Bean to Bliss: Crafting Tablea and Cherishing Time with Grandparents

Hello friends! How are you? I guess you’re all good and living your life well. This is me again @kyyyys giving you another blog to read.

Wednesday Morning (January 22, 2025) my Lola and Lolo are making Tablea, the cocoa was fresh from our late Lola’s plant. The cocoa had a lot of fruit on it so, we decided to harvest those fruits. Back then, my late Lola Juliana is the one who made us Tablea and make it into a hot chocolate or sekwate in the Philippines. It was a moment to treasure for me. So, let me share to you guys on how we make our very own tablea.

WHAT IS TABLEA?

Tablea is the Filipino version of pure cocoa, traditionally made by grinding roasted cacao beans. It’s formed into small tablets that can be melted into a delicious rich drink or used as an ingredient in various Filipino desserts. The unique flavor on it’s typically unrefined and free from any added sugar or artificial flavorings.

THE PROCESS OF MAKING THE TABLEA

1. Roast the Cacao Beans
To start, you’ll need to roast the cacao beans. This helps bring out their deep chocolatey flavors and makes it easier to remove the shell on the cacao.

2. Crack and Peel the Beans
After roasting, let the beans cool down a little. Once they are chilly enough to handle, you can begin cracking the shells. Traditional tablea makers often use a simple method where the beans are cracked open by hand or with a rolling pin, revealing the cacao nibs inside. Since we don’t have a rolling pin, we only use our hands.

3. Grind the Cacao Nibs into Paste
We don’t have a grind so, we pay and grind it on the market. But, If you have a food processor, you can put the nibs until they start to form a thick or sticky paste.

4. Form the Tablea Discs
Once it is a smooth chocolatey, it’s time to mold it into tablea. You can pour the paste into small round molds or forming discs by hand. You can also use a circle thing or silicone molds for it’s convenient and let the tablea sit for a few hours to make it hardened.

5. Store Your Tablea
Once your tablea has hardened, you can put it on a plastic or a tupperware.

How to Use Homemade Tablea

Making your own tablea is convenient and can save money for buying on it.
Tsokolate (Hot Chocolate) Get a piece of tablea and melt it into hot water. Use a molinillo (a wooden whisk) to vigorously whisk it until the drink becomes smooth. Serve it with pan de sal or ensaymada for a truly Filipino experience. It was worth to taste!!

If you’ve ever try drinking a cup of Filipino tsokolate or hot cocoa, then you’ve encountered the magic of tablea. Whether you are drinking it in the morning, afternoon or evening and enjoying it with pan de sal or preparing it for special occasions. By making your own tablea is a such a satisfying thing to do and can save money to buy from store.

I guess that’s all for this blog, I hoped you’ve enjoyed reading my blog about making our very own Tablea. Thank you and see you on my next one Hivers!!🩷