A Tasty Chocolate Tour in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
Hi, fellow chocolate fan! Obsessed with it? Me too! Luckily, there’s a chocolate tour in Puerto Viejo you can head to satiate your craving during your visit.
This was such a fun and delicious tour I had to write about it and let you know how much I loved it while backpacking in Costa Rica.
Chocolate Tour in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
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👉 Check out the chocolate-making tour I did in Puerto Viejo!
A Mini Choco History
It’s known that cacao cultivation has a long history in this part of Costa Rica, dating back to ancient times when indigenous communities like the BriBri revered cacao as a sacred plant. The traditions of cultivating and processing cacao have been passed down through generations.
Over the years, Puerto Viejo has become a hub for sustainable and organic cacao farming. The commitment to preserving traditional methods of chocolate production, coupled with the biodiversity of the region, has positioned Puerto Viejo as an ideal location for chocolate and, therefore, chocolate-making tours!
RELATED: Your Guide to Puerto Viejo—Costa Rica’s Caribbean Surf Town
Start Outside on The Chocolate Tour in Puerto Viejo
You’ll step onto the family-operated organic cacao farm, tucked in a botanical garden, with plant life, chickens roaming around, and of course, cacao plants hanging out around you.
In this hands-on three-hour cacao experience, you’ll help with every step in the chocolate-making process and get to know the secrets of the chocolate-making traditions!
It starts outside, talking about the cacao plants, which, if you haven’t seen them, is quite cool! Once open, it’s a yummy but slimy white fruit covering the cocoa seed.
There’s a short talk about cacao trees, understanding their cultivation, and the role of fermentation and drying in shaping the flavors of chocolate.
Chocolate, Made by YOUR Hands
Roasting cacao nibs, molding into chocolate bars—every step is a manual effort. It’s a connection to the roots of chocolate-making, and on this tour, YOU’RE doing the work! Roasting, grinding, pounding, sifting, rolling… Damn, who knew chocolate-making was going to be this laborious!?
I had no idea, but I sure loved learning about it and getting my hands dirty in the making. There are so many steps and tools to make a perfect little chocolate delight that’s gobbled up in a second. It definitely made me appreciate good chocolate a lot more.
It was super fun to participate, everyone in the group got to do something in the process, all while our knowledgeable teacher was explaining the why.
Tasting All The Chocolate
You’re going to snack on chocolate in its different stages during this chocolate tour in Puerto Viejo. I had it in raw and bitter form, in little nibs (possibly my fav version!), and even as a rich and thick hot chocolate drink! It was SO good, but it was so thick, I felt it coating my teeth. I had never had chocolate like this before.
To bring home, you’ll get the shells to make tea out of (interestingly enough), cocoa nibs, and also ten chocolates that you made with the class!
Just in case you’re wondering, it’s going to be all dark chocolate, yum! No fake stuff, no milk, no additives, etc. Just some damn good pure chocolate.
👉 Check out the chocolate-making tour I did here!
This was one of the coolest things to do in Puerto Viejo; you have to experience chocolate-making while you’re here. I was here with my friend Robin, and we both did the class together and loved it!
Read more about Costa Rica:
- Backpacking Costa Rica: Your Complete Guide!
- 26 TOP Things to Do in Costa Rica
- Your Guide to Things to Do in Santa Teresa
- 8 Best Things to Do in Manuel Antonio
- Your Guide to Montezuma, Costa Rica
- 11 Best Things to Do in Uvita
- Your Guide to Uvita Waterfall
- Things to Do in Monteverde: Your FULL Guide!
- El Tigre Waterfalls in Monteverde: What to Know!
- Your Guide to Playas del Coco
- Your Guide to Samara Beach
- 13 BEST Things to Do in Guanacaste
- 13 EPIC Things to Do in La Fortuna
- Hiking to La Fortuna Waterfall: What to Know!
- Your Guide to Puerto Viejo—Costa Rica’s Caribbean Surf Town
- A Tasty Chocolate Tour in Puerto Viejo
- 10 Best Waterfalls in Costa Rica (+ Costs and Tips)
- How to Visit Rio Celeste Waterfall
- How to Visit Oropendola Waterfall
Don’t miss out on chocolate making while visiting Costa Rica!
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