Chocolate

HOME GARDENING: Tropical home gardeners have the luxury of being able to grow their own cacao and make their own chocolate

Before there was coffee, there was cacao. Before there were coffee breaks, there was the chocolate hour. And before Costa Rica had coins, cacao...

HOME GARDENING: Tropical home gardeners have the luxury of being able to grow their own cacao and make their own chocolate

Botánica Chocolate leads guests through a rich tour of cacao's many forms and purposes.

“It’s a great way for those involved in the Costa Rican coffee industry to meet one another and learn more about coffee.”

Spice-laden chocolate bars, whisky-filled truffles and raw cacao drinks filled the tables at the Puerto Viejo Chocolate Festival this weekend. Hopeful attendants for the festival’s popular liquor and chocolate pairing called in favors and waited in long lines with the enthusiasm of super-fans trying to snag tickets to a sold-out concert.

This weekend Costa Rican chocolate will be front and center as the Antigua Aduana in San José hosts the first Feria de Chocolate.

Britt Shops, the mega-successful coffee/chocolate/souvenir airport gift store born in Costa Rica, celebrates its 15th anniversary. Today there are 137 stores, almost all in Latin American and the Caribbean, with 57 in Costa Rica alone.

PARIS – France's environment minister, Segolene Royal, has rankled the company that makes Nutella by urging the public to stop eating its irresistible chocolate hazelnut spread, saying it contributes to deforestation.

A visit to the Museo de Cacao on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast is a walking chocolate tour with a happy ending.