While we were in New Mexico , my wife had a great plan to check out a great place called Nambe Falls, but it turned out that they didn't open until Thursday and it was Wednesday , so boo to that. We stopped by the little gift shop/information building ( more gifts than info by the way) and looked at some brochures for the area. We found one very interesting and that was the Santa Fe Chocolate Trail. The trail consists of 5 unique and local chocolatiers in the area located blocks from each other.
This is the outside of the first stop on the chocolate trail, Kakawa. This little shop specializes in drinkable chocolates from different periods and cultures. The drinks span from Meso American, European, and contemporary recipes.
The interior has a quaint feel to it with low ceilings with exposed wood beams, eclectic art hanging on the walls, and the little fireplace topped with a shrine of sorts. I believe it's to the chocolate gods
We ordered a sampler of the drinkable chocolates ranging from the mild to the more intense chocolates which I call the professional drinkers chocolate. While we waited for the sampler to be poured , we ordered a couple of the eating chocolates to tide us over. We sampled the chile caramel and the smoked sea salt. The chile was nice and spicy and really came out in the after taste. You could see the swirls of chile powder in the caramel. The smoked sea salt was basically chocolate topped with sea salt and while tasty believe the salt crystals should have been smaller and possibly more incorporated into the chocolate instead of just on top.
When our sampler was finally ready, it came on this cool blue and white plate in little metal ramekins with a little hand made list of the order of the chocolate. We started with the white chocolate with pepper and it was surprisingly delicious. The butter fat in the chocolate paired nicely with the bite from the pepper and had a delicate silky mouthfeel. My over all favorite was the Jeffersonian which was actually mad from a recipe based off a recipe from Thomas Jefferson, and is possibly the grandfather of today's modern hot chocolate.
The taste of the Jeffersonian was a great blend of all the samples we tried. It was smooth and rich without overwhelming the palate, but also had a nice spice profile.I was so good I bought another little cup for myself to drink.
The taste of the Jeffersonian was a great blend of all the samples we tried. It was smooth and rich without overwhelming the palate, but also had a nice spice profile.I was so good I bought another little cup for myself to drink.
The last two, the chile and rose almond, were definitely for the more experienced chocolate drinkers.... Like the mayans . These two chocolates really showcased the bitter side of chocolate. It was like tasting spoonfuls of unsweetened coco powder flavored with various spices. All the flavors really came through well, but they were too bitter for my palate.
This was a great journey through chocolate for me and really broadened my mind as to what chocolate can become. The staff was very helpful and knowledgeable , and the woman ( wish I had written down her name) even went as far as to ask one of the chocolate chefs what wood the salt was smoked with,( I was curious). Kakawa is a great first stop on the chocolate trail and set the bar very high for the other chocolatiers.
Kakawachocolates.com
This was a great journey through chocolate for me and really broadened my mind as to what chocolate can become. The staff was very helpful and knowledgeable , and the woman ( wish I had written down her name) even went as far as to ask one of the chocolate chefs what wood the salt was smoked with,( I was curious). Kakawa is a great first stop on the chocolate trail and set the bar very high for the other chocolatiers.
Kakawachocolates.com
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