How to Make Ceremonial Cacao with Water, Step by Step
Joe MotionShare
To make ceremonial cacao with water, put 15g of cacao in a mug, add a splash of hot water and whisk it into a smooth paste. Then top up with 200ml of water that is hot but not boiling, around 80°C, and whisk again until it froths. It takes about four minutes, most of it waiting for the kettle.
That is the short version. The rest of this guide covers the details that separate a smooth cup from a lumpy one, starting with the paste.
Most guides online are written for solid cacao paste, which you chop, melt in a pan and use at 25g to 42g a cup. Our blends are ground, so the method is quicker and happens in the mug. If you are new to the drink itself, start with our complete guide to what ceremonial cacao is.
What do you need to make ceremonial cacao with water?
You need 15g of ceremonial cacao, 200ml of hot water, a mug and something to whisk with. That is the full list.
- Cacao: 15g, which is roughly one heaped tablespoon. A kitchen scale is worth using for the first few cups until you know what 15g looks like in your spoon.
- Water: 200ml, from a kettle. Tap water is fine.
- A mug: one that holds at least 300ml, so there is room to whisk without it going over the side.
- A whisk: a small handheld electric frother gives the smoothest result. A small balloon whisk or a fork will do the job with more effort.
How do you make ceremonial cacao with water, step by step?
Make a paste with a little water first, then add the rest and whisk again. Here is the method from our product pages, with a little more detail.
- Boil the kettle and let it sit. Leave it for about three minutes after it clicks off. You want hot, not boiling.
- Weigh 15g of cacao into your mug.
- Add a splash of the hot water. About two tablespoons, just enough to wet all the powder.
- Whisk it into a paste. Work it for 20 to 30 seconds until it is glossy and has no dry pockets. It should look like thick melted chocolate.
- Top up to 200ml. Pour the rest of the water in slowly while you keep whisking.
- Whisk again until it froths. Another 20 to 30 seconds with an electric frother. Longer by hand.
- Drink it while it is hot. If you leave it, give it a quick stir before you carry on, as the cacao settles towards the bottom.
Make it before you open the laptop. The three minutes at the kettle are yours before anything else gets a chance to interrupt.
How much ceremonial cacao should you use per cup?
Use 15g per cup. Both of our blends, Ritualise unsweetened ceremonial cacao and Flow, are portioned at that amount, and it is the serving size our nutrition figures are based on.
You will see bigger numbers elsewhere. Guides for pure cacao paste often use 25g to 42g. Those recipes are for a different product, usually a solid block of 100% cacao, and a different kind of occasion. Our blends are built for a cup you make on an ordinary working day.
At 15g, a 250g bag gives you about 16 cups. At £28 a bag, that works out at roughly £1.75 a cup.
What temperature should the water be?
Aim for around 80°C. In practice that means boiling the kettle and leaving it for about three minutes before you pour.
Water straight off the boil leaves you with a cup that is too hot to drink for several minutes, and the cacao starts to settle while you wait. Water that is only warm will not melt the cacao fat properly, so the cup ends up thin with a gritty layer at the bottom.
If you use a temperature-controlled kettle, set it to 80°C and skip the wait.
Why do you make a paste first?
Making a paste first stops lumps. Ceremonial-grade cacao keeps its natural fat, and fat-rich powder clumps when a lot of water hits it at once. The outside of each clump gets wet and seals in dry powder that no amount of stirring will reach.
A small splash of water gives you something thick enough to press the powder against. Once every bit is wet and smooth, the rest of the water blends in easily.
If you have skipped this step and ended up with lumps, pour the cup into a small pan, warm it gently and whisk. Or tip it back and forth between two mugs a few times.
Whisk, frother or spoon: which works best?
A handheld electric frother works best. It breaks up the paste quickly and gives the cup a light layer of foam on top.
| Tool | Time | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Electric frother | About 1 minute in total | Smooth, with foam on top |
| Small balloon whisk | About 2 minutes | Smooth, light foam |
| Fork | 2 to 3 minutes | Mostly smooth, no foam |
| Teaspoon | 3 minutes or more | Some small lumps are likely |
A blender also works if you are making two or three cups at once. Let the water cool for a few minutes more before blending, and hold the lid down with a tea towel.
Our Welcome Pack comes with an electric whisk and one cup each of Ritualise and Flow, for £7 with free UK delivery.
Can you make ceremonial cacao with milk instead of water?
Yes. Use the same method with warm plant milk in place of the water, or split it half and half.
| Water | Plant milk | |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | 200ml | 200ml |
| Temperature | Around 80°C | Steaming, not boiling |
| Paste step | A splash of hot water | A splash of hot water, then the milk |
| Taste | The cacao on its own, darker and more bitter | Rounder and creamier |
| Foam | Light | Thicker, especially with oat milk |
Water shows you what the cacao tastes like. Milk softens it. Try your first cup with water so you know where you are starting from, then adjust.
What does ceremonial cacao made with water taste like?
Made with water, Ritualise is rich and earthy with a clear bitter edge. I don't sweeten Ritualise, and the pinch of Himalayan pink salt is there to round the flavour out.
This isn't hot chocolate. It is thinner than a milky drinking chocolate and much less sweet. Flow is the gentler of the two, with coconut sugar and vanilla, and it is gently sweet even on water.
If Ritualise tastes too bitter at first, add a little warm oat milk before you change anything else.
What's in a 15g cup of Ritualise?
A 15g cup of Ritualise contains ceremonial-grade cacao, organic maca powder, organic lion's mane mushroom powder and Himalayan pink salt. The cacao comes from small-scale cooperative farms in Peru.
| Per 15g serving | Ritualise |
|---|---|
| Energy | 84 kcal |
| Fat | 7.4g |
| of which saturates | 4.7g |
| Carbohydrate | 1.4g |
| of which sugars | 0.3g |
| Fibre | 2.3g |
| Protein | 1.9g |
| Salt | 0.5g |
A 15g+ serving is a source of magnesium, copper and iron.* Magnesium contributes to normal psychological function.*
*Based on a 15g+ serving.
These are the only health claims we make, and they are taken word for word from the Great Britain nutrition and health claims register. They apply to a serving of 15g or more.
What are the most common mistakes?
The most common mistake is pouring all the water in at once. Most of the others come down to measuring and temperature.
- Skipping the paste. This is where lumps come from.
- Using boiling water. Let the kettle sit for three minutes.
- Guessing the amount. A heaped spoon can be anywhere from 10g to 20g. Weigh it until you know your spoon.
- Too much water. Past about 250ml the cup starts to taste thin.
- Letting it stand. The cacao settles as the cup cools. Stir before each sip if you are drinking slowly at your desk.
Once you have the method down, it becomes something you do without thinking. For the longer story behind the brand, read how Unified Cacao started.
Quick answers
How long does it take to make ceremonial cacao?
About four minutes, most of which is waiting for the kettle to cool slightly. The whisking takes under a minute with an electric frother.
Can I make ceremonial cacao in the microwave?
You can heat the water in the microwave, but still make the paste in the mug first and whisk the rest in. Heating the powder and water together without whisking tends to leave lumps.
Is there caffeine in ceremonial cacao?
Very little. Cacao is theobromine-led, and we add no caffeine to either blend.
Is Ritualise vegan and gluten-free?
Yes. Both Ritualise and Flow are vegan and gluten-free, with no fillers or preservatives.
How many cups are in a 250g bag?
About 16 cups at 15g each. Kept cool and dry, a bag is best used within six months of opening.
Should there be sediment at the bottom of the mug?
A little, yes. Ground cacao does not dissolve completely the way instant drinks do, so give the mug a swirl before the last few sips.
Written by Joe Motion, founder of Unified Cacao. Joe makes Ritualise and Flow in small batches for people doing demanding work.
