Pure 100% Ceremonial Cacao
Boundless Belize
Dive deep into personal inquiry with this magical drinking chocolate grown amidst rainforests that cover ancient Mayan pyramids. Peel back the layers of your boundless self with meditation, ritual and self inquiry as you drink this pure ceremonial cacao coming straight from three hundred indigenous Q'eqchi' and Mopan Maya families in southern Belize.
This ceremonial cacao comes from 300 small (1-5 acre) organic family farms in the foothills of southern Belize. 75% of our farming families are indigenous Q’eqchi’ and Mopan Maya, and they grow their pure raw cacao with deep respect and understanding of the local ecology. We've invested in a permaculture demonstration farm here to pioneer innovative agroforestry techniques, advance cacao cultivation in the region, and propagate heirloom seedlings. This is the first cacao we used for ceremonial purposes. This cacao has an heirloom designation by the Heirloom Cacao Project , and is produced by Maya Mountain Cacao.
TOP 4 REASONS TO DRINK CACAO
UPLIFT - neuromodulators in cacao support a stable and elevated mood.
ENERGIZE - theobromine gently energizes and helps with coffee reduction or replacement.
NOURISH - high mineral density in cacao replenishes deficiencies.
RITUAL - cacao ceremony begins with mindfulness, gratitude, and intention.
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Ingredients
Organic Cacao Beans from Belize
Mood
Expansive, Expressive, Magical
Best For
Meditation and Creativity
Flavor Profile
Flavor Profile
Amaretto, Manchego, Nutmeg (these are tasting notes, not ingredients)
VOLUME DISCOUNTS
Mix & match any of our cacaos. Automatic discounts applied in cart for 3 or more one pound bags or 2 or more five pound bags.
Join over 45,000 customers who love and trust Ora Cacao!
Journey with Us to the Source ...
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A cacao ceremony in a historic cave above the cacao grove
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Learning about Martin's relationship with the forest
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Being welcomed to Belize with burning copal incense
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A cut test to assess the fermentation level of the harvested beans
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Metric tons purchased
27
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Peak Harvest Time
MARCH TO MAY
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Acres of Cacao
983
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Organic Farmers
7
Preparing Your Cacao
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Step 1
Combine about 25 cacao discs with a touch of sweetener (or drink pure).
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Step 2
Add 3/4 cup (6oz) hot water, tea, or mylk (~180F).
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Step 3
Use a blender or electric frother to mix for 10 seconds.
Ethical Trade Regenerative Agroforestry USDA Organic Sugar-Free Third Party Metals Tested Vegan & Keto GMO-Free & Soy-Free
Ethical Trade Regenerative Agroforestry USDA Organic Sugar-Free Third Party Metals Tested Vegan & Keto GMO-Free & Soy-Free
Answers to Frequent Health Questions
What are the Nutrition Facts?
What are the Nutrition Facts?
Is Your Cacao Tested for Heavy Metals?
Is Your Cacao Tested for Heavy Metals?
Yes! We take heavy metals in cacao very seriously and have been testing long before the recent media attention on the topic.
All of our cacao has no detectable levels of lead. Lead is a post harvest contaminant that is introduced onto cacao beans through air and soils pollution. Since we source from remote and pristine regions with exacting standards, we have never had any presence of lead in our cacao tests.
All of our cacao also tests well below the legal limits for cadmium. Cadmium is present in many soils and impacts much of the food that we eat. Even if you were to consume cacao daily and it had the legal limit of cadmium in it, experts estimate that is would contribute at most 10% of your daily cadmium intake that comes from other grains and vegetables.
We've been talking with people daily to assure them that they will not die from heavy metals poisoning because of their love of chocolate. We strongly believe big chocolate needs to be held accountable for poor quality of their products. We're also disappointed that a lot of the recent media didn't contextualize the many cadmium sources people have in their diets (not just cacao), and that there are very large factors of safety that are used to determine the legal limits.
Here's a good third party perspective on the topic: https://arstechnica.com/health/2023/11/despite-spooky-consumer-reports-testing-metals-in-chocolates-arent-scary/
Is Cacao A Stiumulant?
Is Cacao A Stiumulant?
We’ve tested our cacao and it has 36 mg of caffeine per 1 oz serving, or about 1/3 of what a regular cup of coffee has. It sounds like a lot, but 1mg of caffeine in cacao is not equivalent to 1mg of caffeine in coffee, because cacao has many other compounds that balance and down-regulate the caffeine.
The primarily stimulant molecule in cacao is actually theobromine. Ora Cacao has 212mg theobromine per 1oz serving. Theobromine is a mild cardiac stimulant, and differs molecularly from caffeine which is a nervous system stimulant. Theobromine gives a long lasting, gentle, embodied energy without any sort of jitters or crash, even for sensitive people. Overall, theobromine is only about one quarter as stimulating as caffeine, and it has a much longer half life in the liver, meaning that it's effect on the body is softer and longer for sustained energy.
Theobromine is also a vasodilator (it relaxes blood vessels), so it has a neutral effect on blood pressure. The improved circulation from cacao is excellent for cardiac health, and improves absorption of the nutrients in cacao and superfoods that it is paired with.
Ceremonial cacao is a great coffee replacement because it offers a grounded energy boost without the jitters and crash. You can fully or partially substitute your cup of coffee with a cup of cacao. If you are new to cacao we recommend drinking it before 2pm so that the stimulant effect has time to clear before you need to sleep.
How Does Cacao Affect Mood?
How Does Cacao Affect Mood?
In the long term, regularly working with ceremonial cacao can have therapeutic health benefits that include creating new neural pathways that change our daily experience to include more joy, love, and connection.
That's because cacao is full of beneficial neurotransmitters and neuro-modulators. It also contains reuptake inhibitors that block the pathways that our bodies normally use to break down and recycle these beneficial mood altering molecules, so the good mood lasts for longer.
Some of the top mood altering molecules in cacao include:
Anandamide is commonly referred to as the bliss molecule, and is associated with the runner’s high effect.
Phenylethylamine (PEA) gives the perception of time slowing down, and helps with excitement, alertness, attention.
Norepinephrine is commonly referred to as the joy molecule. It is both a neurotransmitter and a hormone.
Serotonin - Helps with wellbeing, and creates resistance to stress. Cacao also has MOA inhibitors that inhibit reuptake of serotonin.
Dopamine - Gives feelings of motivation and pleasure. Cacao also has MOA inhibitors that inhibit reuptake of dopamine.
Due to these molecules and many others, when you drink ceremonial cacao you may feel expansive, blissful, connected to self and/or others, inspired, connected to your intuition & vision, connected to spirit, grounded, you may have emotions arise, and you may experience the movement of stuck energy. Gives the perception of time slowing down.
What Minerals Does Cacao Have?
What Minerals Does Cacao Have?
Consuming cacao can replenish minerals vital to our body. Magnesium is chronically deficient in the majority of western diets, and cacao is the highest naturally occurring source. Magnesium is used in all key brain functions, especially memory and concentration. It is also beneficial for the function of the heart, acting to relax blood vessels and decrease strain. Besides magnesium, cacao is also the highest naturally occurring source of chromium, and also high in copper, calcium, manganese, zinc, sulfur, iron, and phosphorus.
Are there any Contradindications?
Are there any Contradindications?
Cacao is contraindicated with SSRIs. Unfortunately that means many people struggling with depression and other mental illnesses cannot take cacao because of the SSRI’s they are medicating with. There is potential that people may be able to partially reduce their SSRI medication intake and supplement with ceremonial cacao, however medical studies on this need to be done to establish a verifiable protocol.
Besides this, we highly recommend being well hydrated before, during, and after drinking cacao.
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Not sure where to start with cacao?
That's okay, you can try them all! Our best selling pure ceremonial cacao kit allows you to try all four of our 100% single origin cacaos!