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Nana Marina's Ceremonial Grade Cacao (1lb)
What Cacao Offers
Opens the heart and invites more love into your life
Lifts your mood and softens stress and anxiety
Supports focus and creative flow
Contains theobromine, a natural compound linked to sharper focus and clearer thinking
Rich in antioxidants and minerals, including magnesium, iron, and calcium
Traditionally honoured as a friend to the heart, and flavanols in cacao are associated with cardiovascular health
Natural plant fats that nourish your skin, hair, and nails
What Makes Nana Marina’s Cacao Special
Made for deep plant work, for anyone who longs to build a real relationship with cacao
Sweet and earthy, it roots you in the energy of Pachamama, Mother Earth
Carries the prayers of a feminine wisdom keeper and lineage holder, to strengthen your spiritual path
Sashamama’s first choice for ceremony and ritual
Where It Comes From
This sacred Criollo cacao grows wild in the forests of Guatemala, tended by descendants of the first cacao farmers. The Cruz family, rooted in the Tz’utujil Mayan tradition, prepares it by hand. For the Maya, cacao is among the most honoured plants, and today people around the world hold it with the same reverence. When you drink it with intention, its spirit works as a heart-opening medicine.
Nana Marina’s Cacao is Guatemalan from start to finish. Sacred indigenous plants are still being colonized and commodified today. Too often the profits flow to outsiders, while local people work as employees, never as landowners, and are never paid fairly as the original keepers of the plant. When we say “ethically sourced,” we mean reciprocity, partnership, and empowerment.
The botanical name Theobroma means “food of the gods.” In ancient Mayan times, cacao was prized above gold and even used as currency, because of its spiritual and medicinal power.
A Simple Cacao Ceremony in the Mayan Tradition
Intention: Begin by setting an intention that honours the plant first, and your own journey second.
Honour: Pause to recognize the original keepers of this tradition, along with their work and sacrifice.
Offering: Give something back to the spirit of the cacao, the earth, the waters, or whatever calls to you. Flowers, copal, herbs, songs, and prayers all work. We always offer our best, never our leftovers.
Gratitude: This is the heart of the ritual. Give thanks to your ancestors, the four elements, the four directions, the spirit of the plants, and the sacred sites.
Nana Marina reminds us that this isn’t about how much we drink or how strongly we feel it in the body. What matters is what we bring to the plant through our prayer and intention. As your relationship with cacao deepens, you may find you need less to feel connected.
Recommended Servings
Ceremonial serving: 40-45 grams (about 3 tablespoons) of cacao per 3/4 cup of hot water. For a group, mix the whole block or bag into 8 cups of hot water to serve about 12 people.
Meditation serving: 20-25 grams (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) of cacao per 1/2 cup of hot water. For a group, mix the whole block or bag into 10 cups of hot water to serve about 20 people.
Preparing Your Cacao
Finely chop your cacao. My hack is using a japanese steel peeler to finely grate the medicine. Heat your water until it’s nearly boiling, then stir in the cacao. Don’t let the cacao itself boil. Blend or whisk it for a creamier cup. Set your intention as you prepare it, since the aroma is part of your offering.
This cacao is 100% pure, with no additives or emulsifiers. As it cools, natural plant fats may separate and form a thin oily layer or white crumbles. This is completely normal and doesn’t change the taste. Just reheat and enjoy.
Good to Know Before You Drink
Heart rate: Cacao can raise your heart rate slightly, so enjoy it mindfully.
Blood pressure: Studies suggest the flavanols in cacao may support healthy blood pressure and heart health.
Medications: Cacao contains compounds that act like MAOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors), so it may not mix well with SSRI antidepressants or antipsychotics. Depending on the dose it may be fine, but please talk with your doctor first.
Pregnancy and nursing: In Guatemala, mothers traditionally drink cacao during pregnancy and especially while nursing. If you’re pregnant or nursing, check in with your healthcare provider.
Caffeine: Caffeine levels vary by plant and processing. People generally find this cacao to be very low in caffeine, with little to no caffeine feel.
Children: Small amounts only, scaled to their body weight.
Pets: Never give cacao to pets. It can be deadly to them, so keep it well out of reach of your animal friends.
What Cacao Offers
Opens the heart and invites more love into your life
Lifts your mood and softens stress and anxiety
Supports focus and creative flow
Contains theobromine, a natural compound linked to sharper focus and clearer thinking
Rich in antioxidants and minerals, including magnesium, iron, and calcium
Traditionally honoured as a friend to the heart, and flavanols in cacao are associated with cardiovascular health
Natural plant fats that nourish your skin, hair, and nails
What Makes Nana Marina’s Cacao Special
Made for deep plant work, for anyone who longs to build a real relationship with cacao
Sweet and earthy, it roots you in the energy of Pachamama, Mother Earth
Carries the prayers of a feminine wisdom keeper and lineage holder, to strengthen your spiritual path
Sashamama’s first choice for ceremony and ritual
Where It Comes From
This sacred Criollo cacao grows wild in the forests of Guatemala, tended by descendants of the first cacao farmers. The Cruz family, rooted in the Tz’utujil Mayan tradition, prepares it by hand. For the Maya, cacao is among the most honoured plants, and today people around the world hold it with the same reverence. When you drink it with intention, its spirit works as a heart-opening medicine.
Nana Marina’s Cacao is Guatemalan from start to finish. Sacred indigenous plants are still being colonized and commodified today. Too often the profits flow to outsiders, while local people work as employees, never as landowners, and are never paid fairly as the original keepers of the plant. When we say “ethically sourced,” we mean reciprocity, partnership, and empowerment.
The botanical name Theobroma means “food of the gods.” In ancient Mayan times, cacao was prized above gold and even used as currency, because of its spiritual and medicinal power.
A Simple Cacao Ceremony in the Mayan Tradition
Intention: Begin by setting an intention that honours the plant first, and your own journey second.
Honour: Pause to recognize the original keepers of this tradition, along with their work and sacrifice.
Offering: Give something back to the spirit of the cacao, the earth, the waters, or whatever calls to you. Flowers, copal, herbs, songs, and prayers all work. We always offer our best, never our leftovers.
Gratitude: This is the heart of the ritual. Give thanks to your ancestors, the four elements, the four directions, the spirit of the plants, and the sacred sites.
Nana Marina reminds us that this isn’t about how much we drink or how strongly we feel it in the body. What matters is what we bring to the plant through our prayer and intention. As your relationship with cacao deepens, you may find you need less to feel connected.
Recommended Servings
Ceremonial serving: 40-45 grams (about 3 tablespoons) of cacao per 3/4 cup of hot water. For a group, mix the whole block or bag into 8 cups of hot water to serve about 12 people.
Meditation serving: 20-25 grams (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) of cacao per 1/2 cup of hot water. For a group, mix the whole block or bag into 10 cups of hot water to serve about 20 people.
Preparing Your Cacao
Finely chop your cacao. My hack is using a japanese steel peeler to finely grate the medicine. Heat your water until it’s nearly boiling, then stir in the cacao. Don’t let the cacao itself boil. Blend or whisk it for a creamier cup. Set your intention as you prepare it, since the aroma is part of your offering.
This cacao is 100% pure, with no additives or emulsifiers. As it cools, natural plant fats may separate and form a thin oily layer or white crumbles. This is completely normal and doesn’t change the taste. Just reheat and enjoy.
Good to Know Before You Drink
Heart rate: Cacao can raise your heart rate slightly, so enjoy it mindfully.
Blood pressure: Studies suggest the flavanols in cacao may support healthy blood pressure and heart health.
Medications: Cacao contains compounds that act like MAOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors), so it may not mix well with SSRI antidepressants or antipsychotics. Depending on the dose it may be fine, but please talk with your doctor first.
Pregnancy and nursing: In Guatemala, mothers traditionally drink cacao during pregnancy and especially while nursing. If you’re pregnant or nursing, check in with your healthcare provider.
Caffeine: Caffeine levels vary by plant and processing. People generally find this cacao to be very low in caffeine, with little to no caffeine feel.
Children: Small amounts only, scaled to their body weight.
Pets: Never give cacao to pets. It can be deadly to them, so keep it well out of reach of your animal friends.