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The thought of a well-made tsokolateng tablea ready to be sipped and savored is enough to make every chocolate lover's mouth water. This drink may not be unique to our country, but we've definitely made our own unique twists on how it should be prepared and served. In the Philippines, tablea dates all the way back to Spanish colonial times and has since become a part of Filipino food culture.
With so many choices for good tablea in the market, it can be hard to pick the right one. Don't worry, as we've rounded up the best tableas available online to help narrow down your options. We've also prepared a buying guide, fact-checked and reviewed by registered nutritionist-dietitian Samantha Morales, to help you take your chocolate experience a notch higher.
Samantha began her career in clinical nutrition and weight management at a tertiary hospital in Manila, Philippines. Her practice allowed her to give nutrition counseling and plan modified diets for patients with medical conditions. Presently, she does private practice to focus on true holistic wellness - an approach that believes in aligning one's mind, body, and spiritual well-being.
Our recommendation articles are carefully researched and crafted by the mybest Philippines team of writers and editors. To stay true to our company’s mission and vision to help users’ selection process easier, we also collaborate with experts from various fields to ensure that our content stays factual and useful.
The expert oversees the Buying Guide only, and does not determine the products and services featured.
Table of Contents
Here are some key points to consider:
Fermentation in cacao beans gives them a good bitter taste while killing germs and shedding the seed coat from the kernel. Properly fermenting the beans enhances the flavor and acidity of chocolate. This process, which should be between 6 to 10 days, turns the purplish color of the beans into a reddish one.
You will know if cacao beans have been fermented by their bitter flavor, unlike unfermented beans, which yield a bland taste. Fermenting can involve simply sun-drying the cacao beans, after which the beans are cooked in extremely high heat to have that roasted aroma. This also makes grinding the cacao easier, especially for home-based tablea makers who have to grind them by hand.
A well-ground tablea should have a sticky and greasy feel to it instead of a powdery one. The grease is a sign of the fat content in each tablea, which gives the chocolate a buttery feel. It also points to freshness because it means that the tablea has been ground, shaped, and packed recently.
However, this does not mean that days- or weeks-old tablea will taste any differently as freshly-made ones since, fortunately, tableas rarely expire. However, if you're the type who likes chocolate in powder form, take note that you can expect less fat content in your tablea pack.
Cacao beans have a naturally bitter taste which is why some people turn to tableas with sugar or sweetener for a certain type of sweetness that'll match their preference. On the other hand, pure and unsweetened variants might be the better option for bakers or those who are health-conscious. Here is why you should choose between pure and sweetened tableas.
When tableas are advertised as pure or natural, they are made of 100% cacao without sugar or additives. Unsweetened dark chocolates are usually made from premium quality beans to achieve their strong, robust taste. The natural quality of cacao beans and the fermentation process are much easier to determine in pure tablea products.
Unsweetened variants give you the freedom to add as much or as little sugar or milk as you want to your snacks and drinks. It is also a wiser choice when using chocolate in baking recipes since you'll have a better idea of how much sugar can go into your desserts. This is better for those who are health-conscious.
On the other hand, sweetened tablea already contains sugar or muscovado, a sugar substitute. If you have a sweet tooth, this would probably be more to your liking since you won't need to add sugar anymore. Kids would also naturally prefer sweetened tablea for a chocolate-based drink, especially when coupled with milk.
They are good for those who still need help figuring out the right ratio of sugar or sweetener for their drink. When incorporating sweetened tablea into desserts, make sure to adjust the amount of sugar you will add to the batter and do a taste test so that you wouldn't end up with overly sweet pastries.
Tablea often comes in tablet form, created using uniform molds after the beans have been ground. Rolled tableas are typically rolled by hand following sanitary measures and are quite similar but thicker than tablets. Powdered tableas are especially convenient to make, as you can pour the contents straight into your mug and dissolve them in water.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Price | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Auro Chocolate 100% Cacao Unsweetened Tablea|350 g | ₱355 High Mid | A Proudly Pinoy Tablea That Has Taken the World by Storm | ||
2 | Malagos Chocolate 100% Premium Unsweetened Chocolate|153 g | ₱220 Mid | Taste the Wonders of a World-Class Tablea | ||
3 | Argao Guilang Premium Tableya|330 g | ₱230 Mid | Handcrafted Tableas From Seasoned Chocolatiers in Cebu | ||
4 | Hao Cacao 100% Pure and Unsweetened Tablea|100 g | ₱65 Low Mid | Simple and Budget-Friendly Pure Tablea | ||
5 | Cacao Culture Premium Chocolate Tablea (100% Pure, Unsweetened)|1 kg | ₱1,000 High | Buy Tablea in Bulk for Your Food Business | ||
6 | Rosario's Premium Tablea |100 g | ₱91 Low Mid | Authentic Chocolate Flavor With Hints of Licorice | ||
7 | Farm to Folk Single-Estate Organic Tablea|240 g | ₱250 High Mid | Ethically Sourced and Minimally Processed Tablea | ||
8 | Cocoa Monster 100% Pure Tablea|150 g | ₱105 Mid | Enjoy Thick and Smooth Tsokolate | ||
9 | Dutche Sweetened Cocoa Tablea|200 g | ₱108 Mid | Sweetened Tablea That Requires Minimal Ingredients | ||
10 | Family's Choice Premium Tableya Sachet Powder|10 packs | ₱43 Low | A Powdered Tablea for a Quick Chocolate Drink Fix |
True to its name, which means "gold," this brand makes chocolate as premium and as luxurious as you can get. In fact, it has received nods from award-giving bodies all over the world and numerous awards at the Academy of Chocolate! With their 100% cacao formulation, these tablea coins will give you a powerful chocolate fix.
Auro combines sophistication and sustainability with their tablea. Through sustainable practices and by working directly with Davao farmers, they have created a rich and bold flavor that's perfect for both drinks and desserts. Their tablea is also guaranteed tree nut and peanut-free, so these are safe for people with nut allergies. You can't go wrong with this product on your list.
You can't have a tablea list without Malagos in it. Oozing with premium chocolate goodness, Malagos Chocolate is another award-winning locally produced tablea that will leave every chocolate lover wanting more. Riding high on its awards at the 2020 World Drinking Chocolate Competition, it suffices to say that this tablea is world-class in taste and in presentation.
This product has a cult following of satisfied buyers from all over the country and even the world, and rightly so. Every luscious hexagonal tablea is packed with pure cocoa - no sweeteners, no artificial coloring, no nuts, and no preservatives! What you get is an earthy and fatty chocolate sourced from the Trinitario hybrid, considered the finest cocoa beans in the world.
From Cebu, home to many premium tableas in the country comes this pure, original cacao bliss. This tablea brand has been making a name for itself since 1948, and it's here to stay for chocolate lovers. There's a distinct artisan element that you can see in the small and medium hand-molded tablets.
Each tablea is a sensory experience. When mixed with boiling water, it gives a perfect blend of bitter and sweet and a smooth texture that will leave you wanting more. From its humble beginnings as a simple cacao business, this brand has grown to become one that can rival expensive European chocolates!
Surely there are a lot of choices for quality tablea in the Philippines. But if you want a fuss-free and budget-friendly choice, this tablea will be on the top of your list. Each tablet is created from roasted and fermented cacao beans that are harvested and manufactured in Davao City, the Cacao Capital of the Philippines.
For just 65 pesos, each pack already contains 10 tablets, which is good for 5 servings. With more than 6000 sold in Shopee, speaks for its quality for the fraction of the price. If you're looking for a one-stop-shop for all things cacao, Hao Cacao is the way to go! They offer cacao-infused spreads and chocolate bars as well as cocoa butter to moisturize the skin!
For those who own a bakeshop or a food business, you're accustomed to buying ingredients in bulk. Cacao Culture offers its unsweetened tablea in 1-kilogram bundles specifically for that purpose. The cocoa butter is not extracted, so you will experience the ultimate smoothness and richness of the chocolate.
The tablets are packaged in a resealable pouch to retain freshness. Just always make sure to seal the bag properly and store it in a cool and dry place, far from sunlight, to prolong the quality. If ever the tablets melt due to high temperature, place them in the refrigerator to solidify before using them for your drinks, champorado, and other delectable pastries.
With many accolades to its name and several nationwide and international certifications, this tablea from Rosario's prides itself in being rich in antioxidants and roasted to perfection. It has both sweetened and unsweetened variants with no artificial flavorings and preservatives.
Sourced from the foothills of Mount Apo in Davao City, this product truly showcases the best cacao beans in the region. You can taste the genuine raw chocolate flavor with notes of licorice and enjoy the smooth texture. Each pack has also been fermented and vacuum-stored to lock in the freshness and aroma. Now that's quite a guarantee of quality!
This tablea brand promises gluten-free and non-genetically modified organisms (GMO) cacao beans. Because the beans are minimally processed, you get much of the antioxidant benefits of the cacao bean. This is a truly healthy and sugar-free way to incorporate chocolate into your recipes. without giving up sweet cravings
For a little over 200 pesos, you can kick up your snacks and drinks a notch higher with 240 grams of vegan-friendly and ethically sourced chocolates. And since it comes in resealable packaging, you can keep the aroma and taste sealed in for as long as possible. Try this and give your desserts a rich, decadent flavor!
Guaranteed to be lactose-free and low in sugar, this exquisitely packed tablea will surely give you a healthier choice in the drinks department. It is made from premium cacao beans from Davao, so you can be assured that each tablea will elevate your chocolate experience with every cup.
The beans are carefully sourced, slow-roasted, and finely ground. The result is an intense row of tablea that gives a deep and smooth mouthfeel that you can sweeten to your taste. Give this product a try and enjoy that buttery-rich chocolate goodness in your snacks and drinks.
The local brand Dutche has been a staple on grocery shelves and home pantries for more than a decade; that's why you can never go wrong with any of their chocolate products, including the tablea. The sweetened tablea is ideal for people and kids who have a sweet tooth.
Because this tablea already contains sweetener, it makes preparation much easier! The recipe only needs one cup of water and one piece of tablea. If you want to add richness to your drink, use milk instead. However, be mindful of your intake because of the refined sugar and palm oil content. There is also a pure variant for those who are watching their sugar consumption.
Tablea takes about 10 to 15 minutes of preparation time from boiling the water, dissolving the tablets, and serving them. For your quick chocolate drink fix that tastes like home, this powdered tablea is truly ideal. It can be dissolved in hot or cold water, perfect for either a warm drink on chilly days or an iced thirst-quencher in the midst of scorching heat.
The cocoa powder is locally-sourced from Davao City's single-origin cacao beans. There are 12 sachets of sweetened powdered tablea that include 10 grams each. Moreover, it is Halal-certified, making it suitable for Islam. This powdered tablea will definitely be your family's choice when you try it!
Below are some of the most asked questions on the web answered by the mybest team.
Tablea is essentially grounded-up fermented and roasted cocoa beans that are shaped into tablets or discs, hence the name. Compared to European-style hot chocolates, tablea has more body to it, given that the entire cocoa bean is used, unlike the former, which often contains other fillers or additives.
They can be melted in water for a hot chocolate drink or sikwate in many regions, and they can also be added to baking recipes! The popular producers of tablea de cacao hail from Davao City, Batangas, and Cebu, but almost every region in the country cultivates their love for tablea by producing their own brands.
Yes, tablea is a healthier alternative to sweet and processed chocolate drinks you find in the supermarket, especially if you go for the unsweetened variant and limit the sugar and milk you will add. Drinking tablea is good for people who have high blood pressure due to the natural flavonoids which lower blood pressure and improve blood flow.
Tablea and dark chocolate are products of cacao beans but are different. Tablea is made by grinding, fermenting, and roasting pure cacao beans. Dark chocolates are also produced from powdered cacao beans but are mixed with milk, sugar, and cocoa butter. Although both can be used in cooking, tablea cannot be eaten as is, compared to dark chocolate.
There are a ton of ways to enjoy your tablea from the classic drink to incorporating it to different dishes, snacks, and baked goods. The possibilities are endless! It only takes a little creativity and a dash of tablea to satisfy your chocolate cravings. With that said, you'll probably need a few baking tools and equipment items to make your tablea treats!
Author: Aibel Ugay
Editor and Re-editor: R. Umlas, Patricia Catimpo
Our buying guide was carefully researched and crafted by the mybest team of writers and editors, in collaboration with the expert featured in this article. We used the buying guide as a basis for choosing and ranking the product recommendations, and we looked at reviews and ratings from different E-commerce sites like Lazada, Shopee, and more.
No. 1: Auro Chocolate|100% Cacao Unsweetened Tablea|350 g
No. 2: Malagos Chocolate|100% Premium Unsweetened Chocolate|153 g
No. 3: Argao Guilang|Premium Tableya|330 g
No. 4: Hao Cacao|100% Pure and Unsweetened Tablea|100 g
No. 5: Cacao Culture|Premium Chocolate Tablea (100% Pure, Unsweetened)|1 kg
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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