Casa del Chocolate – Varadero, Cuba
February 19, 2018
Every chocolate I’ve ever tasted comes with a story. This is no exception.
I found chocolate in Cuba! And what an extraordinary experience for me. Born in the mid-sixties in the U.S., everything Cuba has been off limits for my entire life.
Last month I traveled to Cuba with my husband and other alumni from our alma mater, Carroll University. We had a packed itinerary focusing on cultural and educational activities. Our People to People experience was equal parts eye opening and heart opening.
Cacao Grown In Cuba
Of course I was curious about the status of cacao in Cuba. I already knew that Cuba’s location on the planet is at the very edge of ideal growing conditions – a narrow band 20 degrees latitude north and south of the equator. Theoretically, cacao could be grown on the island, so before I left, I did some research to find out what was going on.
Turns out, limited quantities of cocoa beans are indeed grown in Cuba. The epicenter of chocolate production in Cuba is a small, eastern province called Baracoa. Cuban chocolate is both grown and manufactured in Cuba. Processing chocolate from tree to bar in the county of origin is fairly rare – although this practice is on the rise. Most cacao growing countries still export their beans to other countries. Those countries that import cocoa beans can’t grow them and instead manufacture chocolate bars and couverture.
Even during the time I worked as a researcher in the chocolate industry, I never had the opportunity to try Cuban chocolate. You can imagine that I was super motivated to have my first taste of chocolate from Cuba!
Much to my dismay, visiting Baracoa was not part of our plans. However, we did visit a city called Varadero and luckily, across the street from our hotel, we found a chocolate shop called Casa del Chocolate. We managed to steal a few precious minutes from our busy schedule to pay a visit to the chocolate shop. At long last, I was going to get the chance to taste Cuban cacao.
Casa del Chocolate
Casa del Chocolate is mainly a café, offering hot chocolate drinks and sweet goods. But they also have a small chocolate making room in which they temper chocolate, pour it into molds and sell them at a little display counter. After quickly picking out my goodies, they tightly bound them in plastic wrap and then covered it in a paper place mat from one of the café tables. I was so pressed for time, I didn’t even take a bite first!
Tasting Two Chocolate Pieces
I have two varieties of chocolate that I’m reviewing today; a solid molded piece in the shape of a sea shell and a filled bonbon coated in semi-sweet chocolate. Both chocolates are the same deep brown color. I can identify aromas of cocoa, vanilla, honey, and wood.
The solid piece is sweet, earthy, and nutty with flavors of toast and a hint of spice. The filled chocolate is a dual layer of ganache with crispy rice bits covered in a semi-sweet coating. The first layer on the bottom is a milk chocolate ganache, and the second layer on top is a white cream ganache. There are plenty of buttery and milky notes. The crispy rice adds a nice texture. I liked the ganache filling mostly because of its intense buttery flavor as well as the crispy texture.
Unfortunately, the chocolates were wrapped in a plastic that I believe caused them to have an “off” flavor. There was an odd chemical note that tainted the flavor at the first bite. The chocolate covered bonbon fared better, and I was able to enjoy it more.
My first impression of Cuban chocolate feels, well, incomplete. I don’t think I’ve had the real Cuban chocolate experience yet. I was hoping to find a flavor profile that I could call “Cuban” but I’m not sure I accomplished that with this small sample size.
Guess I’ll have to go back to Cuba. Baracoa, here I come!
Join Bryn, students of Chocolate University Online, and other chocolate lovers on a journey of chocolate discovery. (To Cuba???)
Take a look at the Chocolate Travels website for more information on any upcoming chocolate immersion trips. Be sure to put your name on the waiting list if you are interested in more information.
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Gracias a Dios que encuentro chocolatero en espanol me gustaria conoser un poco de su comienso mi nombre es Hector
Cuba is indeed growing some cacao that is being made into great chocolate by companies like Sprüngli of Switzerland. Their Cuban collection of truffles made with Baracoan cocoa is truly amazing. And I’ve had Cuban bars made from other great chocolate makers as well. But I don’t think anyone in Cuba is yet making world class chocolate. Here’s hoping that will soon happen. 🙂