It’s not everyday I write about cacao, but this cacao I’m now drinking (Kakao or Fly Kakao) is sooooo dang good I had to share about it with you. As a medicine woman with lots of clients and friends who work with cacao, I felt that it’s important for you to know about where to source super high quality (and high vibe) cacao.
My Journey With Cacao
Like many of us, my love for cacao started in childhood… back when it was just “chocolate.” As a kid, chocolate was my favorite treat, my little vice (still is haha). But even at a young age, I noticed that the darker and less sugary chocolate was, the more I loved it. By my late teens, I was happily eating the more bitter 70%, 80%, 90% dark chocolate.
Eventually, I discovered the raw cacao plant itself. My first taste was cacao nibs… bitter, crunchy, undeniably a “superfood.” Soon I was adding cacao powder to smoothies, experimenting, and becoming what I’d call a bit of a novice cacao connoisseur.
By around 2012, I was drinking cacao regularly and joining small cacao ceremonies that were starting to pop up in New York City. Over the years, I’ve traveled all over South America, Central America, Europe, and beyond and always sought out local chocolate and cacao. Having been to Peru eight times, I developed a deep love for Peruvian cacao. I find that it’s naturally sweeter in taste, softer, warmer, sweeter in energy compared to other regions.
Ancient Cacao History: Huaca Montegrande
One of the most profound moments on my cacao journey came when I visited Huaca Montegrande, the sacred cacao site in northern Peru, just a few years ago. You can see a short clip about Montegrande here and a clip of my interview with my friend Karen Gordon, here, who led a reciprocity campaign that raised over $60,000 for Montegrande. Archaeologists discovered that this temple site is over 5,000 years old and contains the earliest known traces of domesticated cacao. This means cacao wasn’t just food… it was a central part of ancient Amazonian spirituality, culture, and trade.
When I tried the cacao made from heirloom trees next to Huaca Montegrande whose DNA goes back over 500 years, I could feel the difference. It was softer, sweeter, and carried an ancient knowing. Knowing that people were communing with this very plant thousands of years ago, in ceremony and prayer, made me realize how much more cacao is than “chocolate.” It’s truly sacred medicine. There’s something about this Peruvian cacao that feels deeply grounding and heart-expanding at the same time.
Cacao as Plant Medicine
In 2020, I had opened a cacao dieta guided by Freedom Flowers, a former client and a friend, who had studied with Nana Maria Cruz, one of Guatemala’s respected cacao curanderas. During this dieta, I met the spirit of cacao herself: she was a beautiful, fierce yet kind warrior, carrying feminine strength, truth and some tough love. I’ve led plant medicine dietas myself including a Rose dieta amongst others, but I wanted to have someone else guide me through this deep process of connecting with a powerful plant spirit.
But the timing was intense. It was early March 2020, just as the world was collapsing into fear and chaos. As I increased my daily cacao dose, I also felt a rising tide of the collective anxiety, which seemed to weave into my dieta. My body began reacting to the cacao and/or the fear by eventually developing more phlegm and coughing and sometimes shortness of breath. For over a year, I couldn’t drink cacao without some of these symptoms. Maybe it was c*vid, maybe it was cacao, maybe both.
One thing I did learn? She’s a SPIRIT. Looking back, I see this as a reminder that cacao is not “just a drink” or just “chocolate.” She is a sacred plant medicine with a spirit and lessons to teach you. Like ayahuasca, chacruna, bobinsana, rose, etc, she carries a strong spirit and must be treated with respect.
Choosing High-Quality (and Super Tasty!) Cacao
Going through that period of what I called a “cacao allergy” or whatever it was made me extremely sensitive and very selective about the cacao I drink. Poorly stored cacao can grow mold, carry heavy metals, or simply feel energetically off.
Once when I was in Costa Rica for the winter, I bought what seemed like a good brand of cacao, but it left me sick for about two months. I’m pretty sure it was from moldy cacao. Ugh!! Since then, I’ve narrowed down my cacao intake to only a few trusted sources. I do like Ora Cacao as well, but they stopped carrying the one cacao I loved most. Cacao Lab is a local brand who has some good cacao as well, but I find that it’s a bit too physically harsh and energetically strong for my sensitive self. Most other brands also feel too heavy and stimulating in my body, creating more tension and anxiety rather than a clean, high vibe heart-opening that I get from the good Kakao Cacao.
Discovering KAKAO: The Best Ceremonial Cacao I’ve Found
Then last year, everything changed. Some friends came back from a medicine community raving about a cacao brand called KAKAO. They invited me over to try it, and from the very first sip, I felt it: a higher vibration, cleaner energy, and a resonance that reminded me of that heirloom Peruvian Heirloom Chuncho Cacao at Montegrande.
They do also sell cacao from Guatemala, & Colombia, great Maca from Peru, and other goodies….but I like their “Puro” pure Peruvian cacao best.
KAKAO feels different in my body….it feels more light, warm, high vibe, easy to digest and easy on the liver. No racing heart, no nervous energy, no phlegmy reactions. I could even drink it in the afternoon without feeling overstimulated. Instead, I felt the blessing of an open heart and the pure connection to this sacred plant.
After years of working with cacao in all its forms, I can honestly say THIS IS THE BEST BRAND OF CACAO OUT THERE and one that I fully trust right now. Kakao is ethically sourced, intentionally crafted, and deeply respected as medicine.
Their Cacao Chuncho is a rare heirloom strain from the wild jungles of Peru and the core variety KAKAO has sourced since 2017. Beloved by local families for generations, its floral taste and aroma are unlike any other. Grown on remote ancestral lands, Chuncho is more than cacao…it’s considered a rainbow bridge, carrying a unique communication from Mother Earth that reconnects us to our soul’s original blueprint.
Why I Share KAKAO Cacao
I’ve become an affiliate because I truly love it—not because I “need” to sell it. I only share what I personally use and believe in, and KAKAO has become part of my daily life.
If you’d like to try Kakao cacao, you can order with a discount at my link here and use my discount code BETHWEINSTEIN439 for 10% OFF of Kakao Cacao.
My Ceremonial Cacao Ritual
For me, cacao is more than just a tasty hot drink. It’s a sacred plant MEDICINE and it’s a chance to connect with the spirit of a sacred plant through ceremony or at least a simple ritual. Some days I make it part of my spiritual practice; other times I drink it during sessions with clients (MANY TIMES!), or have a small cup the afternoon when I want to reconnect with my heart and feel a little boost for the remainder of the day.
How I prepare my cacao:
- Kakao is already choppped into super small pieces that easily melt and blend. Otherwise, chop or grate the cacao into small pieces.
- Add hot (but not boiling!) good, clean fluoride free water. Say a prayer of gratitude to the water, always. 🙂
- Sometimes I’ll add a splash of oat or macadamia milk.
- Sometimes I’ll sweeten it with a little local maple syrup or honey (from my own hives!).
- Maybe add some Rose Glycerite from Ravencrest Botanicals, or a drop of mint tincture for a refreshing cup in the summer.
- Once in a while, I’ll add warming spices like cinnamon and cardamom as my curandera from Peru always does!
Before my first sip, I pause, hold the cup to my heart, and set an intention… whether it’s clarity, openness, love, or simply grounding. This turns a simple drink into an intentional time to connect with her spirit. Even when I’m alone in my kitchen, it feels like a sacred communion, meeting her spirit once again each time.
May your cup of cacao bring you the same joy, warmth, and heart-opening connection that it continues to bring me!
Beth
