We recently invited everyone to ask us anything about cacao. 

Yup, ask Firefly anything!

We’ve had some AMAZING questions come in.

Below, we answer the first batch, which covers:

• How To Prepare Cacao For Health Versus Emotional/Spiritual Development
• Cacao Shelf Life & Storage Tips

P.S. If you missed the blog describing the "Ask Us Anything" announcement, please click here.

You can anonymously send us more questions anytime by directly clicking this form here! We are grateful to be in communication with you!

Q&A #1 - Spiritual Versus Emotional Development

Question

My understanding is that cacao's two major benefits are physical nourishment/nutrition, and spiritual/emotional calmness and development. Are there different ways/circumstances under which to prepare or drink the cacao if you're looking for one particular benefit more than another? 

Answer

We believe that the biggest benefits of cacao fall under three main categories: health, energy, and spirituality. Let’s focus on Health and Spirituality/Emotions, as per your question. 

Health: The good news is that you will likely receive major health benefits even if you are using cacao for other intentions. There is no specific way you need to prepare it besides ensuring that the liquid you use to prepare your cacao is between 160-180F (not boiling). 

You can think of cacao as a daily health ritual. Even if you are not making a full cup, you can take a microdose (1-4 discs) each day and know that you are boosting brain health and heart health, reducing inflammation, protecting yourself from chronic degenerative diseases, supplying yourself with an abundance of healthy minerals, and much more.

For health purposes, it’s important that you listen to your body and adjust your dosage accordingly. Some days, you might only need a disc or two (either in a drink or simply to melt on your tongue and savor after a meal). Other days, you might be guided to have a full cup. And some days, especially when you are sick, you might simply need a day off! That’s totally fine.

The greatest health benefits will generally be received when you drink on an empty stomach, as that allows for the greatest absorption. For that reason, the greatest health benefits usually come by way of a morning ritual.

Just make sure you are drinking plenty of water before and after your ritual, always, and continue to live a healthy holistic lifestyle with good food, exercise, sleep, water, and gratitude!

Spiritual/Emotional Development: For spiritual/emotional development and calmness, we recommend combining cacao with your current practices such as prayer, meditation, yoga, journaling, or other energy modalities.

If you don’t have a current practice with any of those, it will be a powerful time to start one!

The greatest spiritual benefits happen when you start developing a relationship with cacao. Talk to it like a friend. Ask it questions. Surrender. Be humble. Listen intently. Trust it. Appreciate it. Give back as much as you ask.

The most important part is that you develop your own rituals with cacao that uniquely help YOU develop spiritually and emotionally.
Cacao is very accessible, as compared to ayahuasca or other plant medicines, meaning that cacao can be used daily while you live your normal life. Whereas ayahuasca, for example, typically requires a large investment of time, money, and travel; and the effects of ayahuasca can leave you unable to operate normally (and sometimes can take longer to recover from).

Additionally, read up on the history of cacao and learn how other cultures related to it for rituals, healing, and celebration.

And tap into the power of community by connecting with other cacao lovers around the world. Ask them how they are using it for spiritual growth and soon you will have your own special way of spiritual/emotional development too.

Last, but not least, check out our blog earlier this year on how cacao helps you access your emotions. That should be helpful too.

Q&A #2 - Cacao Shelflife & Storage Tips

Question

Do the cacao discs have an expiration date? And what is the best way to store your cacao discs: fridge or cool storage closet?

Answer

Firefly cacao has an exceptionally long shelf life of two years. To store it for the longest time, it is very important to keep your cacao out of direct sunlight and below 75* F, as you would do with any whole perishable food.

A cool storage closet is best. It is generally not necessary to refrigerate, as this may actually cause moisture inside the bag of cacao, which can significantly reduce the shelf life. 

For best practices, either store your cacao in the bag it came in, or in a sealed glass mason jar where it is not exposed to air. You can also thoroughly wash used glass jars from other food sources and recycle them as cacao storage containers.

You can also purchase very large multi-gallon glass jars to store bulk purchases. So, if you are a big cacao lover, we always recommend purchasing the large 5-pound bags, as you will save money and the cacao will stay fresh for all of your ceremonies to come!

September Cacao Favorites

Vibrant Vitality 100% Ceremonial Cacao Drink

Thriving Tanzania 100% Ceremonial Cacao Drink

With Love, Gratitude, & Cacao,

Jonas & The Firefly Family

​P.S. - ❄️ We are now on a summer shipping schedule. All cacao is sent out with ice packs and recycled + recyclable insulation!

📅 Orders ship Monday through Wednesday.

🕰️ Wednesday @ 1pm PST is the last order time to make the above shipping window, so that we can reduce the likelihood of your cacao being delayed in a hot warehouse over the weekend!

🧠 Please be mindful if you are ordering during a heatwave.

🏡 Bring your package inside as soon as you can after it is delivered!

📲 We recommend opting in for text message delivery notifications; to do this, enter your phone number at checkout and you will receive updates on your cacao!

Join Us! Firefly Community - FREE Weekly Virtual Cacao Ceremonies

Cacao brings us together and creates authentic group connections. Come experience cacao with people from around the world in a safe welcoming space. Click here to sign up and see more details! 

Let's Be Friends!

Text +1 (844) 695-0043 for a more intimate cacao conversation.  

You'll get access to the Firefly Family, our private circle where we share exclusive promotions, cacao ritual insights, exciting product updates, and more.