Cocoa is the dried and fully fermented fatty seed of the cacao tree, from which chocolate is made. The word "cocoa" is derivative of "cacao". "Cocoa" can often also refer to the drink commonly known as hot chocolate; to cocoa powder, the dry powder made by grinding cocoa seeds and removing the cocoa butter from the dark, bitter cocoa solids; or to a mixture of cocoa powder and cocoa butter.

There are two main types of cocoa powder. Natural cocoa powder  is  very strong, slightly acidic, and very dark. Dutched cocoa powder or Dutch cocoa is produced by adding an alkali to the press cake to mellow the flavor and make the color less intense. Dutch cocoa is alkalized to remove the natural acidity.

Cocoa powder is essentially used as flavor in biscuits, ice cream, dairy drinks and cakes. Apart its use as flavor it is also used in the manufacture of coatings for confectioners or frozen desserts. Cocoa powder is also consumed by the beverage industry for example for the preparation of chocolate milk.

Chocolate and cocoa contain a high level of flavonoids, specifically epicatechin, which may have beneficial cardiovascular effects on health. The ingestion of flavonol-rich cocoa is associated with acute elevation of circulating nitric oxide, enhanced flow-mediated vasodilation, and augmented microcirculation.Studies have  found short term benefits in LDL cholesterol levels from dark chocolate consumption.