How to work with your cacao at home:

Where it comes from: The Cacao is sourced from a Peruvian co-operative, which was founded in 1998 to preserve traditional methods of harvesting, working with small farmers to cultivate, process and market their products in accordance with the Soil Association’s organic standard. Their five founding principles are:

1) Quality over quantity

2) Supporting Andean mega-biodiversity, not homogenisation

3) Promoting organic methods of production

4) Fair income distribution among the people participating as suppliers, transformers and traders

5) Social responsibility, following the principles of Fair Trade

The co-op works alongside the small farmers, generating employment for the local community and offering training and financial support to encourage indigenous entrepreneurship, thus raising the living standards of small farmers and sustainably increasing crop yields.

Dosage:

Different dosages may have different effects on you on different days, so start slowly, tune in and listen to your body’s wisdom. I work with these guidelines:

10g-20g is a microdose.

20-30g medium to strong dose.

30-40g experienced dose.

I would certainly start low and build up your personal knowledge of how she works with you.

Ingredients (all organic, where possible)

Ceremonial grade cacao
Pinch of sea salt
1-2 dates (I would use two if you aren’t adding a thickener). Soak them in boiling water and chop finely if not using a blender.
½ tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Turmeric (sometimes I add black pepper instead)
½ tsp Nutmeg
Pinch of Cayenne pepper
Cashews or coconut oil (for thickness)

Preparation

Set your intention for drinking the cacao. Then weigh out the amount you want on digital scales. Chop it finely with a knife so it is almost powder, you can pray into it whilst you do this. I find the chopping/grating very meditative.
Measure out approximately 200-300ml of purified water. Pour it in a small pan. Add the Cacao and other ingredients. Heat to simmering but don’t allow it to boil. Stay with the cacao, stirring it gently.
After it has been simmering for about 6 minutes you can pour it into a blender and blitz for 1 minute. This will smooth out the dates and add frothy foam to the top.
Pour into your favourite mug.
Light a candle and sit with the cacao in front of your heart. Breath it in. Use a tea spoon to stir your intention in clockwise and sip consciously. Drink slowly and feel the cacao connecting with your system. Bliss.

Top Tips:

The more coconut oil you use, the thicker it will be. It will also slow the rate at which you feel the effects. This is particularly helpful if you are very sensitive to caffeine.
Cacao is great for detoxing. Make sure you drink lots of water before the cacao and several hours after. It will flush the toxins through. If you get a headache, it’s a sign the toxins are stuck in your body so stay hydrated to flush them out. Don't drink water with the cacao or for about 30 minutes after your first sip or you’ll flush it through your system too fast.
Keep your diet clean before and after working with cacao, especially stronger doses. Plant based is fab.
Pay attention to your dreams, intuition and inner thoughts after working with cacao.
It is perfectly safe to drink whilst breastfeeding or pregnant.
Don’t consume dairy and avoid caffeine on days you have cacao.

Guidance:

Find a special/sacred place to drink your Cacao, working with an intention as you drink is powerful. It can take up to 20-30 minutes to begin to work, so go slowly if you are starting out with smaller doses, it can creep up on you.

Warnings:

*If you are on antidepressants or antipsychotics please take a microdose amount, 5-10g, especially if on a high dose of medication and monitor yourself, gradually build up the Cacao over a period of weeks if you feel no effects. Taking too much Cacao can result in painful headaches or Migraines. If this happens drink lots and lots of water to dilute the medicine in your system and rest.

*Ceremonial cacao can kill dogs, cats, parrots, and horses, who genetically lack the enzyme that metabolically processes the theobromine in cacao.

*People with a heart condition, where a 20% increase in heart rate would be a medical emergency, should drink less of this cacao while they monitor its effect on their heart rate. However, it does lower blood pressure (cacao is a vasodilator), if your pressure is high. Many people, including myself, have had no problem with low blood pressure and Cacao.

Shelf Life:

Cacao will last for you to two years. You can freeze it as well, but let it return to room temperature before you start working with it. I recommend keeping it in a glass jar or BPA free tupperware. Cacao loves crystals so if you want to create a little cacao altar with crystals around your jar, all the better.