What makes cacao “ceremonial?”
While there is no official “ceremonial-grade” certification (and that label can actually be misused beyond cacao in our green-washed society), there are several practices that are understood to be foundational when working with this beautiful plant medicine. This is a list that I have compiled:
The source of the cacao comes from heirloom strains (indicated with * below) which yield high-vibrational, nutrient-rich cacao fruit that help support soil regeneration efforts
The plants are grown in agroforestry systems instead of mono-cropped fields, which creates ideal tree shading, diversity of the land, diversity of species living there, and no need for toxic pesticides and fertilizers
Deep roots give this naturally organic, heirloom cacao access to sections of the soil with higher nutrient levels, the ability to intermingle with other plants’ root systems, and less risk of heavy metal absorption (which tends to linger on the surface of the soil)
Cacao is sourced from farms which honor the needs of their workers through providing both a beyond-fair living wage and good working conditions
Minimal, often traditionally-practiced processing and no additives
Attention to the energy being offered by everyone involved in the process from pod to cacao mass/block
A bit more…
New trees take about 2-5 years to start giving fruit. A cacao pod usually takes about six months to develop, yielding approximately 20-50 beans, at roughly 1g per bean. How miraculous that one cacao pod provides us a meditation (28g) to a ceremonial dose (40g) of this beautiful medicine!
Prior to the Spanish invasion, there were just two main categories of cacao, Criollo and Forastero. Legend has it that in the early 1700s on the island of Trinidad there was a natural devastation of the existing Criollo trees and so Forastero trees were planted. A new cross-pollinated variety—Trinitario—was born. While those are the main three categories, we are now aware of over 20 different varieties of Cacao.
The Main Cacao Varieties:
*CRIOLLO: “from the land” in Spanish. These heirloom strains from Mesoamerica are the most sought after and comprise roughly 5-10% of the world’s cacao. High vibration, delicate flavor, fragile and sensitive to weather.
FORASTERO: “foreigner” or “stranger” in Spanish. Native to South America and common now in Africa, this variety makes up 80% of the world’s cacao production. Hardier and more bitter than Criollo.
*TRINITARIO: Cross-pollination between Forestero and Criollo trees. Mainly found in Brazil, Mexico, Cameroon, Venezuela, the West Indies and Madagascar.
*ARRIBA NACIONAL: high-quality, heirloom strain only grown in Ecuador
CCN-57: Mono-cropped, GM strain grown in Ecuador. Provides four times as much fruit as Arriba Nacional and is much hardier. Terribly bitter.
Want to learn more?
Check out my Cacao is Love page for nutritional information, sacred cacao as a meditative ally, preparation steps, and trusted sources from which to purchase.