well here is the thing..most people here have never had raw cacao, reguardless of w/e it says on the lable of stuff they buy at the local whole paycheck or whatever.
Raw cacao is a myth of the raw food world. People rave about it because they believe it's raw but it really is not raw. I know this becasue I had to track down a source of true raw cacao from equador when I tried to have my own raw chocolate business. There is like maybe 2 sources of something on the market of true raw cacao and essential living foods is one..but you have to order it in bulk with a business number..and even then it is debatable as to weather or not that cacao can be called "raw". I know of companies that sell "raw" cacao and they definatly source from suppliers that use processes(the ones everyone uses) that cannot leave one with raw cacao.
I also thought that raw cacao was the best..but I realize now that it's just the quality cacao that makes the difference. You can get that camino powder stuff and that is most peoples experience with cacao..when really its processed beans with the oil removed from the rest of the bean.
The camino is what people concider high quality stuff often.. compared to some good bean it is not high quality at all IMO..it's better than milk chocolate though.
Then people go to whole foods or w/e other store and get "raw" beans and claim they are way better..why these are most likely not raw is complicated issue that has to do with the way the cacao is shelled and fermented etc..but there are a lot of people selling stuff claiming it's raw and it really is not. It's just a high quality product becasue it is less refined and basically a complete "whole" food. The people who sell truely raw cacao use more expensive techniques and still the beans are fermented..
Raw foodests get all upset about this but it is what it is..not really raw at all.
Now, the mayan curranderos etc that use cacao as a sacred plant always roast the beans..they dont use raw cacao and they dont think raw cacao is better. They just are able to source high quality freshly picked and fermented beans. So that should tell you something. I know someone who went down to equador to work with Keith the "chocolate shaman"(you can google him) and he does not use the raw beans either but is very well aware of this myth in the raw food world abotu raw cacao being better etc..I think he has a website that explains some of this. If anyone, this guy would know..he lives where the trees grow and could harvest the beans raw and use them if he thought they were any better.
I have had some really crappy cacao from entheo vendors, and from whole foods..sold as "raw cacao". They were old and stale and tasted nothing like some other beans I have had. There is also the issue of strains. Not all cacao is equal or the same chemically. There are a number of different strains and the ones used traditionally are of an heirloom strain. I have a couple kilos of some heirloom cacao is is actaully as raw as you can get the stuff from back when I had a business number, and I have cooked it and it was still good. It never lost anything.
So, just source high quality beans..forget about this raw cacao thing.
Long live the unwoke.