I joined a group of Boston food bloggers on a tour of Somerville’s Taza Chocolate Factory.

No worries Houston readers, you too can get something out of this post.  Taza Chocolate can be ordered online.  That’s a good thing, because the chocolate is unique and delicious.

Somerville (near Harvard University) is located in the heart of Boston.  As I found out yesterday evening, this community within a city is loaded with culinary establishments sure to satisfy almost any need. Just on the outskirts of bars, small restaurants, and cool specialty shops, you’ll find Taza– the little factory that specializes in organic, stone ground chocolate.

This old school roaster is a badass!

I’m willing to bet many of you have never tried stone ground chocolate. I hadn’t.  So…what’s the difference between this stuff and your “typical” everyday chocolate?  For me, it was two things.  First, you’ll quickly pick up much bolder, dark chocolate flavors. Second, it’s not smooth chocolate.  In fact, it’s quite grainy. But after a few pieces, I think you’ll find this unusual texture quite pleasing.

Taza carries just about every percentage of dark chocolate.  Their two main products are the chocolate bars (smoother/good for eating) and Mexicano discs (better suited for drinks).

As you’ll see from the website, the choices are plentiful, but the prices aren’t cheap.  After taking the tour, I can see why this chocolate is on the slightly expensive side.  Taza’s process is quite labor intensive, utilizing along the way authentic Mexican stone mills (amongst other equipment).

The hour-long tour takes you through the entire chocolate-making process…from the roasting to the packaging.  You’ll also learn about the stages of growth, harvest, fermentation, and drying of the cacao bean.  It’s pretty fascinating.

I highly recommend this tour for foodies in the Boston area.  And if you’re not into tours, but do love chocolate, you really must give Taza Chocolate a try.