Pure 100% Ceremonial Cacao

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Uplifting Uganda

4.9
Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars
19 Reviews

Organic & Regenerative

Lab-Tested

This is our first NEW CACAO release in a couple of years, and we're incredibly excited to share it with you!

Let this cacao fill you with joy! Its generous spirit carries the heartbeat of the Semuliki Forest - a lush, tropical rainforest beneath the soaring Rwenzori mountains that form the border between the Congo and U...

This is our first NEW CACAO release in a couple of years, and we're incredibly excited to share it with you!

Let this cacao fill you with joy! Its generous spirit carries the heartbeat of the Semuliki Forest - a lush, tropical rainforest beneath the soaring Rwenzori mountains that form the border between the Congo and Uganda, and are also part of the Nile River headwaters.

This cacao is grown by over 50% female farmers who imbue this cacao with their strength & spirit. 70% of the farmers are under the age of 35, so this cacao contributes good livelihood to a vibrant young generation of farmers. 

Work with this cacao to experience strengthening in your soul and your power. It feels like a steady drumbeat under the mountain. Enjoy consistent and classic chocolate flavor notes reminding us of a childhood hot cocoa, chocolate fudge and chocolate truffles.

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Why You'll Love This

UPLIFT - Neuromodulators and neuro reuptake-inhibitors in cacao support a stable and elevated mood that lasts.

ENERGIZE - Theobromine gently energizes and helps with coffee reduction or replacement.

NOURISH - High mineral density in cacao replenishes deficiencies so you can be optimally healthy

INSPIRE - Cacao ceremony begins with mindfulness, gratitude, and intention. Practice at home to deepen your relationship.

Ingredients + Nutrition Facts

Ingredients: Organic Cacao Beans from Uganda. That's all! No sweeteners.

Cacao Sourcing Standard

Ceremonial Cacao refers to a premium grade, pure cacao that is ethically sourced from small family farms practicing regenerative agroforestry. Ceremonial cacao is made from a single ingredient, whole cacao beans, with nothing added or removed. You drinking cacao with intention and gratitude is part of it too!

100% Cacao from Semuliki Forest Collective Read more

How To Prepare Cacao

Step 1 - Combine between 20 cacao discs (0.8oz) to 25 cacao discs (1.0oz) with a touch of sweetener (or drink pure)

Step 2 - Add 3/4 cup (6oz) hot water, tea, or mylk ~ 180°F

Step 3 - Use a blender or electric frother to mix for 10 seconds. This creates much better texture than just stirring.

Certifications & Lab Test Results

1. Organic & Regenerative - all of our cacao is certified organic by Organic Certifiers. We only source from farms practicing regenerative agroforestry.

2. Heavy Metals - we lab test all of our cacao. You can see our test results here.

3. Caffeine & Theobromine - our pure cacaos contain 36mg of caffeine and 212mg of Theobromine. Though because of the fat from the cacao butter, the caffeine is released slowly and gently.

Ethical Trade Regenerative Agroforestry USDA Organic Unsweetened Third Party Lab Tested Metals Safe Vegan & Keto GMO-Free & Soy-Free

Ethical Trade Regenerative Agroforestry USDA Organic Unsweetened Third Party Metals Tested Vegan & Keto GMO-Free & Soy-Free

  • 1) Gently Energizing

    Cacao energizes with theobromine instead of caffeine. Theobromine relaxes your blood vessels, increases circulation, supports heart health, and promotes nutrient absorption. Enjoy steady, uplifting energy without the jitters or crash of coffee.

  • 2) Mood Boosting

    Cacao's neuromodulators and reuptake inhibitors help boost and stabilize your mood. Drinking ceremonial cacao can make you feel blissful, connected, inspired, grounded,and may even release stuck emotions or energy, giving a sense of time slowing down.

  • 3) Nourishing

    Cacao replenishes essential minerals, especially magnesium, which is often lacking in Western diets.Magnesium supports brain function, memory, concentration, and heart health. Cacao is also rich in chromium, copper, calcium, manganese, zinc, sulfur, iron, and phosphorus.

  • Sept - Dec

    Peak Harvest Time

  • 30

    Metric Tons Purchased Since 2021

  • 4664

    Organic Farmers

  • 4586

    Acres of cacao

Uplifting Uganda is grown in the lush Semuliki Forest, part of the only lowland tropical rainforest in East Africa. The farms are nestled beneath the Rwenzori mountains, the highest and most permanent source of water for the Nile River.

These mountains are ecologically diverse and home to many threatened and endangered species. Supporting these communities with income that supports the conservation of this land bodes well for the long term protection of this ecosystem.

The social impact of this venture is notable, 50% of the farmers are female and 70% of the farmers are under the age of 35. Sourcing from this community provides sustainable, conservation-based livelihood for a generation of young farmers in a rural area who take great pride in their work. 

The communal, joyful spirit of East Africa is literally sung into the cacao as they harvest and ferment. All this beautiful energy is channeled into the cacao and imparts a steady energy of honorable pride, deep joy, and lineage connection. 

19 reviews
  • susana bajo m.
    Verified Buyer
    13 seconds ago
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Uplifting!

    Very activating cacao,increases mode noticeable with a robust flavor,I love to pair it with the mystical mushrooms blend,a dash of cinamon and bit of honey.Very smooth and creamy texture

  • Melanie
    2 days ago
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    5 Stars

    Love this cacao. Rich flavor, very satisfying.

  • Terri M.
    Verified Buyer
    1 month ago
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Yumm

    This satisfies my chocolate craving. It wakes me up in the morning too. So delicious by itself and I love dark chocolate but I still use a little touch of French vanilla almond creamer. It’s really good with honey too.

  • Keith S.
    Verified Buyer
    1 month ago
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Deliciously Uplifting!

    Another awesome quality cacao selection! Thank you guys so much for spreading the word about Cacao so well. I love the ceremonial cups also!

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Answers to Frequent Health Questions

What are the Nutrition Facts?

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/

Why are there Rainbow Bubbles in my Cacao?

All of the following answers are true - pick what works best for you!

1) The cacao senses your awesomeness. Only the blessed few can actually see them, so, you must be awesome.

2) Thin-film interference. Cacao is rich in oils that can spread out in very thin layers on the water-based beverage. The different wavelengths of light have different kinds of interference between the top and bottom surfaces of the oil so white light turns into iridescent rainbows.

3) It's energetic residue from the rainbow serpent that emerged from the first cacao tree a very long time ago (for real - cacao is considered an original world tree in the Maya cosmosvision)

How is this different than cacao powder?

We typically tell our customers that cacao powder has little medicinal or health value because of the following differences:

1) Cacao powder is often made with untraceable, low quality commodity cacao that doesn’t support farmers with ethical compensation. By contrast, Ora sources direct trade traceable to the farmer and with organic certification.

2) This low quality input necessitates processing at very high temperatures, which degrades many of the beneficial compounds in cacao. The process of dutch processing or alkalization to make the flavor milder further reduces the levels of these compounds. By contrast, Ora's premium inputs enable us to use uniquely low temperature processing that keep the value of the cacao bean intact.

3) The cacao bean on it's own is about 50% cacao butter, a healthy natural fat. Pressing for powder strips away most of this fat (reducing it to 10%). However, you want cacao as a whole food, with the cacao butter in it's natural ratio. That's because the fat is an essential carrier for the health benefits of cacao, so without it, many of the health benefits of cacao are unrealized. By contrast, Ora ceremonial cacao has nothing added or removed, so it is a whole food as nature designed it.

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?

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. It is actually the first endocannabinoid to be discovered, and it is well known for moderating pain. Cacao also has N-linoleoylethanolamine, which is the reuptake inhibitor for anandamide.

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 contains typtophan, an amino acid that the body converts into serotonin, and cacao contains MOA inhibitors that inhibit re-uptake of serotonin.

Dopamine - Gives feelings of motivation and pleasure. Cacao contains tyrosine, an amino acid that the body converts into dopamine, and cacao contains MOA inhibitors that inhibit re-uptake 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?

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?

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.

Ceremonial Cacao vs Other Cacao Products

Ceremonial Cacao Cacao Powder Baking Chocolate Raw Cacao Paste Chocolate Bar Brewed Cacao
Premium quality beans
No sugar
Healthy natural fats
Melts into liquid chocolate
Healthy natural fats
Minimally processed
Regenerative agroforestry
Ethical, direct trade*

*Depends on brand, however, almost all cacao is sourced from the commodity cacao market without any traceability.

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