The History of Ceremonial Cacao: Cryptocurrency & Imperial Drink

The History of Ceremonial Cacao: Cryptocurrency & Imperial Drink

Dear Somamatics, In November 1519, Hernán Cortés, accompanied by 500 Spanish soldiers, fifteen horses, fifteen cannon, and five thousand indigenous allies, passed between the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, and beheld the city of Tenochtitlán. Bernal...
The healthiest hearts in the world?

The healthiest hearts in the world?

Beloved Somalovers,   Alistair is an unusual person, and spent an unusual gap year backpacking through Central and South America. Half-way through his gap year, he reached the Darién Gap, and had to work out...
The Science of Deluge: How Cacao Survives (and Thrives) in the Wet

The Science of Deluge: How Cacao Survives (and Thrives) in the Wet

Dear Somarafters,   Those of you who watch the news will probably have heard about the rain we’re having in Fat North Queensland. Depending on what news source you subscribe to, you will have interpreted...
Cacao, Chocolate, and the Sweet History of Valentine's Day

Cacao, Chocolate, and the Sweet History of Valentine's Day

Dear Somatines,   Valentine’s Day is here: that strange hodgepodge of Hollywood, chocolate, Portishead and dinner plans that seems to be cool one year, and deeply uncool the next.   Valentine’s Day is the world’s...
Spotlight on Organic Peruvian Ceremonial Cacao

Spotlight on Organic Peruvian Ceremonial Cacao

Dear Somastars,   The days are getting warmer, and life is hotting up at Soma. All five of our cacao origins are fully stocked - it feels like having all our children home for Christmas....
Soma’s Got Good Genes: Nature and Nurture in Cacao Farming

Soma’s Got Good Genes: Nature and Nurture in Cacao Farming

Humans started consuming and cultivating cacao 5300 years ago. Migration and commerce spread cacao through Central and Tropical South America, and into the Caribbean. From 1500, European influence carried cacao to tropical areas around the...
What is a Cacao Ceremony? Deconstructing and Reconstructing.

What is a Cacao Ceremony? Deconstructing and Reconstructing.

The Ancient Roots of Cacao Cacao has been used for millenia in ceremonies by the indigenous people of Mesoamerica. These peoples have cultivated a close bond with the cacao plant, and weaved it like a...
Halo from Karkar:  A Special Update from a Cacao Paradise

Halo from Karkar: A Special Update from a Cacao Paradise

Dear Soma Family, We write this to you from the foot of a young palm tree on the beach beside Kuburne Village on Karkar Island, off the coast of Papua New Guinea. We’ve come here...
Understanding the Different Types of Ceremonial Cacao Beans

Understanding the Different Types of Ceremonial Cacao Beans

This week we want to explore a trending topic in the world of cacao. We’re aware some of you flirt with other cacao brands, receive their advertising advances, maybe even have a fling  from time...