Cacao nibs - What is the best technique to use them?

[jcbogantes]

1-What is the best technique to use Cacao nibs in the secondary? (Soaking them in Vodka or straight in the bucket?)

2- what do you think is the desired amount of nibs for a 5 gallon batch (for aroma and for flavor)?

I bought whole raw beans and roasted them in the Oven at 250 for 35min, peeled and crack them. The flavor is really really good.

I want to use them in an extract dunkel weiss experiment, which I am also having second thoughts about it, because I don't want the cacao to mask the wheat yeast flavor profile, but I would like to have the cacao on the nose.

Thank you in advance,

 

[day_trippr]

1 - I always soak mine in spirits, typically dark rum
2 - 8 ounces. Go big or go home...

Cheers!

 

[Xand]

Just used 4oz soaked in vodka in an oatmeal milk stout. Let them sit in the booze for maybe 4-5 days, which made a pretty bitter, baking cocoa flavored tincture, before dumping the whole thing in the beer. I let the beer sit on the nibs for maybe another 4-5 days before I kegged it.

Gotta say that it didn't really add much. There might be some chocolate notes in the back but it's pretty minimal. As the day_trippr says you might want to consider 8oz. You can always add the liquor in increments or let the beer sit on the nibs until it reaches the desired flavor.

One thing to be aware of: I'm pretty sure the fat from the nibs coalesced on top of my beer and made it look pretty nasty, like the fat on top of a chicken stock. I was pretty freaked out at first and thought my beer was skunked, but it smelled fine so I RDWHAHB and kegged it and it tastes awesome.

 

[Cyclman]

I do 8 oz, crushed nibs. A bit at flameout, most in secondary.

 

[jcbogantes]

Reading some other threads about cacao nibs its seems to me that something in the neighborhood of 6 oz for a 5 gallon batch mostly give you the chocolate aromas rather than taste.
Thank you for the insight.

 

[Natdavis777]

I do 4oz of crushed nips in a cup of vodka ant let sit for a week, then strain...

 

[m00ps]

i take 4oz and cover them in a bit of water (along with 2 vanilla beans). I boil them for 30sec or so, cool and toss the whole mixture into the fermentor. It extracts the flavors very quickly and sanitizes