Sweet + Spirited

This is the story of how cacao found its way into my own pot.

I have always loved tinctures, teas, tonics and potions and now, an invitation to collaborate presented me with a cauldron.

I already knew cacao as something shared in ritual and had been wanting to bring that ritual into my home, in my own way.

So, when Ancient Wisdom reached out and offered to send me some of their cacao, the timing was perfect.

The first time I prepared my own cacao I took it on the road for a trip to the Cederberg. I thoughtfully brewed a pot and served it as part of a small ritual in the mountains, under the stars...on sheepskins, of course.

Since then, it has become something I return to in the evenings, or when I want to settle into a good flow of work. It is rich, warming and deeply nourishing. Known for being its incredibly heart supporting properties, you can truly feel the expansion of this space as each sip goes down.

For me, it is a true heart-opening medicine, made even sweeter through a ritual of self-love.

I begin by brewing three cups of organic rooibos tea directly in the pot.

Rooibos is my foundation, but the tea often changes according to the time of day and what I feel like. Sometimes I add hibiscus for something brighter and more tart to cut the richness, or blue lotus when I want to soften more deeply into the ritual.

Once the tea has brewed, I remove the bags and add:

• 5g Ancient Wisdom cacao
• A small spoonful of organic cold-pressed coconut oil
• Some organic raw honey, just enough to soften the bitterness not to overdo it on sweetness
• Optional hydrolysed collagen, if you are not plant-based

I keep the pot over a low heat and let the cacao melt slowly, whisking until everything becomes smooth and glossy.

No milk. No complicated method. I add more water if it becomes too thick and allow the ingredients to come together by feel.

I rarely make it exactly the same way twice.

This is where the preparation becomes particularly Sweetwater.

Depending on the time of day and what I feel called towards, I love to add a few drops of one of the tinctures in my cupboard.

My favourites are sage, milk thistle and turmeric. Others in rotation include guarana, sceletium and oregano.

I have been loving working with plant allies in liquid, concentrated form, finding this the most bio-available way of enjoying supplementation and it brings me satisfaction feeling into which tinctures are supportive at that time in my season or cycle.

The difference between making a drink and making a ritual of it can be very small.

A candle, music, definitely a few conscious breaths while the cacao melts.

A moment to check in with my heart and notice how it's feeling as I arrive into the moment.

Then I pour it into my favourite cacao mug and drink it slowly.

There is so much care held in the process: the plants grown and gathered, the cacao finding its way into my hands and the time I have taken to slow down and prepare something nourishing and gentle for myself.

A little medicine. A little play. A pot made by feel.

To keeping things sweet and spirited.