‘Commune’ is a pretty big word. What, with all its Jonestown massacre undertones and joint-biodegrading-in-dreadlock mythologies. But hit dictionary.com and you’ll find its true definition is not so bad. PachaMama, found in a valley on the northwest coast of Costa Rica, is a commune. And a pretty great one at that. If you’ve ever been tantalized by the concept of running into the wild, hair braided, clothes off and iPhone tossed behind you, this is the place to do it. 

Describing itself an oasis where one can “dive into a transformative spiritual voyage, rejuvenate the body, connect with nature and celebrate life”, the ideals and practices of PachaMama are clearly not for the Gucci at heart. But for yogic folk, this could very well be the way of the future. A new life at the end of a manila folder clad tunnel. Or at the very least, a lovely two week holiday.

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Recently, my best friend Mary Beth brought back some vanilla bean from her trip to Costa Rica and opened a whole new world for me. I didn’t realize how much went into harvesting some of the most common spices in the world, such as cinnamon and vanilla.

I’m a foodie, so having fresh vanilla bean was such a treat, I’d only used vanilla extract before, but fresh vanilla bean is sooo amazingly fragrant and you get the little seeds in your cake, tea, and whatever else your creamy heart desires.

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This is not the kind of hot cocoa you’ll get out of one those tiny bags with the dehydrated marshmallows (which may or may not be my guilty pleasure). Nope, Talamanca Cocoa is taking it to a whole other level. This is about creating a ‘product ecosystem‘. Getting a little too out there? Let’s take it back to the beginning.

In Costa Rica, the Bribri women of Talamanca – hence the name – harvest cacao plants that naturally grow in their ecosystem to make organic ground cacao patties, formed by hand, which are then used for a hot cocoa, of sorts. Here, no sugar is added, of course, and the hockey puck-like ground patties are a source of pride and ceremony. So to raise awareness about the positivity of organic cocoa production and bioethical sourcing in places with rich biodiversity, such as Costa Rica, The Nature Conservancy paired up with San Francisco-based design agency, the Fuse Project. The result?

That same Talamanca Cocoa from the women in Bribri, now for your drinking pleasure. The patties are stored in burlap sacs inspired by what they use on the ground to hold the raw cacoa beans, and sold along with a tool that not only grates the cocoa into your mug but serves as a self-cleaning stirrer too. Awesome. Of course, all is local, natural, biodegradable, reusable, and organic. Who knew you could take a stand for sustainability just with a simple mug of cocoa?

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