Tanzanian Ceremonial Cacao

Ceremonial cacao is not a grade or a certification — it is a way of making. The whole bean is fermented, dried, roasted gently, peeled and stone-ground to a paste, then set into blocks with nothing removed and nothing added. No sugar, no milk solids, and crucially none of the butter pressed out. That last part is the whole difference from cocoa powder, which is what is left after the fat has been taken away for chocolate making. Keep the butter and you keep the body, the slow release and the richness.

Ours is Tanzanian, from Ancient Wisdom. In 250g, 500g and 1kg blocks.

Why it is called ceremonial

Because it has been drunk that way for some three thousand years. The Olmec, Maya and Mexica prepared cacao as a bitter drink for births, marriages, funerals, negotiations and offerings — the Maya word kakaw appears on vessels buried with people who mattered, and the Mexica used the beans as currency as well as drink. It was served whisked to a foam, spiced with chilli or vanilla or annatto, and it was for occasions rather than for Tuesdays. What travelled to Europe in the sixteenth century was the bean; what stayed behind was the practice.

The modern cacao ceremony borrows from that lineage rather than continuing it unbroken, and it is worth being honest about the difference. What is shared is the form: cacao prepared with attention, drunk together, with something else going on around it.

What a cacao ceremony usually involves

There is no single script, but most follow a similar shape. People gather in a circle. The cacao is prepared in front of everyone rather than handed out ready-made — chopped or grated, whisked into hot water, sweetened or spiced by the facilitator. It is served in a cup held with both hands. There is usually a pause before anyone drinks: an intention spoken aloud or held quietly, a word of thanks to the plant and the people who grew it.

Then it is drunk slowly, and the next hour or two is given to something — breathwork, movement, drumming, journalling, meditation, or simply talking in a circle where people take turns. Ceremonies typically run two to four hours. Cacao contains theobromine and a little caffeine, so it is warming and gently stimulating rather than sedating, which is why most sittings happen in the morning or afternoon rather than late at night.

Making a cup at home

Chop or grate 20–40g per cup. Whisk into hot — not boiling — water until it emulsifies and foams. Sweeten to taste; a pinch of salt, cinnamon, chilli or cardamom all belong. It is genuinely bitter without sweetening, so start with a little and adjust.

Cacao is rich in theobromine. If you take antidepressants, heart medication or anything your doctor has told you to keep away from stimulants, speak to them before drinking it in ceremonial quantities. It is also not for dogs.