Taza Chocolate
Using traditional Oaxacan methods for stone-grinding cacao, this Massachusetts maker produces discs of robust, fruity chocolate punctuated by a distinctive grittiness. The multi-pack contains eight flavors, including guajillo chili, cinnamon, and vanilla.
Whereas many chocolate makers get their cocoa from dubious sources, the founders of Taza work with growers to source their Direct Trade–certified cacao beans. Inspired by traditional Oaxacan methods, they grind that cacao on granite millstones in their factory in Somerville, Massachusetts, producing a fruity, robust chocolate with a pleasing, almost crystalline grit. The Taza Mexican-Style Chocolate Sampler features eight 2.7-ounce discs in different flavors, including guajillo chili, which starts sweet and a little bitter and has a slow-building heat that kicks up on the finish. While the other flavors (vanilla, salted almond, and the like) have no capsaicin, we like the variety in samplers. If you’d prefer to go all in on the heat, get the all-guajillo-chili 12-pack instead.
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This article was edited by Hannah Morrill and Marilyn Ong.
