the problem.
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Permalink Reply by Sydney on -
A friend in VT recently told me about Xocai, and I read all their stuff. The pyramid business put me off, but I do think their chocolate is something special. It is not just the cold-processed cacao beans, but also adding the acai berry for extra anti-oxidants--equiv of eating a lot of spinach or blueberries--and also no caffeine and low-glycemic because they don't use regular sugar. Still, it tastes great. Meanwhile, I also discovered David Wolfe's Naked Chocolate book, and then bought some nibs from my local health food store and some agave syrup (again that 's the low-glycemic sweetener from a cactus). I'm now experimenting with my own concoctions but the nibs are pretty good when you just chew them with a squirt of agave. I think it's very cool that cacao beans can be a super food with tons of benefits. Why knock it? Why take supplements if you can eat berries and chew cacao beans??
Anyway, that's my two cents. I don't really think Xocai is a scam; I think you go into it with your eyes open and if you're the salesperson type, it might work for you because . . . hey, everyone loves chocolate! Also, I'm a little confused by all the talk of cooking and fermenting and heating the beans because the big Xocai claim and Naked Chocolate's, too, is that you only eat cold-processed cacao beans that haven't lost any nutrients.
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Permalink Reply by ChocoFiles on -
What does "cold-processed cacao beans" really mean to Xocai?
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Permalink Reply by John on -
Hello all. I found this blog by searching for information regarding Xocai chocolate. It seems to be the only unbiased conversation on the Net! I have learned several things from this thread. Samantha, I especially appreciate the time you put into your comments. I am not a chocolate expert but I am looking for a health-related business opportunity. I was approached by the Xocai folks.
I have no clue whether the claims about being 'cold-pressed' are significant. Is being "non-alkanized" important? All of the Xocai products are sweetened. For example, Xocai nuggets are sweetened with raw cane juice crystals. Is this this normal with chocolate?
Most importantly (from a business perspective) is the price. For example, the wholesale price of a single nugget (after shipping) is $1.24 (USD). This supposedly compares favorably to other gourmet chocolates. This works out to approximately $110/month if eaten 3 times daily. The retail pricing works out to $135/month. Maybe some on this forum have some insight to this question.
Blessings,
John
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