ChocoMuseo Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo Province, Dominican Republic

5releets03 5:00 PM Feb 14, 2015

Best Tourist Site in Zona Colonial
After walking around Zona Colonial all day, disappointed by the quality of the tours and museums, and growing tired of being hassled by locals trying to get us to buy junky souvenirs, the Choco Museo was a much needed reprieve and enjoyable surprise. We learned A LOT about chocolate and had a great deal of fun interacting with the staff while making our chocolate. Moreover, because the staff spoke pretty good English (as well as other languages) we were able to ask them questions about the rest of Santo Domingo--something we hadn't been able to do in any of the other museums or tours. Honestly, this is one of the best run places we visited--and the staff that has been hired to work there are amazingly helpful and knowledgeable. We booked a 3PM "Bean to Bar" chocolate tour and cooking class, which is advertised as a 2 1/2 hour class which cost $25 per person. We ended up spending 4 hours there and savored every bit of it! (There are two options for this tour--one in the morning around 10AM and the other around 3PM, but you can just visit the museum even without the tour/class. A visit is free.) The tour part of our class was a great deal shorter than we expected--it lasted maybe 20 minutes. Our guide--David--walked us through the process of how chocolate is grown, the different types, and how it is then harvested and processed. In the back of the store/museum, they have a small garden set-up where you can see the actual chocolate plant in various stages of growth. And throughout the store, they have well-written and illustrated posters describing the entire process. Don't be afraid to ask your guide for more time so you can fully read all the posters. In doing so, we were able to learn a lot about chocolate. After you finish the tour, you begin the chocolate making process--which is where the rest of your time will be spent (2+ hours). At this point we were handed over to Huascar (pronounced Wascar) whose English was impeccable and personality contagiously upbeat. [Both David and Hauscar had only been working at the museum for a handful of months, which shocked us given how much they already knew.] Huascar taught us how to roast the beans, shell them (from the shells we made a surprisingly delicious chocolate tea), and then smash the beans into a paste, which takes time and muscles so be prepared! From the paste, we made an aztec drink (using a spice similar to crushed red pepper) and some thick, traditional Dominican Republic hot chocolate. With the remaining paste we then made several chocolate bars, which we were allowed to flavor to our liking with the add-ins they provided (almonds, sprinkles, bacon, etc). Each group gets to decide whether they'll make milk chocolate or dark chocolate. We choose an in-between, which Huascar accommodated for us. Even if you don't choose to do the "Bean to Bar" tour and cooking class, you can still walk around the museum and learn for yourself about the process by reading the posters. Moreover, anyone who visits gets to taste (for free!) all the different types of chocolate they have (some with fruits, others with seeds and seasonings) as well as the different type of chocolate liqueurs. This alone makes a visit worthwhile. The museum/store also sells various types of chocolate, liqueurs, soaps, lotions, and the like for you to purchase and boasts a small cafe where you can order drinks and small things to eat. Whatever you do, make sure to take some time to talk to the staff. Again, they have a wealth of knowledge not just about chocolate but also about the area. Huascar is studying to be an engineer, David a veterinarian. Having both grown up in Santo Domingo, they can tell you a lot about the economy, the local places to eat, how people live, and the like. We enjoyed learning from they about the country from their behind-the-scenes perspective. The only suggestion I would have for anyone who does the tour/class is to take with you some salty/savory food. By the end of our time, our taste buds were overwhelmed by the chocolate flavor. It would have been better had we brought some snacks to break up the flavor.

3SBCRenvacances 5:00 PM Dec 28, 2014

Go if it`s on your way
This is a nice store with nice chocolate. Nothing worth a detour, but if you are walking by it`s a nice chocolate store. I wouldn't call it a museum. Did not like the cashier who insisted that I paid in us dollars instead of pesos....