Taza Chocolate

Great 90 minute tour of the chocolate making process, material sourcing and technology used. LOTs of chocolate tasting. Bostonians should support this small business and book a tour now and buy some product! Take the vanilla or cinnamon chocolate melted and add to some sour cream with a little real vanilla and use as a sauce for strawberries this summer! Or eat the flavored chocolate by itself as dessert. This is not the waters down processed hersheys stuff labeled chocolate. This is high concentration of cacao with pure ingredients; tastes wonderful! Vacationers, add this tour to your itinerary!

The Taza tour was amazing! Jessie was very knowledgeable. He made the experience fun and engaging. I'm so happy I found an ethical chocolate brand to support that fits my dietary needs. If you're visiting the Boston area, don't miss out on this experience!

I did a chocolate tasting with Taza, and it was so much fun. I got a booklet listing all of the chocolates involved in the tasting with space for me to rate them. There was a great variety, ranging from sweet to bitter. I had a lot of chocolate leftover that lasted for months. They all tasted wonderful.

Great tour! Great chocolate! Totally worth the visit, though I wish the tour was free... $8 seems a little steep for some info you could read online and a few crumbled chocolate samples. The chocolate is a little expensive too, but very good.

this chocolate is absolutely amazing! I have bought very expensive brands of chocolate and Taza beats them! I tried one flavor so far and cannot wait to order more! Taza is amazing!!!! you can taste the difference immediately! this chocolate brings a smile to my face...and first thing I said was "WOW"

This is THE place is you want good quality chocolate. Take a look at the people who rated this place bad, they're idiots who don't like quality really tastes like, and for some reason didn't listen to the tour. I had a very basic idea on how chocolate was made before I went in and these guys really helped nail everything down to solidify how they produce chocolate from the tree all the way to the wrapper, very intelligent and awesome practices that they employ in the chocolate production. If you want junk chocolate buy the Hershey's garbage sugar junk; Taza is by far the best most authentic real chocolate producer and should be recognized for not only their merits but high quality of delicious treats.

We celebrated a family member's birthday for the first time in Boston, MA. We planned a surprise visit to the Taza Chocolate factory store after discovering it through a Google search. As we drove for about 20 minutes, the area began to look isolated, and he started to worry that we were playing a prank on him for his special day. We assured him that we were heading in the right direction. Once we arrived at the Taza Chocolate store, we took him by the hand and entered. The moment he saw people tasting chocolate and caught the sweet aroma in the air, he transformed into a child in a Willy Wonka store. He couldn't stop sampling all the chocolate he desired—peppermint, orange, sea salt, plant-based milk chocolate, and dark chocolate. His favorites were endless, and after giving us those sad puppy eyes, I ended up purchasing a ton of chocolate. Thanks to him, we now have enough chocolate to last about a month, so there’s no shortage in our home! The staff members were very understanding since it was my family member’s birthday, and they had a great conversation about all the different types of chocolate and flavors, many of which I hadn't known before. The chocolate is great for people who are lactose intolerant, as it contains oat milk, fruit flavor coloring, and plant-based ingredients. This makes it a wonderful option for chocolate lovers who have trouble with regular milk products; it is vegan chocolate, and I was impressed by the absence of regular milk chocolate. Although we arrived too late to enjoy the chocolate tour, one of the staff members kindly gave us a quick walkthrough to show us how the chocolate is made and answered all our questions. We had a fantastic time, and he definitely enjoyed his birthday. If you love chocolate as much as we do, this is a great place for you and your children to visit!

My friends and I had a great time doing the tour! We got to sample a bunch of delicious chocolates, and our guide (I wish I could remember their name) was engaging and knowledgeable. I would highly recommend the experience!

Great Family Experience! Our family ranging from 12 to 70 did the public tour over Christmas break. Jesse gave us a tour and did a great job. Very informative and of course the samples were a great bonus!

I am a major chocolate monster, and anytime I travel, I want to visit the local bean to bar chocolate maker in town. This trip to Boston was no different, and taza lived up to the hype. We took the chocolate tour and were impressed with the level of detail shared about Taza's chocolate making. The tour was quite enjoyable, with plenty of samples along the way! And we got as many sample after the tour as we could want. It was great to sample all the special varieties that taza offer. Taza offers a relaxed storefront with friendly employees and a great vibe overall. So if you are looking for gourmet chocolate, look no further than Taza Chocolate!

Booked a tour at Taza Chocolate and the friend group was a little skeptical but we ended up absolutely loving our experience. Brandon was an absolutely fun tour guide and really gave us a good overview of the business, how and where their chocolate is sourced, and the process for forming both their bars and the disks. We got to try a lot of great chocolates at the end: some notable ones being the sea salt disk, the raspberry bar, the chocolate crunch bar, the roasted coconut bark, and the chocolate covered hazelnut. It's great to see this business thriving and I learned a lot about chocolate!

Sweet tooth alert ‼ A lovely Saturday afternoon spent at Taza doing a tour & sampling a variety of delicious chocolates. A local gem and wonderful to have an actual chocolate factory nearby where you can get a tour, see & learn how it's made, sample a whole lot and then shop to take home. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and made it wicked fun to learn about the chocolate making process. Their store setup is wicked charming and with a whole lot of flavor. If you have a sweet tooth and looking for a nice fun activity to do with friends or your loved ones, be sure to pay Taza a visit.

Went here for chocolate factory tour with my girlfriend on Valentine's day. The guide was super knowledgable and attentive throughout the tour. It was about an hour long and we learned a ton about how the chocolate works as currency in west Africa and is victim of climate change! We also liked the fact that chocolate you get from here are very different from the ones you get from grocery store, they have the grinding(?) and rough texture inside them, and some of them have spiciness! There are chocolates you can buy that you can use as hot chocolate, which is super cool as well.

What a fantastic activity to do with family or friends! Taza's chocolate tour is definitely an amazing deal and interesting experience, not to mention their chocolate is delicious and fun to try as well. We booked the tour a day before and there were maybe 8-9 others in the experience with us the next day so I wouldn't too much about booking far ahead. Our tour guide was super enthusiastic, friendly, and knowledgeable. The experience goes through a very basic walk-through of how chocolate is made for their specific factory and also showcases the machinery involved. You're also able to taste any chocolate flavor in their store at the end which I find to be a nice little perk to wrap the event up. While the experience isn't very repeatable, I had a very nice time and will definitely be visiting again to buy some of their locally made chocolate!

I had never been picky with my chocolate but this place has truly taught me how chocolate should taste. The stone ground chocolate, vanilla and sea salt almond were the perfect balance of crunchy, bitter and sweet. When you walk in, you can watch people actually make the chocolate through the window. There's a wide selection of chocolates ranging from different flavors and themes.

We did a virtual tour and tasting today and it was terrific. Boxes with supplies were shipped ahead of time and they included one each of the following. Dark Cinnamon disc Dark Guajillo Chili disc Dark Vanilla disc Cacao Puro 70% disc Nibs from Dominican Republic, Haiti and Ghana 100% Dark (baking style) chocolate chunks 70% Couverture chocolate chunks 70% Deliciously Dark Bar 60% Toffee Sea Salt Bar 95% Wicked Dark Bar Vegan Almond Milk Bar Additionally they provided a tasting notes card and reference wheel of flavor and texture identifiers. The tour and tasting took place over Zoom and our hostess (though I forget her name unfortunately) was delightful. As we tasted and discussed our various impressions, we learned about Taza itself.. the founders/history, business practices and production methods... as well as about growing, harvesting, the history of chocolate/cacao in general and so much more. It was very educational, unique, and fun. Highly recommend!

I buy Tozo 95% chocolate because it was listed as one of a few brands that contain an acceptable amount of lead contamination. It is also quite delicious. It is a bit pricey, though.

The tour was very interesting. Learned a lot about the chocolate making process from the harvesting to the final product. Aside, the chocolate is incredible. The texture of stone ground chocolate is unlike anything you can get in stores, they aren't packed with sugar, and they have a bunch of unique flavors. The round bars are perfect for mochas and hot chocolates. Only chocolate I'll be buying from now on

Did the tour today and it was super fun . You learn about cacao . The ins and outs of growth and where they source their beans from etc . No, you can't go onto the production floor but you can see it and have it all explained . Best part, you get to sample the finished products at the end ! Even our 17 yr old thought it was fun !!

My friend and I popped in Taza while walking around the neighborhood. The store has a pretty good selection and we were tempted to buy a ton of different chocolates. I really appreciated that they had samples available. My favorites are always the stone ground varieties. I'm not usually a big milk chocolate fan, but I really enjoyed all of the options I tried. I definitely want to come back for a tour!

We took an in person tour on Saturday and it was great! Learned a lot about making chocolate and the company's mission and history. It was really cool seeing the process and they were sooo generous with the samples. I honestly didn't think I would get full but by the end I was stuffed in chocolate. There were new flavors I got to try and I will definitely be buying their chocolate.

Taza is located in Somerville, and if you're traveling by train expect a walk from the station. Once you get nearby you can start to smell the chocolate and you're greeted by it's big banner on the side of the building. Pretty straightforward to get there, albeit kind of in the middle of nowhere. I brought my students here for a chocolate factory tour. The team is very responsive and accommodating when giving the tours and they were able to adapt the tour to my group. They explain Taza's specific process and origin behind their beans. You can see different aspects to the chocolate making and you get to sample to your heart's content! Taza's chocolate is gritty and has a very high cocoa content, so I would recommend it for dark chocolate lovers! If you typically eat European chocolates, this may not be the stop for you. Also, the chocolate is vegan!

Did the in-person tour today and it was a great experience. We booked it the day before, and the booking process was very smooth. We arrived a bit too early so we were browsing in the store and a staff member greeted us and checked in with us immediately. The tour started with a short presentation with some sampling, then proceeded to see the production floor. You don't get a chance to get into the production floor but seeing it through the glass was enough, and the staff member had a very detailed explanation and offered to answer any questions we may have. The tour was family-friendly, and our stroller was comfortable following the tour. There were hand-outs in English and Spanish too. Overall great experience. All the staff was nice and approachable. The parking spots are limited so make sure to look up the parking options just in case. I'd definitely come back again.

A spectacular and chance find! We were in Boston for a few hours and looking for something different to do, having only a few hours to spend in Boston as we were passing through. A quick look on the Internet found a reference to a chocolate factory tour ... what?? In the city limits?? There in a heartbeat. We missed the tour (next one was in several hours) so that was sad but we caught the tail end of the ongoing one and honestly, the gift shop alone was worth the visit! The staff were super friendly, very knowledgeable and the options were plenty (and super tasty)! We walked out loaded with chocolate products and wished we got more. We'll definitely be returning!

I love the super dark chocolate and the tours are fun with really knowledgeable guides. After the tour, they let you try a bunch of different chocolates, a great chance to try things without having to buy a whole bar.

I'm a few weeks out from my visit to Taza, and I still can't stop thinking about it! Gritty is, in fact, the new pretty! My Boston-based friend surprised me by booking a Taza tour through Groupon. While they don't make chocolate on the weekends, the tour was still entertaining, fun, and educational. The staff, storefront, and overall vibe at Taza is quirky and colorful. During the tour, you learn about Taza's story, the process of their cocoa bean cultivation, and the steps used to create their craft. The best part of the tour is the sampling! You can have as many different types of samples your heart desires, which in my case, was a lot. It should be noted that all of Taza Chocolate is dark - it's completely vegan. While there are bitter notes in all of their flavors, some of their flavors are sweeter than others. I couldn't get enough of all of the varieties I sampled. My favorites were the coffee, the toffee, and cocoa crunch. They also have at least two types of spicy chocolate, which were incredible. Taza is a gem and a great way to spend a few hours learning and experiencing something different. The Groupon is a great value - you get a free disc of chocolate of your choice as a parting gift! The staff is funny and generous, the Taza story is inspiring, and the chocolate is a delicious. (it also makes a great gift!!)

Being a chocolate lover, I just had to visit this store and planned for this as part of my trip. We couldn't take the tour but ended up tasting a whole lot of their chocolates. Because of the way they make their chocolate, it felt grainy which is good. They had a lot of flavors to choose from. We loved their Chipotle and chili one. Bought a disc of the Chipotle chocolate. It had a nice balance of the heat and sweet. The dark chocolate bars were also good. The two store employees were very friendly and provided excellent service.

Thoroughly enjoyed the 1 hour chocolate tour. It was a very reasonable price - $10. The staff was incredibly friendly and informative. You'll learn all about the stone ground chocolate making process from harvesting to packaging. The tour includes close to 10 chocolate samples to try and the staff practically let us have as much as we wanted! Sooo good! This was a super fun activity for any chocolate lover. I appreciate their small, sustainable, and ethical practices. Highly recommend this tour and their chocolate too!

This company is for the birds when contacting them about unstaisfactory quality of chocolates purchased. There are plenty of other companies - small and large - that know how to appreciate a customer purchasing their products and addressing issues to retain customers to be loyal to their brand. No loyalty here to Taza! Let's change "Taza" to "Tada" (goodbye).

Really cool! Next time I'll take the factory tour. The shop has chocolate for hot cocoa, bars, and even a big paleo bar. They have tastes, merch, and more. Love that the chocolate is ethically sourced. It's awesome to look at the photo album of their partnerships throughout the world. I had a Nift, and got some killer dark chocolate covered almonds and a little jar of caramel, made especially for taza by this Vermont goat milk caramel company that I'm a fan of. Will be back! Maybe for their day of the dead event on Sunday :).

My daughter and I visited last Saturday for the factory tour and our guide, Jazz, was so informative, funny, kind and answered all questions anyone had in our group with clear answers and pizzazz. I'm not a fan of dark chocolate BUT after trying Mexican stone ground I can say I'm a convert. I really enjoyed the bit of a crunch with the stone ground chocolate much more than it going through the second heavier roller grounder. If that was in front of he I would eat that also lol We've all already eaten all our bars and rounds. I better get the bars I bought for my friends in Italy mailed out. Or they may not make the trip. Thanks so much Taza team

*not rating the store only chocolate* i think this chocolate is way too overpriced for the quality and quantity. taste is not the best and neither is the consistency. ingredients are great tho.

Great tour and tasting! So informative and you got to try so many different flavors and had the opportunity to understand the reason why this chocolate is so different than the standard American chocolate. Absolutely delicious!

I had tried Taza Chocolate before so when I found out it was based in Boston and I would be in town, I had to go! I booked a factory tour for 2 ($8/person) but shortly after, received an email saying the full 1 hour tour would be a 30 minute introduction to stone ground chocolate, due to new FDA regulations that prohibit visitors from entering their chocolate producing spaces. To compensate, we were given a free Mexican chocolate per person. I appreciated it even though I was a bit bummed that we couldn't go inside. We got there and were promptly greeted. The store was cute and showcased their products. There were some samples out and we waited until everyone in the tour arrived before we began. The entire tour took place in the shop area, but there are open windows that lets you see some of the machines that make the chocolate. The people were cleaning up (we were the last group of the day) so we didn't get to see any of them in action. We went through the entire process from the actual cacao fruit to how it gets processed at Taza. I knew a bit about where chocolate came from but it was a good introduction as well as story behind Taza. I really liked when we got to taste the cacao fruit pulp purée - that was new for me! In between the explanations, we were given more chocolate to sample in order to further illustrate differences and what was being said along with photos and other hands on things. I also loved how Taza only uses simple organic ingredients purchased directly from the farms and flavors are usually ground into the product rather than just added in so you can taste it with every bite. Also, because of the imperfections of everything being ground down and more coarse, every bite is different. We also definitely got to sample more of their chocolates once the tour ended. I really am partial towards the darker chocolates but for flavored ones, coffee and raspberry were definite favorites. All in all, a great experience! And you get to sample lots and lots of chocolate. You can't really go wrong with that!

I loved the factory tour at Taza! I always knew about the chocolate and knew it was made in Somerville but now I have such an appreciation for the work that goes into making their chocolate! I learned so much about all chocolate and especially their process. There's a parking lot! And you get to taste so much chocolate! Flavors I would've never thought to buy but here you can try a little taste. Highly recommend if you're a chocolate lover or foodie!

Taza, in my opinion, makes one of the best bean-to-bar chocolates on the market. The discs are great for making mole and champurrado. They have a very nice gritty consistency to them which I rather enjoy. Also, some interesting flavor profiles can be found such as guajillo and chipotle chili, and cinnamon: these are the more common Pre-Columbian chocolate flavors which I find to be anthropologically interesting. With that said its difficult to leave the single origin bars out of the discussion. Offered in different cacao contents they are a good way to get a feel for different flavor profiles from different ecological regions. Lastly, they have the best label artwork of anyone out there. If you are on the fence about trying them I would encourage you to dive head first and not look back.

Had a wonderful tour and tasting today. Alisha gave an amazing tour with so much interesting history of the company and chocolate. Would highly recommend this for delicious chocolate and a fun, tasty tour.

This was a welcomed, albeit an accidental discovery. This is how the story goes: There's a dude I watch on YouTube who reviews old MRE's (Steve1989MREInfo if you wanna watch a human eat hard tack from 1863) and one MRE he was reviewing was a WW2 German ration pack with Scho Ka Kola. I ordered it as part of a deal on Amazon because it looked good, a milk and dark chocolate version, and this Taza chocolate. The german chocolate was really good. The Taza had partially melted and re-formed, causing the chocolate to seperate. But the texture was amazing! There was something about that grittiness and the coffee together that made it phenominal (Scho Ka Kola is a chocolate with cola bean and coffee bean, so that was the theme of the package deal). I had to learn more. So I read the package... Ergod this is in Somerville! I gotta check this out! I book a factory tour and this is a nice little activity with the misses. Parking was a little challenging because it wasn't clear if the lot diagonal to building was for Taza as there was a "Taza" sticker but also plastered everywhere was 'Tenant Parking Only.' I'm not Scottish nor have I ever played a Timelord, I figured best not to park there, so we found street parking instead. Arriving a few minutes late for the tour, we were bustled right in to the presentation. Our guide was very informative and polite, and also very knowledgeable about chocolate making. I was most impressed with their business practice of fair trade for the source of their chocolate. The factory tour was somewhat benign, we learned about the machines but production was done for the day so we didn't see any production of chocolate. I recommend touring in the morning if you want to see the work being done. Plenty of samples of delicious chocolate to be had during the tour. Ending at the shop, it was a great way to wrap up. It is also nice to buy a sample pack of chocolates available. Crazy to think it this all started by watching a video of a some guy eating pulverized beef from the Boer War (I'm not kidding). Glad to have found this place!

Great factory tour. they gave me a sample of everything and as much as I wanted. Exceptional--& I've done chocolate tours all over the world

At $5/tablet of chocolate, the texture is granular/gritty, the chocolate does not melt in the mouth, all the 7 bars I tried had the same chocolate taste (same bad chocolate, different unremarkable ingredients), and the look of the chocolate is not this beautiful smooth shiny of the good chocolate but a slightly whitened and dull surface. An "artisanal" chocolate should at minima have unique flavors compared to the good industrial chocolates such as Lindt and Valrona.

I went with a few friends for a chocolate tour on a Saturday evening, which was $8 a person. Pretty cool they basically just went over the history of how the business came to be and plus there was obviously free chocolate involved, since we were the last group, we had loads of free chocolate to try, which was a plus! The guide was definitely knowledgable about the whole chocolate process as well as the history of the company, he was able to answer a vast majority of the questions asked by people in the tour group. I have to say though, I personally think Taza chocolates are an acquired taste, I think more of the texture of the chocolate is what people would have to get use to. Some chocolates more grainy tasting then others due to the way the chocolate is processed. They also have a less grainer version called the smooth bar I believe which are in rectangular shaped packing. My overall favorite was the raspberry chocolate, strong taste in raspberry with a smooth texture but honestly wasn't a fan of any of the other chocolates. Pros: There was a deal, I think if you bought 25 dollars worth of chocolate you get a specific free bar. It wasn't hard to spend 25 since each chocolate bar was about $5 Free Taza pudding if you go to Atwood tavern for a meal if you show receipt from Taza Summary: Personal preference is that I don't have the acquired taste for their chocolate

I love Taza! Went here on a tour with some friends on a Saturday afternoon and had a great time. It was about 45-60 minutes, with 30 minutes of talking about chocolate, where Taza sources its cacao, and the process of turning cacao into chocolate. There was a fun video talking about some of the steps as well. Afterwards they showed us the actual machines...roasting/sorting/winnowing. It's remarkable how small the factory is given how famous/widespread it is!!! They weren't stingy with samples at this tour, which I loved. I bought a groupon which came with one free chocolate round bar too, which was awesome! I had gone to a tour about 5 years ago too, and there have been a lot of changes since then, so totally worth it to go again!

Came for an in-person tour at 11:30 this morning, we ran late, because traffic and whatnot. But they were super helpful about getting us right in and it was so great! Super informative with tons of visuals and very clearly our guide knew A LOT. Tasted chocolate and saw the equipment and then were able to sample more at the end and buy things if we liked. For $12 a person, this tour was a STEAL. Would recommend to everyone. Even my 13 year old sister enjoyed it, and I was convinced she'd be bored to tears.

Fun, short, and informative factory tour with almost too many samples (is that a thing?) of delicious and ethically sourced chocolate. I have tried Taza a few times before realizing they were a local Boston company. Definitely a unique way to spend a rainy or cold afternoon - would highly recommend to foodies :)

Took the factory tour and would recommend it! Sampled 8 different chocolates. Definitely worth the money

Taza is a delightful boutique chocolatier offering stone-ground, authentic, Latin American chocolates. This micro-chocolatier makes all their chocolates on-site. During a visit to the shop, you can observe the chocolate-making machinery on display behind large glass walls. You can even tour the chocolate-making facility, if you make reservations ahead of time (and pay the tour fee). Taza's specialty is coarse, stone-ground chocolates. This means a larger particle size (i.e., grittier texture) and a stronger, more aromatic flavor. I only tried one variety (the extra dark), but it had a wonderful, dark, fruity flavor with a nice, slightly crunchy texture. The shop is a bit small, and it isn't in the nicest area of town. But the experience is fun, the chocolates are high quality, and the prices are reasonable. So if you're a chocolate connoisseur, check out Taza for a chocolate experience to remember!

I went into the Taza factory tour with muted expectations -- I remember having done the Hershey factory tour as a child, decades back, and thinking that this would be a much less Disney-fied version of the same thing. I couldn't have been more wrong. I dunno how where they found our tour guide, but the gent (I'm terribly sorry, I forgot your name already, but I blame the excessive chocolate-eating on my distraction). Regardless, he was knowledgeable, witty, hilarious, and energetic (read: may have had more caffeine than is medically advisable). Frankly, the guide made the tour -- he could have been talking about a pencil-making factory, but with the level of enthusiasm he imparted upon us, it would have been the most engaging lesson ever! Not only do you get to learn all about the history of Oaxacan chocolate, the story of the founders and their passion for the business, see what goes into making a bar (or, y'know, disc) of Taza chocolate from start to finish, you get to consume more chocolate than reason would allow. At least, that was the case for our tour, which was the last one held on Saturday afternoon. Our guide was a pusher. And our audience... well, we had a junkie or two. Bonus points to my friend who scored a groupon that netted us a deal on a tour for two people, plus a chocolate disc included in the cost. Definitely worth the cost -- be sure to double-check whether or not a similar deal is running before showing up.

Took the tour at the factory and had so much fun! The employees were very friendly and informative. We learned a lot and tried SO much chocolate. Definitely recommend!

The Taza Chocolate Factory tour is an incredible, worthwhile experience. I organize a private student group tour of this facility every year, and the staff are incredibly accommodating. The group tours are very easy to set up either through phone or email (both of which can be found on their website). Normally. a private group tour costs $150 flat rate for up to 20 people, but on Mondays - Wednesdays between 11am-3pm the tours are half off, so only $75 for up to 20 people. A single ticket for a public tour where you join a group with other people is $6. The chocolate factory itself is located in Somerville and a little difficult to get to, although the 69 bus takes you very close from Harvard Square. The factory is located next to some used car junkyards and warehouses, but don't let the surroundings as you near the factory dissuade you - as you walk close the delicious aroma of melting chocolate becomes quite strong, and the "welcome area" on the inside of the factory is a cute little shop with lots of taza products on display. For those who don't know, taza chocolate is a special type of Mexican chocolate that is grainier in texture, since it is ground using a millstone. It comes packaged in distinctive wheels and is flavored with a lot of different types of spices and flavorings, including cinnamon, vanilla, orange, etc. During the tour, they emphasize how everything is locally sourced and how they take special care to support small farmers and businesses, which I really like. The tour itself is about 40 minutes long, and consists of several different rooms in the factory. The tour guide will take you through every step of the process, from picking the cacao to roasting the beans, creating the chocolate, and packaging and shipping (with plentiful samples along the way). The end of the tour ends in the lobby gift shop, and you have to chance to sample even more different flavors of chocolate and buy some for home. Overall, this tour is very well done and the staff are very nice!

This is a hidden gem in Somerville (Boston), MA. The tour was worth it. Very educational and tasty. We had Hannah give our tour, and she did well with a 6 year old constantly interrupting and adding his own commentary. You get to sample specific chocolates on the tour, and once done you have the opportunity to sample any of the chocolates they have for sale in the gift shop. They practice fair trade with the cacao farmers, and it is all made in Somerville, so you are also supporting a vegan and peanut free ( they do use tree nuts) American business.

Like many, I've seen Taza offerings in local stores all over the Boston area. Yet, despite living in Union Square in Somerville, I somehow neglected the fact that their factory was right in my backyard. Well, as soon as I realized the error of my ways, I decided to check out their factory store in-person. As soon as you walk in, you are instantly greeted by the most delicious smell of pure chocolate. When I say pure, I mean both free of unpleasant milk and straight from the farmers who grow it (no middle man involved). Their store has everything you could want in terms of flavors and various gift packages, and of course, samples. If the scent of chocolate and/or the taste of the samples doesn't convince you to take something home, there's something wrong with you. Likewise, if you don't also find yourself wanting to take a tour of the factory, I would be surprised. Alas, I didn't go with the intention of doing the tour through the factory so I didn't make a reservation in advance. But now knowing how close it is, I most surely will be doing that tour in a day not too far away.

We found this tour online and thought it would be a fun addition to our trip. This was truly a MUST to add to our itinerary. The tour guide made the tour so engaging and fun. She knew her information and was able to answer all of the questions. And, did I mention the tour includes samples?? Because we sampled every step of the way!! And every bite was delicious!! This was a great tour for our entire family to enjoy and we can't wait to be back! And the tour starts and ends in the gift shop!

Delicious! I attended the chocolate factory tour which pays for itself in the sheer number of samples you can try (considering a pack of 2 discs is about $5 you get to try a huge variety of their wares). Our guide was very knowledgeable, friendly, and was excited to show us as much of the process as they can. Definitely a recommended stop if you ever visit Somerville! The store as a high variety of products from their signature chocolate to local collaborations including everything from goat milk caramel sauce to tea!

Firstly, their chocolate is spectacular. It is unique, has an amazing gritty texture, and tastes great (from their least dark chocolates to their most). We really like their Cinnamon as well as Toffee, Almond, Sea Salt, but honestly, it's all good. My fiancée typically doesn't like dark chocolate, but enjoys quite a few of their flavors. I've been twice with my fiancée, the first to do some Christmas shopping, the second for a tour (as well as to buy even more chocolate). The staff is incredibly nice and helpful, and the tour was incredibly informative. An added bonus is that their products are nearly entirely vegan (with a handful of exceptions), and they are direct-trade certified. And for those that care, they are also non-GMO, gluten-free, so there is something for everyone.

Stone ground Mexican style chocolate factory! My first tour of the chocolate factory and I actually found this gem through one of the Yelp newsletters. Thanks for the suggestion! I went with my SO on one day and we waited for about 20 minutes for the previous tour to conclude. While we waited we were offered various samples of their delicious chocolate around the store (Raspberry, Salt/Pepper, Guajillo Chili, and many more)! This place is amazing and it was very informative to get a guided tour throughout their whole process of preparation and stuffing our face with more samples along the way. Since they stone grind the cocoa pods their chocolate is also vegan! I highly recommend checking this place out! I think the tours are $6/person for a 45 minute tour, and plenty of chocolate to sample. I think it's definitely worth the price.

When I moved to Boston last year, I didn't know the wonders of Taza Chocolate ... and I didn't know that it was solely manufactured in Somerville, just outside Boston. So when I found out they offered a tour of their factory for only $8, I couldn't resist! I booked my ticket online - they book fast because they keep the tour groups small - so book online ahead of time. The factory is in an industrial warehouse district but GPS will get you there without any issue. They have street parking and it's easy to get to by MBTA bus/train. The tour was short and sweet (pun intended). They offer you tons of samples - and you can ask to sample ANY of their chocolates and they're more than willing to accommodate. The tour gives you such great info about this smaller, local, fair trade chocolate company. At the end of the tour, I couldn't resist buying more of their classic circular "bars" and even a beautiful, hand-crafted mug. They work hard to reduce waste and partner with several local artists and entrepreneurs to make sure their carbon footprint stays small. Awesome work, Taza! Keep it up!

I came here for a tour a few months ago and it was a great experience. I've been a fan of Taza chocolate for a long time. Their chocolate is even sold in some stores in Alaska, where I currently live. It's that good. I enjoy Taza chocolate because of how simple the ingredients are. Just cacao and sugar, no dairy or other additives. The chocolate is produced using a Mexican-style stone ground method. The ingredients and production give the chocolate a more gritty texture than something you'd find at the grocery store. Because of that Taza isn't for everyone, but if you're like me and you love dark chocolate this is the place for you. The tour is more informational than sightseeing, so it may bore small children (and this probably isn't the kind of chocolate they would like). I enjoyed learning about where Taza gets its ingredients and their production process. It was fascinating to me how the country of origin for the cacao beans affected the flavor. Some chocolate was more fruity and sweet, others more earthy and nutty. The tour groups are small so you can ask questions at any time. Plus you get a ton of free chocolate samples. The cinnamon flavor is my favorite and makes an excellent Mexican-style hot chocolate when melted and mixed with milk. After the tour you can buy some chocolate from their shop. On the day I went they just got some new chocolate flavors, so if you come here you can try their latest products before they hit grocery store shelves. The staff, both the tour guide and the employee in the shop, are very friendly and passionate about their products. My only complaint is that this place is a bit difficult to access via public transportation. I took the Green Line to Lechmere and walked a good 20 minutes to get there, then walked to a bus stop on the way back. There might have been an easy way to do that for all I know, but it would be nice if their website offered some directions other than directing you to Google Maps. I enjoyed the tour and would recommend it for anyone who loves chocolate and is interested in the sources of their food and how it's made.