cocoa

This term refers to the various stages of the cacao product, from the raw seed to the processed powder and the final beverage. While often used interchangeably with cacao in casual speech, cocoa specifically denotes the processed form where the bean has been roasted and the cocoa butter partially removed. As a noun, it functions as an uncountable mass noun when referring to the powder or the liquid drink. When referring to the individual seeds of the tree, it is treated as a countable noun, though it is more common to use the phrase cocoa beans in this context.