Ceremonial Cacao
Good news, the cacao is back in stock again!
But, also some other news.. Things are changing: the weather is changing a lot, and therefore there is less harvest of cacao. At the same time the demand of ceremonial cacao is rising. These things make prices of cacao rise. Next to that the import costs of cacao have risen. This means I have to add some to the price on my website as well.
The new prices will be as follows:
250 gr was €25, is now €27,50
500 gr was €46, is now €50
1 kg was €86, is now €92,50
This is also a moment to become more aware of our ways of consumption and the consequences thereof. I am grateful that we can still receive this beautiful cacao here. I see it as an opportunity to look within ourselves and work with cacao with more conscience. I hope for your understanding.
The ceremonial cacao from Pedra do Sabiá, Bahia.
General
Pedra do Sabiá is a farm with a long history of organic, sustainable cacao cultivation. The type of cacao they plant originates from Pará, Brazil. It was the first cacao introduced in Bahia at the end of the 19th century.
The cultivation style is a traditional way of planting in Bahia named ‘cabruca’. Cabrucas are the traditional agro-forests in which cacao trees are planted under thinned-out native forests. It uses a low density, organic agroforestry system to let plants and trees grow as nature already does by itself. The principle is that certain plants grow in an environment for a reason. By observing how nature behaves without human intervention, we can find how intelligent it operates. Agroforestry is a way of re-creating this intelligence of nature.
Taste
This cacao has a very specific mild, earthy and sweet flavor. It is perfect to make a ceremonial cacao drink, but it can also be used to prepare home-made ceremonial chocolate!
Processing
Cacao is never 100% raw when made into a paste, even though some claim it to be so. At Pedra do Sabiá the cacao is not necessarily considered as raw, but the processing is carried out very attentively to avoid excess heat. The traditional process of selective harvesting, fermentation and drying in the sun while keeping temperatures low reveal the true flavor of the cacao beans. The shelling of the beans is carried out in a machine that separates the nibs from the shell. This happens after the beans have previously been roasted shortly at low temperature. The cacao bars are then prepared in the Pedra do Sabiá studio. Here they take care of each step with awareness and love.
The nibs are ground in a stone mill, with low speed (24 to 36 hours); this process will give all the softness to the cacao. It is then manually tempered it to crystallize the butter and give the cacao paste a hard and homogeneous consistency. It may happen that the cacao has some white traces, when the butter has not been fully integrated into the paste. However, this does not change the taste and quality of cacao when melted.
Ingredients
100% Cacao paste
Shelf life
The cacao stays well for up at least 6 months in a dry and cool environment. If placed in the lower part of the refrigerator, pack very carefully to avoid moisture to enter.
Boas ceremônias!