Did you know that Jamaica produces some of the world’s best chocolate? According to the International Cocoa Organization, Jamaica is one of only eight countries globally to exclusively produce fine flavour cocoa beans which makes the best chocolate. For centuries, Jamaica mainly exported its cocoa beans and very little chocolate was produced here. However, there are now half-a-dozen local chocolatiers and Jamaican chocolate brands changing the game, one of which is the award-winning Pure Chocolate Jamaica brand in Island Village Mall, Ocho Rios. Every weekend, this chocolate factory opens its doors to chocolate lovers from across the globe, allowing them to participate in a two-hour interactive workshop. I finally made it to Pure Chocolate Jamaica’s workshop last month, so here’s my recap of the tour and how to plan a visit.
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How to Reserve A Workshop at Pure Chocolate Jamaica
Pure Chocolate Jamaica’s “Discover Chocolate” workshop is available every week on Saturdays and Sundays at either 10am or 3pm. The tour lasts between 90 minutes to 2 hours and costs US$50 per person with online reservation and payment options available. Their chocolate factory and showroom is located at Shop #24 Island Village Mall in Ocho Rios, and workshops are conducted on-site. This workshop is suitable for everyone over 7 years of age, and is perfect for solo travelers, friends, families, birthdays and bachelorette parties.
Chocolate Making & Tasting
Pure Chocolate is a Jamaican artisan chocolate brand born in January 2017. Its owners, Renee and Wouter, pride themselves on using 100% fair trade premium quality Jamaican cocoa to make each bar, and their small factory makes up to 1,000 bars per day. Pure Chocolate uses organically grown, single origin cocoa beans that are a mix of Criollo and Trinitario varieties, sourced directly from the John Crow Mountains, which overlooks the Blue Mountains. The cocoa beans are handpicked, sorted, fermented and dried before transformation into the familiar product we know and love: chocolate. To complement their exceptional chocolates, Pure Chocolate has partnered with two local artists to bring their packages to life with bold vibrant artwork that captures the Jamaican spirit.
The tour begins with a brief lesson on the history and origin of Jamaican cocoa, followed by a taste test of Pure Chocolate’s most exotic flavours. These included coconut, cinnamon, jerk, bacon, sorrel and Scotch Bonnet pepper flavoured chocolates. I usually get their Worthy Park Rum, Blue Mountain Coffee, milk or dark chocolate bars, but I’m happy to have expanded my chocolate palate. I wasn’t a fan of all the pairings but they were certainly memorable.
Before starting the workshop, we had to wash our hands and don a hairnet and apron to maintain a clean studio. Next, we were given a demonstration of how fudge is made followed by an introduction to tempering chocolate. I was quite clumsy at tempering chocolate but it’s all in good fun. Finally came my favourite part: making our personalized fudge squares and chocolate bar. We had several toppings to choose from such as dried fruit, nuts, seeds, candy, cereal, marshmallows and spices. I decorated my personalized bars and fudge with sunflower seeds, pepper flakes, sea salt, almonds, walnuts, pretzels and dehydrated mango. Yum! I also loved that my bar came out quite aesthetically pleasing.
Wrap Up
This chocolate-making experience was quite unique, and one well worth the journey from Kingston. I hope to take a farm-to-table chocolate experience to highlight our cocoa farmers, a chocolate fondue class or even an alcohol & chocolate pairing experience one day, but this was a delicious start. Any other chocolate fans here? Would you take this tour? Sound off in the comments section below! Well done, Pure Chocolate, in highlighting Jamaica’s delightful culinary scene to di worl.
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like:
- These Jamaican Craft Beers
- This Blue Mountain Coffee Bean to Cup Tour
- These Jamaican Grass to Glass Rum Tours
- Why Jamaica is a Chocolate Lover’s Destination
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