Cacao, consumed throughout Mesoamerica, was traditionally drunk during rituals. The process began with the careful preparation and pouring of the cacao.
To prepare the drink, cacao beans were ground by hand and poured from one vessel into another from a height. This technique allowed the cacao butter to rise to the surface and form a frothy layer. Later, this froth was created using a molinillo — a wooden whisk specifically designed for cacao. This style of pouring and serving was often performed at the end of a meal.
Cacao was not an everyday drink. It was reserved for special occasions such as births, inaugurations, healings, weddings, funeral rites, feasts, and other rites of passage. The way cacao was served also held great significance. Special gourds were hollowed out to hold the beverage, while wealthier individuals used painted ceramic jugs and cups crafted specifically for this sacred drink.
Find out more about the sacred origins of cacao.
Cacao Ritual Today
Today, ritual has evolved into a personal exploration and expression of habits and practices. It offers us a way to return back to a sense of calm, reverence and embodiment. Whether used to connect us to our spirituality or to find harmony in our busy lives, even carving out five minutes to be present can be a powerful ritual. We invite you to begin here – and allow your practice to evolve and expand in whatever way feels right to you.
At Cacao Co. we thought we’d introduce some rituals and tools we use whilst serving, drinking and sitting with cacao. We sip the stuff everyday and use cacao as a tool within itself, to ground, be present and bring intention into our moment with this wonderful plant ally.
The Vessel
Choosing the right vessel for your cacao is a beautiful way to bring awareness to your ritual. Selecting a special cup or mug reserved only for drinking cacao infuses each sip with intention and a sense of sacredness. Take a moment to infuse your vessel — invite presence and mindfulness each time you use it. Buying a cacao vessel can be a brilliant way to support local ceramicists like Nick at The Mud Hut.
Using Smoke
Smoke is used in cacao ceremonies as a cleansing tool, and you might want to bring your favorite incense or smoke bundle — such as palo santo, ethically sourced sage, or copal — our favorite to use is Palo Santo - a Peruvian / South American holy tree.
We like to burn smoke while preparing the cacao; it signals to the nervous system that a meditative moment is beginning. It’s an invitation to arrive fully in the present moment.
Lighting a candle
Bringing the element of fire into your ritual is a way to really set the space, the candle could stay lit until the ritual or the moment of presence is over. Fire represents transformation and purification, burning away negative energies and creating space for new intentions to be set.
Taking a breath
Before your first sip, take a few deep breaths. Inhale deeply into the belly, and exhale through the mouth with a big sigh. These clearing breaths help restore balance to the body, calm the nervous system, and lower blood pressure and heart rate.
Tuning into sound
Bringing sound into your ritual can deepen your experience. Perhaps you have a few songs that help you relax — create a playlist to play while you prepare and sip your cacao. The length is entirely up to you: it could be a single track or a whole album, depending on how much time you’ve carved out for your ritual.
We have some playlists linked on our website that our team uses — feel free to explore them for inspiration.
By engaging the senses — sound, smell, taste, and sight — you invite deeper awareness into this practice, transforming it into a grounding ritual that nurtures calm and presence.
Your practice
Remember: this is your practice, your moment with cacao. Sometimes it’s about stillness, solitude and silence; other times it’s about movement — dancing, singing, or sharing cacao with loved ones and community. We’d love to hear from you — how do you drink cacao? What rituals and habits have you cultivated in your own cacao practice?
~ written by Alex Ophelia Blyth