Calling all chocoholics: Cocoa bean opinions, please!

I started eating chocolate nibs and worked my way up to cacao (cocoa) beans in the last two weeks.  Considering the calorie cost of nuts and beans and chocolate generally, I can hardly believe they are as low cal as the package label indicates: about 130 cal per oz, maybe 10-15 per bean.  Am I off on my per bean estimate?  Are they really as good for you as the label indicates?

 The brand I'm consuming at the rate of 5-7 beans per day is Navitas, obtained from Whole Foods.  They're not cheap, but neither is a pound of chocolate candy.   The advantages: I won't eat a pound of these, and, surprisingly, I like them maybe as well as or better than candy.  They are certainly bitter and very crunchy and have a somewhat chewy "coat" or hull.  That doesn't sound appealing and may not work for most people, but it does for me.

 Can anybody reassure me that I'm not totally off the trolley with cocoa beans?

Dark chocolate gets a lot of attention and deservedly but Ive read that cocoa powder is higher in antioxidents because it is less processed.  HERE is a link to the USDA where they clarify, "Cocoa powder contains more beneficial antioxidants than other chocolate products, but processing decreases their contents."  Im thinking eating the beans straight is as unprocessed as you can get!

Theres also studies supporting the flavinols (antioxidents) derived from cocoa beans helps decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke. 

I had always heard that cocoa beans were to bitter to eat straight but you are very fortunate to like them. 

Thanks, sun123.  I checked out the links and I feel better about eating the beans daily now.  I do like them that much and can certainly benefit from the health effects they have, since blood pressure is already an issue for me and atheriosclerosis  and diabetes always lurk around the corner for a person my size and age.  I admit I started eating them to find out whether they would be a reasonable substitute for sugary chocolate favorites, especially candy.  For me, they are, and you are right:  I'm lucky I like the taste and mouth texture, yet not to the point of overindulgence.

Update: I mailed a package of cacao beans to my sister, Lizzy, and she got them today, then called to say she liked them, too. She like the crunchiness and the multiple flavors that seem to emerge, like butter, chocolate, wine.

This all reminds me of "South Pacific's" Bloody Mary. Didn't she spend a lot of time munching on Lychee nuts?

I've heard of choco nibs, but not sure what they are. 

I'm also not sure when I see choco covered coffee beans...do you grind like coffee, or eat the bean as if it were a nut? 

Some foods....I have no idea what they are, or how they should be consumed.  These stores might sell more product if they took the mystery out. 

Cocoa nibs are pieces of the "bean/nut" that chocolate is made from. Chocolate is essentially ground cocoa nibs with sugar and usually some milk. Chocolate covered espresso beans are just that. A coffee bean, whole, covered in chocolate.

It's a while later and I still like raw cocoa beans, but I admit nibs are easier to take.  The whole bean really is quite strong, and you can buy them skinless or not; the skins do complicate the mouth feel experience, and I don't always like that, which is why I prefer the nibs at times.  

I binged on ice cream recently, though I tend usually to resist the stuff pretty well, so today I added a T of dry unsweetened cocoa powder to a cup of Fit & Lively vanilla yogurt along w a t of natural chunky peanut butter.  I liked it a lot, and it made a reasonable substitute if ice cream becomes a craving as summer progresses.  (I am a sweets craver, so it's an  issue)

The point of this is to mention that I checked out cocoa powder in the CC foods list, and it gets an A rating with fantastic nutritional benefits and surprising low in calories.

I will try to work it into my diet more frequently, I think.  And I do recommend going for high quality on all cocoa products:  avoid dutched cocoa for sure, and don't be afraid of the health food store or internet prices.  You're worth it!