Karkar Island Ceremonial Cacao
UPDATE 3 MAY 2024: We are temporarily just about out of stock of our Karkar Island cacao, but will have more available for you all by Wednesday 8 May. Thank you for your understanding and patience :)
Ingredients: 100% Pure Whole-Bean Cacao Paste (solidified)
On a remote, tropical, volcanic island off the coast of Papua New Guinea grows some of the most highly prized cacao in the world. It is from here that we’ve sourced more award-winning cacao to add to our Soma Cacao repertoire. The rich lava soil provides fertile ground for highly potent cacao to grow with ease.
Our Karkar Island Cacao has won multiple awards, including winning a Silver Medal at the 2018 Australian Fine Food Awards in its chocolate form, and it also won Silver at Papua New Guinea’s highly competitive inaugural Cocoa Show - Cocow Warwagira, out of more than 80 cocoa samples from across the country.
Like fine wine and coffee, the quality of cacao varies according to the soil, climate, genetics, and post-havest processes. Our commitment to single origin cacao ensures the unique flavour profile of each region remains intact.
Your cacao will come as solidified cacao paste, which we have shaved up so it is “ready-to-scoop” for your convenience. We then place it in our stand-up pouches, and send it to you using a biodegradable mailer or recyclable packaging box.
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The Mayans called cacao “the food of the gods”. Along with its rich history of ritualistic and medicinal use, cacao’s crown jewel is theobromine: a gentle, long lasting stimulant that energises us like caffeine, without punishing us with brain-fog and jittery hands later in the day. It’s also rich in essential minerals and produces mood-boosting bioactive compounds - dopamine, serotonin, anandamide (the 'bliss molecule') and P.E.A, an antidepressant also known as the 'love drug'.
For more health benefits including scientific sources, visit our cacao benefits page.
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Ingredients (serves one)
Soma Cacao: 1 tablespoon (10-15g) for a small daily dose or nightcap, 2 tablespoons (25-30g) for a boost of focus and creativity, or 3 tablespoons (45g+) for a ceremonial dose
150 ml very hot water (about 70 degrees celsius if you want to be really forensic!) +
40 ml of plant milk (we like using good quality oat milk) +
1-2 teaspoons of sweetener (honey, or coconut sugar are our favs) +
Optional spices. (e.g. cinnamon, cardamon, sea salt, cayenne pepper, ginger, nutmeg)
Method:
Add all ingredients to a heat-proof blender, nutribullet, or a beaker/vessel if using a hand-held stick blender like this one.
Blend thoroughly, and pour into your favourite mug.
Inhale, sip slowly, and savour!
For other methods and more tips and tricks visit our preparation page.
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Cacao powder is to cacao what instant coffee is to an espresso - a poor imitation.
To make our cacao paste the fruits of the theobroma cacao tree are hand-picked, fermented, sun-dried, roasted lightly and ground up into a paste. The paste sets, we chop it. Then we share it with you.
Cacao powder (or cocoa powder) has undergone intensive processing to extract cacao butter from the paste. This leaves the cacao chalkier and more insipid, and also reduces the fat content, which is vital for the transmission of the neuro-active substances. Studies have proven the widely used method to produce cocoa powder (dutch-processing) significantly decreases the levels of compounds with positive physiological effects.
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As an energy source cacao feels more gentle, long-lasting and smooth, while coffee is intense, fast-acting and short-lived. This is because caffeine is a nervous system stimulant, and it produces cortisol, the stress hormone, which can lead to the jitters and anxiety. By contrast, cacao's active ingredient, theobromine, reduces cortisol. This helps us to relax. Cacao also stimulates the cardiovascular system, and opens our blood vessels. This helps blood flow more freely, sends more oxygen through the body, and lowers our blood pressure. We’ve elaborated on this in a recent blog post.
