Taza Stone Ground Mexican Chocolate is Back!
Ma Petite Shoe store favorite Taza Chocolate is back! Taza confections get their unique flavor and texture from the way the chocolate is manufactured. The cacao used by Taza is stone ground in the Oaxacan tradition, using hand carved granite stones called molinos. The resulting chocolate is immensely flavorful and has a pleasantly nibby texture. With their trademark circular shape and varieties such as Guajillo Chili, Orange, Cinnamon and Salt and Pepper, Taza's Chocolato Mexicano bars are an awesomely different experience that may well become your new favorite way to enjoy chocolate. (I'm well on my way!)
Taza also makes stone ground rectangular bars. Just in time for Valentine's Day, we're offering the new Coco Besos (Coconut Kisses) bar, 70% stone ground dark chocolate with coconut. I'm finding the combination of the slightly rough Taza chocolate and soft coconut shavings to be a full-blown sensory miracle, just sweet enough, and totally addicting.
Taza, a Massachussetts-based company, is committed to sustainable, organic and fair-trade practices. Exemplifying their passion, the brand takes a yearly trip to Belize for the enticingly named "Chocolate Week," in which Taza co-founder Alex Whitmore (pictured far left above) leads a group of adventurous participants on a tour around the beautiful country, exploring the Mayan origins of chocolate.
A few years ago, the Ma Petite Shoe staff was fortunate enough to participate in Taza's Chocolate Week. Here are some highlights from our extraordinary and highly educational chocolate trip:
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| Our pathway to breakfast at the ecolodge... |
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| Set on the stunning Mojo River with Howler Monkeys in the trees above |
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| A big pile o' cacao pods... |
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| ...to make a age-old Mayan recipe for a maize and cacao "energy drink"!
First four photos courtesy of TAZA chocolate.
Last four photographs by Susannah Siger, Ma Petite Shoe
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