Ethereal and Ephemeral Luxury: Chocolate’s Transformational Journey from Luxury to Commodity (and back?) - Part 1 -

LOL Essay 007. By Mario Schultz

​Abstract
​Drawing on the example of chocolate’s evolution, this two-part essay explores ethereal and ephemeral luxury – two unconventional perspectives on luxury. Ethereal luxury as discussed in Part One, is rooted in transcendence and the sublime, as demonstrated by tracing chocolate‘s historical journey from a sacred “food of the gods” to a globally accessible commodity. Part Two examines ephemeral luxury, illustrating how impermanence shapes luxury value both in fleeting moments and over time. The discussion highlights that soaring cocoa prices - driven by climate change and related environmental pressures - may reposition chocolate as a rare luxury in the near future. Overall, the essay underscores the dynamic interplay between changing cultural meanings, material abundance, and ecological constraints in shaping the peculiar nature of luxury.

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Photo by Photo by Vie Studio on Pexels
 
“Chocolate is the first luxury. It has so many things wrapped up in it: deliciousness in the moment, childhood memories, and that grin-inducing feeling of getting a reward for being good.” - Mariska Hargitay, US actress (Steinman, 2009).
Introduction The above quote captures the essence of luxury as something that transcends its material form, evoking intangible and fleeting characteristics that are often overlooked. Luxuries are typically viewed as non-essentials that come with high quality and a correspondingly high price, or seen through a Veblenian lens, as conspicuous consumption through which their owners display wealth or status (Ko et al., 2019; Thorstein, 1899). However, such a view overlooks the deeper, more nuanced layers that contribute to its meaning. As explored in the following, luxury can also be understood through two additional and interrelated, yet distinct lenses: ethereal and ephemeral luxury. Whereas ethereal luxury refers to the transcendent, sublime, and otherworldliness, ephemeral luxury underlines its transient, fleeting, and temporary nature. The subsequent paragraphs will unwrap these lenses while examining examples from the world of chocolate.
Ethereal Luxury Ethereal refers to the transcendent or otherworldly nature of luxury. In the Cambridge Dictionary (Cambridge University Press, 2025), ethereal is described as “very light and delicate, especially in a way that does not seem to come from the real, physical world.” The etymology of the adjective can be traced back to the ancient Greek term ‘aitherikos’ and the concept of aether, an element defined by its unique and heavenly qualities (Milutis, 2006). Thus, ethereal aligns with the idea of luxury as something otherworldly, a quality transforming the ordinary into the sublime. The ethereal nature of luxury is evident when examining the historic journey of cocoa from its origins in South America to its current status as an indispensable part of many people’s lives.

Image: Theobroma cacao/ ‘Food of the gods’ with cocoa pods. Photo by KLT Dinusha on Pexels.


Long before their introduction to other continents, cocoa trees held profound significance in Mesoamerican cultures. Native to Middle and South America, cocoa was not merely a commodity and common currency but also a sacred entity deeply embedded in the societies of, for example, the Aztecs and Maya (Norton, 2006). Its scientific name, “Theobroma cacao,” translates to “Food of the Gods” (Dreiss & Greenhill, 2008, p. 4). As Dreiss and Greenhill (2008, p. 4) describe: “[t]he cacao tree emerges from creation mythology as a sacred World Tree, worthy of the protection of cacao gods and goddesses. As a symbol of abundance, rulership, and ancestry, the cacao tree serves as a metaphorical conduit by which human souls and gods travel between Earth, Sky, and Underworld” (Dreiss & Greenhill, 2008, p. 4). Consequently, the consumption of chocolate (i.e., processed cocoa beans) was an exclusive pleasure in Mesoamerican cultures, reserved only for the ruling elite.
After Spanish conquistadors introduced cocoa beans to Europe in the 16th century, not much changed in this regard. Chocolate quickly gained popularity among the European elite, who embraced its exotic, otherworldly mystique (Norton, 2006). During this Baroque period, chocolate was consumed by “the white-skinned, perfumed, bewigged, overdressed royalty and nobility of Europe,” however, in a new ethereal shape (Coe & Coe, 2013, p. 175). The Spanish had decided to change chocolate’s spiritual reverence among the Mesoamericans, toward a new ethereal essence: as an esoteric European medicine in line with the dominant humoral theories of that period (Coe & Coe, 2013). The prevailing humoral theory of the time posited that bodily fluids governed health and temperament, making chocolate an appealing elixir to balance these forces.
Ultimately, chocolate’s ethereal charm was destined to undergo a transformation again in the 1800s. With the invention of Dutch processing and the chocolate press, 28 centuries of elite chocolate consumption came to an end — the ethereal became accessible to everyone — as mass production democratized chocolate consumption, paving the way for all the varieties that people love to unwrap today (Coe & Coe, 2013). Away from the status of an esoteric elixir, the ethereal is now grounded in hard science, backing positive health benefits of (some) chocolates: “cocoa has been found to improve antioxidant status, reduce inflammation, and correlate with reduced heart disease risk” (Cooper et al., 2008, p. 1).
However, as we believe science has explained it all, we find that modern research and corporate marketing playfully uphold chocolate’s ethereal appeal. Published in Nature under the title “Chocolate habits of Nobel prizewinners,” Golomb (2013) reports on Nobel laureates’ self-reported chocolate consumption and them being significantly more likely to eat chocolate, compared to equally educated peers. Recognizing their studies’ multiple limitations, Golmb (2013, p. 409) acknowledges “that the laureates’ responses, like chocolate consumption itself, could be tongue in cheek.”  Essentially, the ethereal nature of chocolate endures, and luxury companies like India’s ITC Limited know how to exploit this sublime mystique as illustrated by their “Feels Like Heaven” campaign, which promises a transcendent sensory journey (ITC Limited, 2025).
Conclusion
Part One has explored ethereal luxury by tracing chocolate‘s historical journey from a sacred “food of the gods” to a democratized commodity. Part 2 will shift focus to ephemeral luxury, examining how impermanence shapes the value of luxury both in fleeting moments and over time. As cocoa prices soar and scarcity looms, can chocolate’s legacy as democratized luxury endure? Part 2 will uncover the stakes.

 
References
Cambridge University Press. (2025, June 11). Ethereal. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/ethereal
Coe, S. D., & Coe, M. D. (2013). The true history of chocolate (3. ed). Thames & Hudson.
Cooper, K. A., Donovan, J. L., Waterhouse, A. L., & Williamson, G. (2008). Cocoa and health: A decade of research. British Journal of Nutrition, 99(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114507795296
Dreiss, M. L., & Greenhill, S. E. (2008). Chocolate: Pathway to the Gods. University of Arizona Press.
Golomb, B. A. (2013). Chocolate habits of Nobel prizewinners. Nature, 499(7459), 409–409. https://doi.org/10.1038/499409a
ITC Limited. (2025). Fabelle chocolates are ITC’s premier offering in the luxury chocolate space. https://www.itcportal.com/brands-microsite/fabelle.aspx
Ko, E., Costello, J. P., & Taylor, C. R. (2019). What is a luxury brand? A new definition and review of the literature. Journal of Business Research, 99(November 2016), 405–413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.08.023
Milutis, J. (2006). Ether: The nothing that connects everything. University of Minnesota Press.
Norton, M. (2006). Tasting Empire: Chocolate and the European Internalization of Mesoamerican Aesthetics. The American Historical Review, 111(3), 660–691. https://doi.org/10.1086/ahr.111.3.660
Steinman, E. (2009, January 15). Mariska Hargitay. Bon Appétit. https://www.bonappetit.com/people/article/mariska-hargitay
Thorstein, V. (1899). The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study in the Evolution of Institutions. The Macmillan Company. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL27109424M