What is ceremonial cacao?

It's a piece of unbroken chocolate known as ceremonial cacao. It is a process in which the cocoa beans have been fermented, dried, roasted, won, snowed, and then reconstituted into pastes. To safeguard all the potential health benefits of cocoa it is processed minimally.

Read about the tablea.

The roasting process is carried out at low temperatures, and the conching and tempering processes are excluded. Compared to ordinary chocolate, roasts take place at very low temperatures. The process shall stop when the cocoa nibs have been converted to chocolate mass, which is roughly formed into a thick block.

The term Ceremonial Cacao is used to imitate some of the spiritual practices of the Mayans and the Aztecs. Cocoa drinks had traditionally been applied for a wide range of ceremonies celebrating life, ranging from birthdays and weddings to battles in honor of the gods. People are using these practices so that, in the 21st century, they can strengthen the mind, body, and spirit to create new avenues of creativity. 

I would describe the heat from that fiery drink as relaxation and nourishment.

Cacao helps us find our way inside, connect with our hearts, discover patterns, develop the feeling of self-love, awaken consciousness, and support each other on this road to a better life. It's not creating something that doesn't exist, but it's a catalyst for these processes. To help broaden understanding and awareness, it's known as the "heart opening" medicine.

It can be difficult to differentiate between intention and expectations, but these differences are essential in the healing process. An open attitude that gives you a chance to reflect on your situation and try not to rush into fixing it. There's often a magic going on between the lines. 

Process of making ceremonial cacao

The ceremonial drink is prepared in a few simple steps: a piece of cocoa is cut into thin shavings - that’s how I read it’s done, but I don’t see the point in it. We call it premeditation, don't we? But I'd hate to have a metal getting in contact with cocoa. In a blender, these particles are mixed with water. Probably the Aztecs didn't use a blender, which is why this European ceremony has raised questions in my mind.

But let’s return to the benefits of cacao so that everyone can choose for themselves how to act in their lives. The ingredients of ceremonial cacao are healthy and spiritual, which is why they often include spices like cayenne pepper, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, spirulina, or turmeric. 

Depending on what you want to achieve, relax or surge of energy. 

It is also recommended to use naturally occurring sweetening substances like agave, honey, or maple syrup. But for a butterscotch flavor, I'm fond of the Philippines recipe with sugarcane sugar.

The Secret Ingredient: Intention.

It's not in the kitchen that the final ingredient in ceremonial cacao is found, but it's the most important: the intention behind it. Several purposes associated with the ceremonial consumption of cacao are meditation, enlightenment, psychic healing, mindfulness, connection, and celebration.

Let's figure out what makes cocoa ceremonial: 

1. This is pure cacao paste. (for example, cacao powder, non-ceremonial like ready-made dark chocolate). 

2. There are no special varieties, origins, or processing steps that make cocoa ceremonial. It's the heart that matters most at this ceremony. The peaceful, open, elevated physical and mental state in which cocoa ceremonies take place.

3. It's sugar in very small quantities. It is the sweetness of sugar that dulls the true taste of cocoa. But if your heart is looking for sweetness, you cannot deny it. 

There were some qualities to ancient cocoa drinks. Although they were often flavored with herbs from their native regions, each of which carried a specific ceremonial role, there was no sugar in them.

4. Organic cacao. It may be detrimental and therefore unfit for consumption, to eat cocoa produced by artificial fertilizers or genetically modified organisms.

If you want to learn more, do your research and experiment with the whole batch of cacao to get a sense of "ceremonial" or not.

Ceremonial cacao makes you feel. For example, that's an alarming phrase on a package of 100% pure ceremonial cacao. The term 'ceremonial variety' is not defined by any particular standards. At the end of the day, you don't have to have a ceremonial grade of cacao to perform a ceremony for yourself. The cacao is just a tool to facilitate the ceremonial journey.

You're stirring the feelings of love and expansion in your mind and body. It is the main thing that nature provides for us to live and enjoy. We're honoring the earth and our plants for what they gave us. A cacao ceremony is just a small part of life and it's expensive.

Cacao, for instance, has been known to open the heart powerfully, and pairing it with roses which have been associated with love, healing, and compassion is said to have an even more powerful effect. 

My Philippine cacao ceremony with the sea surf is bearing fruit. The smell that's hanging from the air. I gulp it.