Chocolate Tour: Taza Chocolate Factory

Located in a somewhat obscure side street in Somerville, MA - the magical birthplace of marshmallow fluff - is Taza Chocolate Factory Store, a decade-old passion project started by couple Alex Whitemore and Kathleen Fulton.

Taza's chocolate is unique because:
1. it's Mexican-style - grittier, darker, dairy free! 
2. it's made from "bean to bar" right in this factory, at a rate of tens of thousands per week
3. its cocoa is purchased directly from cacao producers to ensure quality and fair pricing. How awesome is that?

After scoring some Groupons (they're still available!), some friends and I hunkered into the city to check it out. With such a small store and factory, it can be quite easy to miss this place. Hence, holding factory tours is actually a super clever and fun way to draw in chocolate lovers to taste to their products and learn about Taza's mission.

Tour Highlights
We arrived at 10AM on a Saturday, and the few staff working there were super friendly, enthusiastic and seemed in love with their jobs. But then again, I would be too if I worked in a chocolate factory.

Cacao beans 

We learned the story behind Taza and each step of the way in their chocolate production process. We toured the factory rooms and saw the re-purposed machinery used to process the cocoa pods, grind up the solids and collect the butter and more. And along the way, we sampled different chocolates, and by the end of the tour, I had a chocolate baby in my belly. Yummm. Since it was the weekend, no one was there to work the machines, but apparently if you go on the weekday you can witness all the action.

(L) Piles and piles of completed chocolate bars! (R) Chocolate bars waiting to be wrapped. OMNOMNOM.

Overall the tour lasted around 45 minutes. We ended right where we began - at the storefront. A friend and I each ended up getting a bar of Cinnamon and Salted Almond chocolate. 

Magical shelves full of chocolate...

Hold up.

Come to mamaaaa.

At the end of the tour, they served the darkest, richest, best cup of hot chocolate I've ever had in my life.

This was my first food/factory tour, and I would describe it as "the most delicious learning experience, ever". It was eye-opening to understand the intricate, multi-day process of producing the best legal drug of the world, chocolate. If it's possible, I now have an even greater respect for chocolate makers. Except Hershey. Sorry, Hershey. Now excuse me while I go drown my midterm sorrows in a pile of dark chocolate. Nomz, I'm out.