On a cold Friday in January a friend and I turned in our groupon 2 /1 coupon and took the $5 tour of the Taza chocolate company. Not just a chocolatier ( A chocolatier is someone who makes confectionery from chocolate. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolatier ) they actually grind according to old world standards in their small factory in Somerville ,MA
Founded in 2006, Taza Chocolate was born out of a desire to combine the Mesoamerican tradition of chocolate with a modern, high-quality product manufactured in a socially responsible way. In 2005, Taza cofounder Alex Whitmore traveled to Oaxaca to steep himself in the history and culture of Mexico. There, he learned about the pre-Columbian ritual of “xocolātl” in Latin America, and the customs that surrounded the transformation of cacao into a drink . Alex was surprised and inspired by the simplicity of the Oaxacan treatment of chocolate. He was compelled by the minimal processing and traditional method of stone grinding the beans… so much so that he was moved to start a business dedicated to crafting artisan, Mexican-style chocolate in the United States. Alex and cofounder Larry Slotnick decided early on that they wanted to start a company with a conscience. Taza Chocolate would be sustainable – not just financially but environmentally, and community-focused. After considering models in use in the coffee field and analyzing the current state of the chocolate industry, Alex and Larry set to work on a business plan. Their company, Taza Chocolate, would produce 100% stone ground, organic chocolate using only the best ingredients while compensating growers fairly for their work. The early relationships that Alex and Larry formed with these producers would lay the foundation of the Direct Trade principles that Taza employs today.
The tour showed the cocoa bean to bar process that makes them a true chocolate company. Our tour guide John was enthusiastic , informative and patient. Questions were encouraged and our group of about 15 were a mixed group of adults. Although we went when the factory was busy it would be a great tour even on the week-end when they aren’t processing!
We saw cocoa pods , the roasted beans and the final roasted nibs. All along the way we were encouraged to hold each item. The wrapping room had women hand wraping the Mexican chocolate discs. We of course ended in a gift shop which sells their amazing chocolate which you can also buy on many sites such as Amazon. I sprung for a can of dark chocolate covered almonds for my husband. Later that night he offered me a few- and said he could eat the whole can they were so good. I reminded him that at $14.50 a can he might want to slow down!
One thing that always amazes me when I see foods and how they are processed is where man ( man as a species gets the idea to roast, dice, ferment etc. ) original natural products to get a food stuff. In this case chocolate starts out as a white substance inside a large pod which grows on axial branches of the tree. In its natural state it looks somewhat like a large papaya in color and shape. To get at the cacao beans inside the pod, the melon-like skin of the fruit is cracked with a machete and the insides scooped out. In a typical cacao pod, there are roughly 40 almond-shaped beans surrounded by a white, mucilaginous pulp called ‘baba’. (Mucililaginous menas it’s sticky ).The baba de cacao is sweet, tangy and delicious to eat, while raw, unprocessed cacao beans are intensely bitter and nearly inedible. The beans are usually a beautiful deep purple, although varieties of different shades from pure white to pink do exist. The pods are picked, the baba shelled collected and dried and fermented by the farmers. They are then bagged and sent here. Then the beans are roasted, winnowed, and the nibs are collected and sent to the main factory room where the nibs are ground into cocoa liquor using authentic Mexican stone mills that they sourced from Oaxaca. The chocolate is then tempered for shine and mouth feel and snap and sent to be molded and wrapped! WOW!
WANT TO SEE IT IN PERSON? VISIT US FOR A TOUR!!
We are excited to announce that TAZA CHOCOLATE FACTORY TOURS ARE HERE!! and operate several days a week! Reservations are required. You will be able to sample chocolate, learn about cocoa beans and see the amazing machinery used to make traditional stone ground chocolate in this artisan bean-to-bar chocolate factory. Tour is 1 hour. Retail Store (Tour Inquiries): (617) 284-2232
Taza Chocolate
561 Windsor Street
Somerville, MA 02143-4192
USA
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