Maria Cacao, Mexico City: Discovering the Pleasure of Mexican Cacao

There are shops you walk into to buy something, and then there are shops that make you want to stay awhile and revel.

Casa María Cacao is firmly in the latter category. Tucked into a street in Roma Norte, it's a little house of chocolate, all candlelight and romance, even in the middle of the day. There is something wonderfully personal about it, as though you've been invited into someone's home rather than simply stepped into a shop.

I met the lovely María Cabor yesterday and was immediately taken with her. She has a gentle manner and is clearly passionate about cacao and the products she creates alongside her team.

After six years of growing María Cacao online, she opened this charming little space earlier in 2026, creating somewhere people can stop, sit down and enjoy the pleasure of Mexican cacao.

What is cacao, and how is it different from cocoa?

The words cacao and cocoa are often used interchangeably, but there is a distinction. Cacao refers to the fruit and seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree, as well as products made directly from them. Cocoa, in its more familiar commercial form, generally refers to the powder made by processing cacao beans, often after much of their natural cocoa butter has been pressed out. It is the powder most of us know from baking and making hot chocolate.

Traditional Mexican cacao has a rather different character. The beans are fermented, dried, roasted, and ground into a rich paste, retaining both their natural cocoa butter and the distinctive flavor of the beans. Rather than the sweet, milky chocolate drink many of us grew up with, traditional cacao drinks tend to be more intense, earthy, and less sweet, allowing the cacao itself to take center stage.

In Mexico, cacao has a history stretching back thousands of years. The ancient Olmec, Maya, and Mexica civilizations all valued it, preparing it as a drink and using it in ceremonies and trade. It was considered a precious commodity, and its cultural importance has endured.

Today, Tabasco and Chiapas remain important cacao-producing regions in southern Mexico. It is from Tabasco that María sources the cacao at the heart of her creations.

What makes María Cacao so special?

María works with cacao from Tabasco, bringing an ingredient with such a rich Mexican heritage into a collection of handmade chocolates, cacao bars, and drinking cacao.

Her little cacao bites, known as Mazorquitas, are particularly delicious. Shaped like miniature cacao pods, they are made with cacao and sweetened only with dates and agave. There is no refined sugar, and the result is a lovely intensity of chocolate, balanced by the natural sweetness of the fruit. They are the sort of indulgence that makes it rather difficult to stop at just one.

María also makes beautiful bars of cacao, and she is clearly passionate about what she believes cacao can bring to our lives. We spent quite some time talking about its spiritual qualities, its calming effects and the sense of happiness she believes it can inspire. For María, cacao is about much more than chocolate. It is about connection, taking time for yourself and creating a little daily ritual.

I have to say, after sampling a few of her chocolates while listening to her talk, I began to feel rather happily transported. María has a wonderfully persuasive way of talking about cacao. I was almost hypnotized by the time she'd finished, and I did experience a little happy rush.

I'm a committed green tea drinker, but I can see myself making room for a cup of drinking cacao in my daily routine. It might just be time to introduce a new ritual.

Stay Awhile

One of the loveliest things about Casa María Cacao is that you don't have to simply pop in to buy something and leave. You can settle in, order a cup of her drinking cacao and enjoy a slice of homemade banana bread. It's a rather lovely way to spend a little time, particularly in a city that can sometimes feel as though it's always in a hurry.

The Perfect Gift to Take Home

If you're looking for something a little different to take home from Mexico City, María Cacao makes a wonderful gift. The beautifully packaged cacao bars, little Mazorquitas, are a world away from the usual box of chocolates.

Casa María Cacao

• Address: Tabasco 327, Roma Norte, Mexico City.
• Website: https://www.mariacacao.mx/