Making chocolate on a Bribri cacao tour

Cacao grows all around Puerto Viejo, and Bribri families still know the plant from seed to drink. A cacao tour is less a museum visit than a kitchen visit. You see the fruit opened, the beans roasted, and chocolate made with recipes that belong to this coast.

There is also a museum on the way to Cahuita if you want more history after the tasting. The outing lasts about 3 to 4 hours and suits mixed ages.

You will likely get sticky hands. That is the point. Chocolate here is work before it is a bar, and the smell of roasted beans stays with you on the ride home.

Ask questions, but let the hosts set the pace. This is their plant and their kitchen. Photos are welcome when they are welcome. If someone asks you to wait, wait.

Wear shoes for farm paths, not beach sandals. Shade is uneven and the ground can be wet. Come back to Blessed House with a small bag of what you made, and the garden will smell like cacao for the rest of the afternoon.