Today we’re sharing our top tips for making cacao. Whether you’re new to making cacao or if you’re a seasoned cacao lover, read on to discover our best practices!
The Basics For Cacao Recipes
#1 Preparing the base of your cacao beverage:
Cacao is traditionally prepared in hot water, sometimes including spices. We also love using nut milk, oat milk, or coconut milk* as a base.
- DON’T let the water reach boiling when mixing with the cacao as it can degrade the flavonoids in the cacao and make them less bioavailable. Instead, heat the water or nut milk to around 180°F.
- DON’T prepare the cacao in dairy milk. The compounds in dairy interact with compounds in the cacao and prevent the body’s absorption of beneficial nutrients of the cacao.
- DO experiment with different herbal teas (we call this tea-cao 🙂) and nut milks to discover which offer the taste, consistency, and medicinal add-ins that feel good to you. Some of our favorite teas to experiment with include: tulsi rose, licorice root and marshmallow root, and guayusa (if you’re wanting an extra boost of caffeine).
*Note that for some people too much coconut milk + cacao can lead to an upset stomach due to too high of fat content so tread carefully there.
#2 Adding In Sugar and Spice:
Traditional Mayan cacao preparations do not include any sweetener, honoring the bitter medicine and flavors of the cacao itself. Different sweeteners or spices impart a different flavor to your recipe.
- DO experiment with drinking cacao unsweetened - we’ve definitely had many customers kick their sugar habits by drinking pure cacao
- DO use natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup if you’re wanting to drink your cacao sweetened
- DO experiment with different spices and try varying them as the seasons change. Common spice inclusions are: cinnamon, pepper, cayenne, nutmeg, vanilla, cardamom, and cloves…
#3 Temperature:
The Aztecs were known to prepare their cups cold and the Mayans hot. Both are delicious, and let’s not forget about cacao mousse!
- DO try preparing your cacao cold in the summertime or if you’re in a hot climate. Here’s how to prepare cold cacao:
- Prepare your cacao as usual by blending it with hot liquid but use ½ the amount of liquid as normal. If preparing a single serving of cacao, use 1oz of cacao (about 25 discs) with 3oz of hot liquid instead of the usual 6oz of hot liquid). Then add in ice cubes and blend (about 4-5 ice cubes for a single serving).
- DO try making cold cacao mousse as a dessert! Prepare your cacao as usual and then refrigerate and let it sit overnight. In the morning, it will have thickened into a delicious mousse!
We hope these tips inspire you to create some new recipes for your cacao!
Be sure to tag us @cacaoceremony to share your creations.
