Black maca powder

What is black maca?

Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a root vegetable from the high plateaus of central Peru, mostly in Junín and Pasco. It belongs to the same family as radish and turnip, and it grows where few other crops survive: between 3,800 and 4,500 meters, with frost most nights and strong sun by day.

A single field gives roots in several colors. Black maca is the darkest and one of the least common, so producers sort it out of the harvest and sell it on its own. The roots are dried, then milled into powder. In the Andes, maca has been eaten as food for generations: boiled, roasted or blended into sweet drinks.

How black maca tastes

All maca tastes malty and nutty, a little like butterscotch or toasted grain. Black maca is the strongest of the three colors: earthier, deeper and slightly bitter. That makes it a good match for coffee, cacao and chocolate, where milder yellow maca can get lost.

Black maca is still maca: only the color of the root is different. For a side-by-side comparison of taste, price and use, read Black maca vs red maca: what’s actually different.

How to use black maca powder

Stir it into food and drinks. Start with one teaspoon (about 3 g) a day and follow the serving printed on the pack.

• Coffee and lattes: a teaspoon in your morning cup or in a latte.
• Hot chocolate: with cacao powder and warm milk, where its earthy taste fits best.
• Smoothies: with banana, cacao and a spoonful of peanut butter.
• Breakfast: stirred into porridge, overnight oats or yogurt.
• Baking: in brownies, energy balls or pancakes.

Tip: maca clumps in hot liquids. Whisk it into a spoonful of warm milk first, then top up the cup.

Raw or gelatinized black maca?

Both are black maca powder. The difference is what happens to the root before it’s milled.

Each product page says raw or gelatinized when the pack does. If you’re new to maca, gelatinized is the easier place to start.

How to choose black maca powder

• Origin: look for “Product of Peru” on the label. Some packs also name the region.
• Organic: organic black maca powder carries a certification seal, such as USDA Organic or EU Organic. We list it exactly as it’s printed on the pack.
• Raw or gelatinized: pick by how you’ll use it (see the table above).
• Only black maca: some packs blend several colors. If you want black maca alone, check the ingredients list.
• Pack size: at one teaspoon a day, a 200 g pack lasts about two months.
• Sealed and in date: we check the seal and the best-before date on every pack before it leaves Lima.

Black maca benefits: what we can and can’t say

Black maca is often sold with promises about energy, libido and fertility. We don’t make them. Here’s what we can say:

• In the Andes, maca is a traditional food that families have eaten for generations.
• Most research on black maca in particular has been done in rats and mice, not in people.¹
• Studies in people are few and small, and most of them test maca in general, not one color. Two systematic reviews of those trials concluded that there were too few of them, with too few participants, to draw firm conclusions.^{2, 3}
• That research doesn’t show that black maca treats or prevents any condition.

If you want to take black maca for a health reason, or you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, have a thyroid condition or take medication, talk to your doctor first.