No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchivePuerto Viejo holds first annual chocolate festival this weekend

Puerto Viejo holds first annual chocolate festival this weekend

If you’ve had the opportunity to taste chocolate made from local, organic Costa Rican cocoa, then you might want to check out Puerto Viejo this weekend. The southern Caribbean beach town is hosting a chocolate festival through Sunday.

Local restaurants and chocolate shops participate in this three-day event, where visitors from different countries have a chance to taste and judge chocolate from a variety of small and family-owned cocoa farms in the Talamanca region.

The tasting contest will take place at Puerto Viejo’s Farmer’s Market and Cultural Center on Saturday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.  The public will choose the winner of the First Annual Cacao Producers Award in Costa Rica.

The chocolate champion will receive $500 from CariBeans Coffee & Chocolate, a popular local producer that recently opened a chocolate tasting lounge in Cocles last month. They also offer 14 different flavors of chocolate bars, ranging from tequila-flavored to spicy chili.

The festival also offers workshops where participants can experience the chocolate-making process, from tasting the cocoa fruit from local farms to handcrafting the seed to obtain chocolate in different stages.

In addition, participating restaurants will prepare low-priced tapas dishes with the main ingredient being, of course, chocolate.

Restaurant Bar and Lounge Koki Beach, for example, advertised on their website a chocolate martini made to perfection. Chili Rojo, which specializes in Thai cuisine, plans to concoct a Mexican favorite called Chile Mole Negro, made with organic chocolate.  Local dessert and breakfast joint Bread and Chocolate is offering samples of their chocolate truffles and cakes to all of their customers throughout the weekend.

Other participating restaurants include: Lazy Mon, Flip Flop, El Paso, Stashu’s con Fusion, Lotus Garden and Mon Li, among others. Find the festival on Facebook at Puerto Viejo Chocolate Festival. 

Trending Now

El Salvador Schools Enforce Military-Style Uniform Inspections

El Salvador's public schools will start enforcing daily inspections for students' uniforms and haircuts from August 20, as ordered by the new education minister,...

An Expat’s Life with a Rescue Dog in Costa Rica

For the past 15 months I have been the primary caretaker of a bona fide street dog, a barrio zaguate called Dorothy. My wife...

Costa Rica Replaces One-Lane Bridges as Traffic and Population Grow

As the infrastructure of Costa Rica advances, with new four-lane highways and a series of bypasses around San José that avoid the narrow, congested...

Fan Violence in Latin American Football Spurs Debate on Security and Culture

Images of a fan jumping from the stands to escape a beating as bottles, rocks and seats fly through the air at a game...

President Chaves Downplays Costa Rica’s Security Crisis Amid Record Homicides

President Rodrigo Chaves brushed off concerns about Costa Rica's surging violence during his Wednesday press conference, insisting the security situation "is not as serious"...

Former Zoo to Become Costa Rica’s First Urban Natural Park

Simón Bolívar Park, in San José, will be the first space in the country to become an Urban Natural Park. The project, led by...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica