cocoa bean
noun
plural cocoa beans
: a dried, fermented, fatty seed of the fruit of a South American tropical evergreen tree (Theobroma cacao of the family Malvaceae) that is used in making cocoa, chocolate, and cocoa butter : cacao sense 1
The cocoa bean contains cocoa solids (particles) and about 53 percent cocoa butter.—
Rose Levy Beranbaum
Rose Levy BeranbaumExamples of cocoa bean in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Skyrocketing prices of cocoa beans have driven up costs in the chocolate industry.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
The vast majority of the world's cocoa beans grow in West Africa, where farmers have dealt with extreme weather, changing climate patterns and disease in their aging trees.
—Alina Selyukh, NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
Chocolate’s distinctive taste begins with cocoa beans, harvested from trees and fermented right on the cocoa farm to develop their aroma and reduce bitterness.
—New Atlas, 18 Oct. 2025
It’s made from only the butter and fat of the cocoa bean, not any of the solids.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocoa bean
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Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
The vast majority of the world's cocoa beans grow in West Africa, where farmers have dealt with extreme weather, changing climate patterns and disease in their aging trees.
—Alina Selyukh, NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
Chocolate’s distinctive taste begins with cocoa beans, harvested from trees and fermented right on the cocoa farm to develop their aroma and reduce bitterness.
—New Atlas, 18 Oct. 2025
It’s made from only the butter and fat of the cocoa bean, not any of the solids.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocoa bean
Cite this Entry
“Cocoa bean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cocoa%20bean. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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