Raw criollo cacao paste from Guatemala is made from unroasted cacao beans. Thanks to this, the paste retains most of its natural ingredients.
Criollo beans are considered one of the finest cacao beans in the world due to their intense flavour, rich aroma, and high fat content. Criollo beans are rare and account for only about 5% of the world's cacao production.

It is also a highly nutritious product, containing many nutrients such as magnesium, iron, copper, manganese and vitamin C. In addition, raw Guatemalan criollo cacao paste is rich in antioxidants such as flavonoids that can help in protecting the body from disease and inflammation.

The raw Guatemalan criollo cacao paste has an intense, rich cacao flavour that is bitter and slightly sour. Guatemalan cacao paste can be used in a variety of home recipes, including smoothies, cocktails, coconut milk, yogurt, muesli, homemade chocolate, or mixed with water as a beverage.

Additionally, raw criollo cacao paste from Guatemala can be used as an ingredient in natural cosmetics and skin care products as it contains many antioxidants that help protect the skin from harmful external factors. It can be used as an ingredient in homemade face and body masks, lotions, oils, and moisturizing creams.

Our cacao is 100% natural, unprocessed, kosher, halal, no sugar, no additives, no preservatives, handmade. Cacao is gluten free and can also be consumed by vegans.

What is cacao paste?

Cacao paste is the dried, shelled and then ground cacao beans, which take the form of a hard, yet brittle block or lump.

Properties of cacao

Cacao contains more antioxidants than red wine and 3 times more than green tea.

Cacao is an important source of tryptophan, which affects the formation of serotonin, and phenylethylamine, which supports the synthesis of dopamine and a number of vitamins B, C and E.

In addition, cacao contains a number of mineral salts such as magnesium, iron, chromium, phosphorus, calcium, sulphur, zinc, potassium and selenium.

Furthermore, the high content of healthy cacao fat, theobromine and anandamide makes cacao a natural, mild stimulant.

All this makes cacao a natural, powerful antidepressant, mood enhancer and energiser.

How to prepare cacao?

Mix about 10-20 grams of crushed cacao with water, vegetable or animal milk (200 ml) and spices such as chilli, vanilla, cinnamon or cardamom. If desired, sweeten with honey or other healthy sugar. The spices and honey should be added at the end of the process.

There are several methods for preparing cacao. We advise you to try them all, because each of them slightly changes the final taste of the drink. In this article you will find a recipe for ceremonial cacao and a lot of additional information.

1. Mix the cacao with hot (about 90 degrees) water or milk using a blender. For about one minute. This is the fastest method of preparation. cacao prepared this way has a silky texture and a taste similar to milk chocolate.
2. Dissolve the cacao in a pot with hot water at 70-80 degrees. Take care not to let the mixture boil. Too high a temperature will affect the properties and taste of the drink. The cacao will be thicker and more intense in flavour than the previous method. This is how the cacao is prepared during the ceremony.
3. Boil the water or milk together with the cacao for about 5 minutes.
4. Boil the water or milk with the cacao for about half an hour. This method will bring out the maximum flavour at the expense of vitamins, some of which will be lost as a result of long cooking.

The question of using vegetable or animal milk is individual and does not significantly affect the properties of the cacao drink. Nevertheless, we recommend using water or vegetable milk.

Daily amount of cacao

Approximately 10-20 grams. This may occasionally be increased to 50 grams.

Application

Genuine and 100% cacao paste (ceremonial cacao) is excellent for:

• daily consumption as a drink
• cacao ceremonies in doses of about 40 grams per person
• meditation or yoga practice
• baked goods such as brownie or chocolate chip cookies
• the production of chocolates or pralines
• as an accompaniment to a cheese board
• as a snack during wine tasting
• as a high-calorie snack during mountain expeditions

Classification of ceremonial cacao

All natural cacao in the form of paste, beans, nibs (ground cacao beans) or powder is bitter, however we can make a classification into less bitter or dry.

Our scale of cacao flavours is:

• sweet
• semi-sweet
• slightly dry
• semi-dry
• dry
• bitter