What is the difference between ceremonial cacao and regular cacao?

This is one of the most common questions I am asked when I am telling someone about our Cacao Ceremonies.  First it is important to discuss the difference between Cac-AO and Cac-oa.  Cac-AO is the seed of a wonderful tasting fruit tree found in the equatorial regions of the Americas.  It is processed into Cac-OA which yeilds more powder then just the beans themselves.  Cac-OA is most used in the  chocolate treats your most likely used to, although sometimes there isn’t even Cac-OA in your treat you thought was chocolate.

One of the easiest ways to describe how ceremonial cacao is different than regular