We Got the Golden Ticket: Taza Chocolate Tour

Once roasted, the beans are ready to be crushed and winnowed, removing the shell and germ to leave only the flavor-packed nibs. Taza got its winnowing machine from the fourth floor of a candy factory in the Dominican Republic. It took five days to dismantle the machine and remove it from the factory for shipping to Massachusetts—and once the machine arrived, the legs had to be cut off to fit it in Taza’s space in Somerville. The effort seems to have been worth it, though: the machine sorts out undesirable elements with ease, leaving only the essential nibs for chocolate production.

After getting acquainted with the roaster and winnowing machine, we headed upstairs to see Taza’s stone mill (or molino) in action. The mill grinds up the nibs produced by the winnowing machine into chocolate liquor, a thick liquid that’s then refined into actual chocolate with the addition of sugar and cocoa butter. We watched the milling for some time, then molded our own chocolate bars from the refined and tempered chocolate. The molded bars were left in special cabinets to be cooled by fans blowing room-temperature air over them, after which we would wrap 'em up and take 'em home.

While we waited for the bars to cool, Taza cofounder Larry Slotnick explained the panning process to us. This is how Taza creates the company's infamous coated nibs as well as chocolate-covered nuts, including almonds. A large rotating copper kettle is filled with the item to be coated, then tempered chocolate is drizzled into the kettle to cover the nibs, nuts, or other victim. The items are panned until the coverage is complete, then spinning continues to cool and harden the chocolate coating in the kettle. Slotnick noted that panning is also the process by which M&Ms become coated in candy so they melt in your mouth, not in your hand. (Taza chocolate did not melt in our hands—it didn't stay there long enough to do so.)

Once we’d learned all about chocolate, we headed over to http://www.albertinepress.com/ Albertine Press and learned how to letterpress our own chocolate bar wrappers. Albertine is a small press that produces notecards, greeting cards, coasters, and custom projects from wedding invitations to broadsides. Owner Shelley Barandes and her assistant Becca showed us several presses, from the old-school (1880s) to the somewhat less old-school (1950s). Letterpress traditionally used individual handset type, but technology has enabled the use of photopolymer plates that are more durable and less time-consuming to use. Barandes used her “guillotine” machine to cut paper into chocolate bar size for us, then inked up her press and showed us how to lock in the paper, then roll the press over the plate to transfer the image to the paper. It took a matter of moments to create a cute slip to cover up our chocolate bars’ tantalizing cocoa curves (though they were really more square than curvy).

After spending most of a day sampling Taza Chocolate, we can safely say that it’s certifiably delicious. The stone grinding and lack of conching creates a distinctive gritty texture, and the high concentration of cocoa—no butterfat bullshit added—makes for an authentic chocolate sensibility. Taza mixes it up with some flavored varieties, from Mexican cinnamon to vanilla to almond, and even offers spicy Guajillo chili chocolates.

Taza’s tour next weekend is the ideal way to spend a day learning a thing or two while enjoying some impossibly delicious chocolate treats. And, conveniently, it's just in time for Mother's Day.