Karkar Island Ceremonial Cacao
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On a remote, tropical, volcanic island off the coast of Papua New Guinea grows some of the most highly prized cacao in the world.
It is from here that we’ve sourced more award-winning cacao to add to our Soma Cacao repertoire. The rich lava soil provides fertile ground for highly potent cacao to grow with ease.
Our Karkar Island Cacao has won multiple awards, including winning a Silver Medal at the 2018 Australian Fine Food Awards in its chocolate form, and it also won Silver at Papua New Guinea’s highly competitive inaugural Cocoa Show - Cocow Warwagira, out of more than 80 cocoa samples from across the country.
QUALITY GUARANTEE
Like fine wine and coffee, the quality of cacao varies according to the soil, climate, genetics, and post-harvest processes. Our commitment to single origin cacao ensures the unique flavour profile of each region remains intact.
CACAO CONTAINS CAFFEINE
Soma Cacao contains between 17 - 45mg caffeine per standard 25g serve (the equivalent of a cup of weak black tea). For more info, visit this page.
The Mayans called cacao “the food of the gods”. Along with its rich history of ritualistic and medicinal use, cacao’s crown jewel is theobromine: a gentle, long lasting stimulant that energises us like caffeine, without punishing us with brain-fog and jittery hands later in the day. It’s also rich in essential minerals and produces mood-boosting bioactive compounds - dopamine, serotonin, anandamide (the 'bliss molecule') and P.E.A, an antidepressant also known as the 'love drug'.
For more health benefits including scientific sources, visit our cacao benefits page.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2-3 Tbs Soma Cacao
- 110 mL hot water
- 50 mL milk (we like oat milk)
- 1-2 tsps sweetener (honey, coconut sugar, or maple syrup work great)
METHOD:
Blend all ingredients together using a blender, milk-frother, or whisk. Inhale, sip slowly, and savour!
Cacao powder (or cocoa powder) has undergone intensive processing to extract cacao butter from the paste. This leaves the cacao chalkier and more insipid, and also reduces the fat content, which is vital for the transmission of the neuro-active substances. Studies have proven the widely used method to produce cocoa powder (dutch-processing) significantly decreases the levels of compounds with positive physiological effects.
Our cacao contains the entire cacao bean (excluding the husk/shell). We add nothing, we take nothing away, maintaining the highest concentration of antioxidants, essential minerals, and bliss-inducing compounds.
As an energy source cacao feels more gentle, long-lasting and smooth, while coffee is intense, fast-acting and short-lived. This is because caffeine is a nervous system stimulant, and it produces cortisol, the stress hormone, which can lead to the jitters and anxiety. By contrast, cacao's active ingredient, theobromine, reduces cortisol. This helps us to relax. Cacao also stimulates the cardiovascular system, and opens our blood vessels. This helps blood flow more freely, sends more oxygen through the body, and lowers our blood pressure. We’ve elaborated on this in a recent blog post.
Ceremonial Cacao refers to a premium, pure cacao that is ethically sourced from small family-run sustainable farms.
Ceremonial cacao is made from a single ingredient, whole cacao beans, with nothing added or removed. This is what distinguishes is from cacao powder: a product that has the highly prized cacao butter removed.
Our cacao is minimally processed to retain the highest concentration of antioxidants, bliss-inducing compounds and essential minerals.
Our sourcing methods disrupt the commodity cacao supply chain, which notoriously cuts corners and is notoriously corrupt.
Allergen Declaration: This product may contain traces of nuts, soy, and dairy as it is processed in facilities that also handles these allergens.
Note: There's a small chance your cacao may melt during transit. Rest assured, it's still perfectly fine—just let it solidify at room temperature (or in the fridge if it's hot) and chop it up. Many brands sell cacao this way; we simply shave it for your convenience. :)