Free Shipping Hawai'i to Mainland USA on $100 orders. % of proceeds goes to land restoration and indigenous elders
Cuatro Manos y Cinco Volcanes
WHAT'S IN A NAME
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Why are we called this?!?!?
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CUATRO MANOS
It takes many hands to farm, care, create and distribute!! By honoring this we are also honoring the four directions of the island, of the world and all the people who make this possible!
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CINCO VOLCANES
This pays homage to the 5 main volcanos on Hawai'i island honoring Pele in her creation. While cacao itself loves volcanic soil this cacao comes from the MOST ACTIVE VOLCANIC ISLAND in the WORLD.
You can taste the life ion it!!
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This cacao teaches us, how to create from the unknown, and it a guide for us in thee times of returning to the land.
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We Live in Ceremony from
Dawn till Dusk from
Seed to Tree to Cacao
Living in ceremony with ceremonial cacao means being in a relationship with the Earth and the cacao spirit. We listen to what the island and cacao want, and do not follow trends or human needs to be fashionable or excited. We honor the spirit of the Earth and the spirit of the cacao, allowing them to guide us in ceremony. We take the time to connect with the plants, the trees, and the animals that are co-creating the ceremony with us. We find deep joy in being in harmony with the Earth and the spirit of the cacao. We create from a place of love and service, not from a human-centric perspective.
Recipie or Relationship?
We believe that ceremonial cacao is more than just a food - it is a tool to help us connect with the spirit and energy of the cacao plant and its ancestors. We don't have recipes, but rather deep relationships passed down to us for 4,000 years. Our ceremonial cacao blends are inspired by these relationships, rather than by taste or what is popular. We strive to honor the spirit of the cacao and its ancestors through growing, nurturing, and being led by what the cacao and our ancestors show and tell us to do.
We build communities not trends
*MONIES GOT TO SUPPORTING NATIVE ELDERS AND COMMUNITIES
* MONIES GO TO LAND RECIPROCITY - GIVING BACK TO THE LAND
WHY IS IT THE MOST EXPENSIVE IN THE WORLD ?
OUR CACAO
Cacao has a long and storied history as a sacred drink of the gods. In our modern day, cacao has become an everyday consumer good, but in the past, it was reserved for emperors, kings, warriors, and medicine priests. Not everyone was allowed to drink cacao—it was an exclusive privilege—and it was said that Moctezuma had a cellar not of wine, but of cacao to show off his riches. Cacao beans were so valuable that they were worth more than gold, and they were traded in many places. Today, we can enjoy ceremonial cacao as a way to honor its ancient traditions.
Small Batch
Limited Release
Hand Winnowed
Hand Made
Tree to DISC
Single Origin - SINGLE FARM
Vegan
No Child Labor/No Slave Labor
USA LIVING WAGES PAID
Sustainable
NO SPRAY
BIPOC owned
Made to Order
PASTE NOT POWDER
All our cacao is made for ceremony in a sustainable and prayerful way. All cacao tempered from cacao paste.
Cacao paste is made from the whole cacao bean. Compared to cacao powder, which has been defatted, cacao paste is typically 50% cacao butter.
Ceremonial cacao is made with cacao paste, because cacao butter is the best carrier for the beneficial compounds in cacao. This means that our bodies are able to absorb more of the nutrients.
Cacao paste is made from high quality cacao beans that have been fermented, dried, lightly roasted, cracked and winnow, ground, conched, and tempered.
"POWDERED CACAO"
COCOA THE DRINK OF THE COLONIZER
How Cocoa Powder Is Made
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The beverage we call cocoa, or hot chocolate, in the United States is not the same as the hot cacao liquid consumed throughout most of history. The original "hot cacao" was made by combining water with ground cacao beans, which still contained all their natural cocoa butter. Since oil and water don't mix, the cocoa butter in the ground beans prevented the cacao from dispersing evenly in the water. The result was a thick, gritty beverage with a layer of oily fat floating on its surface -- a far cry from the smooth and creamy cocoa we enjoy today.
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Modern hot chocolate was born in 1828 in Holland. That's when chemist Coenraad Johannes Van Houten patented a process for removing much of the cocoa butter from ground cacao beans and then treating the resulting powder with an alkali substance such as baking soda to make it mix better with water. The alkali treatment is referred to as "Dutching," in recognition of its origins, and the darker-colored, lighter-flavored cocoa that results is called Dutch cocoa.
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To make Dutched cocoa powder, chocolate liquor is pumped into giant hydraulic presses, where about half of the cocoa butter is squeezed out. Baking soda is added to the remaining material, which is called "press cake." The treated press cake is then cooled, pulverized, and sifted to form cocoa powder. The cocoa powder is then packaged for sale in grocery stores as hot-chocolate mix or sold in bulk for use as a flavoring by dairies, bakeries, and candy manufacturers (the Dutching process makes the cocoa powder far more useful as a flavoring for other foods, as well).
The yellowish, liquid cocoa butter pressed out of the chocolate liquor does not go to waste. It is actually a very valuable commodity that is vital for manufacturing chocolate. Cocoa butter can also be sold -- at high prices -- to other manufacturers for use in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
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Although their origins are the same, the process of making chocolate is different than the process of making cocoa.
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- https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/how-chocolate-is-made4.htm
EXPLORE SINGLE ORIGIN SINGLE FARM CACAO
TERROIR MATTERS, WE PAY TRIBUTE TO FARMERS
Our Single Farm Series is an exclusive offering of ceremonial cacao sourced from individual farms ONLY from the Big Island of Hawai'i. Each batch is carefully selected and then aged like wine, giving you an unforgettable and unique flavor experience. With this special series, you can taste the unique differences between single farm offerings, since cacao is not regulated like wine and does not have distinguishing factors like premier cru or estate. We are proud to provide truly single estate, vintage cacao with our Single Farm Series.