![]() Rows of chocolate molds at Taza Chocolate, Somerville, MA. The chocolate is injected into molds, is cooled for a few minutes, then wrapped. These red molinos mill sugar and cacao liquor (together referred to as chocolate mass) to meld flavors and give Taza’s chocolates their texture!Īfter the chocolate is ground properly, it moves to the tempering machine, which works the chocolate to make it more smooth and shelf stable, and give it its snappy texture. These pipes are how chocolate is transported around the room. This minimal refining is, after all, what gives Taza chocolates their granular unique texture! Suhayl, who led us through Taza Chocolate! The first set of molinos, or mills, used to make Taza’s chocolates. Taza’s Amazebars and Stone Ground Chocolate receive this extra refining, while their discs are milled just twice. Depending what product is being created, the chocolate may or may not pass through a third refiner, fitted on with an enormous roll of granite. The right amount of organic cane sugar is added, and the ensemble, now called cocoa or chocolate mass, passes through overhead pipes to a second red mill for another grind. This breaks them down enough so that they become what is called chocolate liquor (pure cacao in liquid form). The nibs first pass through a blue vintage mill equipped with a volcanic rock grinding stone. The bins are moved to the grinding room, a warm room full of holding vats and molinos, or mills, and an enormous roll refiner made of granite. It looks good in its new home! Cacao nibs, ready for the next step in becoming chocolate! This vintage winnower was bought from a candy factory in the Dominican Republic. Shells are sold for other uses, like in specialty tea. Cacao nibs are sorted by size as they fall to the bottom. Compressed air blows shell pieces away, while the nibs fall to waiting bins below. It accepts roasted cacao beans at the top, then crushes the shells away to expose the tasty nibs inside-these nibs will eventually become chocolate bars or discs, or chocolate-covered cacao nibs. The winnower was like a magical chocolate box. ![]() I was more than a little mesmerized by the cacao beans turning through the roaster, 200 lbs to a batch. We began our tour in the roaring roasting and winnowing room, where an enormous vintage roasting machine dominated the far corners, and a massive vintage winnower, direct from the Dominican Republic, dominated the area near the entrance. of cacao beans at a time! A peek at the cacao beans as they cool from being roasted. This vintage roasting machine can handle 200 lbs. According to their website, other favorite chocolatiers like Mast Brothers, Dandelion Chocolate, Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate, and Ritual Chocolate all source from Maya Mountain. I learned that Belize is on the supply list because Alex Whitmore, Taza’s founder, helped found Maya Mountain Cacao, an organization that supports Belizean cacao farmers, and connects them with fine chocolate makers. A lot of their beans are from the Dominican Republic and Belize, but Suhayl told me that they are going to be sourcing cacao beans directly from Haiti soon (the first US chocolate maker to do so!), so we will start seeing chocolate bars from Haitian beans next year! Taza sources cocoa beans from around the world while remaining mindful of its carbon footprint, its commitment to flavor, and relations with local farmers. Our guide was the knowledgeable and bubbly Suhayl, who explained the chocolate making process from plant to bar. Visiting Taza Chocolate in Somerville, MA. ![]() Cheesemonger and I were given a behind-the-scenes peek at how it all happens. Now, the company is expanding far beyond just chocolate discs, and M. I love Taza Chocolate’s granular texture, fruity, bright flavors, and unusual disc shape. I have loved their products for years! There was even a point where I was eating ½ a Chocolate Mexicano disc a day. Cheesemonger and I were away on the east coast for my college reunion and vacation, but I’m finally back in San Francisco with a ton of photos and stories to share with you! One of the first stops on our trip was Taza Chocolate (affiliate link). ![]()
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