How to Prepare Your Ceremonial Cacao

PREPARATION

Traditionally, cacao was served as a bitter, hot, spicy, foamy drink.

The Mayans and Aztecs melted the cacao, added water and spices, poured it multiple times between vases to achieve desired consistency, and used a molinillo (whisk) to create a layer of foam on the top.

We now have modern kitchen tools to replicate this process with a little more ease and efficiency, though we still recommend you take your time to prepare your cacao - this ain't no instant hot chocolate, folks!

Whatever tool you choose, it is essential you blend your cacao. We’ve written about our fav tools to use in the below instructions, and we’ve elaborated on this further in this blog post.

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbps Soma Cacao
150 ml very hot water
40 ml milk (we like oat milk)
1-2 tsps sweetener (e.g. honey, coconut sugar, maple syrup)
Pinch salt (this rounds out the bitterness)
Spices (optional). (e.g. cinnamon, cardamon, more suggestions can be found in this Instagram post).

See it in action here.
1. Add your ingredients (as listed above) straight to the milk frother. We use this Sunbeam one.
2. Press “foam”.
3. Wait while the milk frother blends, foams and heats your cacao all at once!
4. Pour into your favourite cup or mug. Inhale the aroma, sip slowly, and savour!
Best for preparing cacao for groups, or if you have a little more time on your hands.
1. Grab a small saucepan or Turkish teapot (preferably with a spout).
2. Add your cacao (1, 2 or 3 tablespoons per serve), sweetener (to taste), spices (optional), 150ml water, and 40ml plant milk of your choice.
3. Warm on low heat, stirring continuously, making sure the cacao completely melts. Do not let it come to a boil, this may cause the cocoa butter to split from the cocoa solids, and will reduce the essential mineral and theobromine content.
4. Blend with a hand-held blender, or whisk up manually like the Mayans did to make it frothy!
5. Pour into your favourite cup or mug.
6. Optional but highly recommended: take a moment to check in with your body and mind, contemplate all that you feel grateful for in this very moment, and set an intention for your day before moving onto step 7 :).
7. Inhale, sip slowly, and savour.

See it in action here.
1. Add all ingredients to a heat-proof blender, nutribullet, or a beaker/vessel if using a hand-held stick blender. (We use our portable Soma Cacao blender).
2. Blend thoroughly.
3. Pour into your favourite cup or mug.
4. Inhale, sip slowly, and savour!
1. TOO MUCH LIQUID
If in doubt, always start with LESS liquid and add more if your cacao is too thick. The cacao should taste and feel decadent and rich, not watery like a tea. Our favourite ratio of water:plant milk is about 2:1.
2. NOT BLENDING YOUR CACAO
We can’t stress enough how much of a game changer it is to blend your cacao. Whole bean cacao, unlike a powdered version, is not soluble in water, so it needs some kinesthetic action to make the magic happen. Just like coffee, where you generally need tools (e.g. at the very least, a coffee plunger), we do urge you to have the right equipment to make the most of your cacao. Our very own Soma Cacao Portable Blender works perfectly :)
3. USING THE WRONG MILK
While we recommend predominantly using water, we suggest adding a little bit of milk to round out the flavour of your cacao drink. The best option by far, in our opinion, is a good quality oat milk.
We’ve tried alot of different brands and one stands out way above the rest: @thealternativedairyco.
If you are a celiac or prefer other plant milks, the next best options are coconut milk and macadamia nut milk. Almond milk is also ok though we feel it interferes with the flavour of the cacao a little too much.
Avoid soy milk and dairy milk, as these definitely interfere with the flavour, and, potentially the beneficial properties of the cacao.