What is Ceremonial Cacao and How Do You Make it?

By Danielle HMarch 31, 2022

Ceremonial Cacao Drink

by Danielle Hoeksema

What is Ceremonial Grade Cacao?

if you are wanting to know if your cacao meets the criteria for ceremonial cacao, here are some tips:

The cacao should be whole cacao – not defatted powder that is typically sold commercially as cocoa. Cocoa powder is denatured and no longer a whole food.
The cacao should NOT be alkalized or Dutch-processed. Those processes (which are commonly used for chocolate bars and candies) make cacao unsuitable for cacao ceremony. You will not receive the benefits of cacao from a ceremony performed using alkalized or Dutch-process cacao.
The cacao should be 100% cacao or it should tell you the percentage of cacao it contains. This is important because you need to be able to calculate the total cacao you include per ceremonial drink.

Our ceremonial grade cacao is derived from an Australian company that sources the highest quality 100% pure Peruvian Criollo chocolate that is Sugar Free with no additives. It is shaved and packaged ready for ceremonial practice. Australian Certified Organic, Vegan and Gluten Free, it is the best quality cacao you can find, grown under the best conditions and handled and processed to the highest standards. That energetic quality matters to ceremony because the cacao carries the energies of the way it has been produced. And our cacao is always handled with the greatest respect. It is grown on a small-scale family farms and produced in small batches. We also ship every order ourselves personally.

How to Prepare a Ceremonial Cacao Drink

The most important factor for a beneficial cacao ceremony is ensuring the quality of the cacao you are using, but equally important is to set your intentions for the practice.

An Introduction to Ceremonial Cacao

When prepared and consumed correctly as part of ceremony, cacao can profoundly open our heart awareness. The benefits of living with greater awareness of the heart are many, including greater access to love, abundance and connection to source, self and others.

The physical benefits of ceremonial cacao practice include increased energy (and not short-lived like a coffee high, but an enduring energy for 3 to 5 hours), and increased focus, creativity and inspiration. You will have more blood flowing to your brain, so practices of yoga, meditation, sound healing can be beneficial afterwards.

Make sure to drink plenty of water and afterward eat dense foods to help ground the energy!

How to Prepare Ceremonial Cacao

Now that you know how to select quality cacao, here’s the recipe that we recommend. We recommend the chili/cayenne spice as it helps potentiate the cacao but it's possible to have a successful ceremony without it.

Ceremonial Cacao Drink

1 SERVING

10 MIN TO PREPARE DRINK

When prepared and consumed correctly as part of ceremony, cacao can profoundly open us to our hearts. The benefits of living with greater awareness of the heart are many, including greater access to love, abundance & connection.

ceremonial cacao drink with chili powder and sage

Ingredients

200 ml of water per person
20 grams / 2 tbsp per person cacao shavings
Pinch of chili/cayenne
Natural sweetener of your choice such as honey, agave syrup, cane sugar, etc. to taste. This is optional. It is not necessary to sweeten the cacao drink to benefit from the cacao in ceremony. But most people will find the drink more enjoyable this way.
Optionally, add cinnamon, cardamom, and/or vanilla to taste

Directions

Heat water with chili to just before a boil. It should be just too hot to the touch but not boiling

Add the cacao shavings

Add sweetening and spices to taste

Use a whisk to stir the brew until it's all the chunks are blended and you get a frothy top

It’s helpful to have a spoon or stirring stick to keep the consistency even as you consume. The cacao will settle at the bottom over time

Serve hot & enjoy!

Make Cacao a Part of your Everyday Ritual

Jump start your day with a cacao morning ritual. Brew up your morning energizer and try one of the following:

15 Minute Meditation

Gentle Yoga Flow

Journal on Intentions for the Day

Tips to maximize your experience (and avoid common pitfalls)

Until people are familiar with cacao ceremony, they may make some common mistakes that can reduce the effectiveness or result in unwanted effects. Below are four tips to help you avoid these common mistakes.

If you are new to drinking cacao, I highly recommend that stick to the 20 gram/ 2 tablespoon dose to begin. Wait about 45 minutes, then gauge how you feel. If you notice absolutely no stomach queasiness, you may proceed to drink more. The maximum ceremonial dose is 60 grams/ 6 tablespoons. Most people aren’t accustomed to consuming so much cacao all at once. Therefore, it is best to stick to the smaller dose.
Don’t mix your cacao with cow's milk (or soy). Many of us Westerners are accustomed to hot chocolate, chocolate milk, or milk chocolate that it seems natural to mix the cacao with milk or soy milk for that creaminess we’re accustomed to. But don’t do this! Milk and soy interfere with the absorption of the cacao, and that can dampen the effects. If you feel that you need some kind of added “milk”, consider coconut milk, which shouldn’t interfere with absorption as do milk and soy.
Eat lightly prior to consuming your ceremonial cacao drink. This will allow the cacao to absorb more fully and not dampen the effects. No need to fast, just don't drink it on a full stomach. Also, be sure to drink plenty of water as you go and then eat dense foods at the end to ground the energy.
Cacao, being the strong bitter it is, can stimulate the liver to detox. It is mildly laxative in higher doses. Those needing dietary detox or those on a clean or raw diet, take less the first time and see how it feels. Some folks may get nausea or mild headache 5-6 hours later even going slowly, so consider going easy at first.