Cacao Shells - Lili on the Loose

Making Chocolate in Antigua, Guatemala

By Lili|June 18th, 2015|Categories: Activities, Museums, Travel|Tags: 2013, Antigua, Bean to Bar, Beans, Cacao, Cacao Beans, Cacao Butter, Cacao Powder, Cacao Shells, Cacao Tea, Central America, Choco Museo, chocolate, Chocolate Museum, Chocolate Tea, class, Cocoa, Cocoa Beans, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Powwder, Cocoa Shells, Cocoa Tea, dark chocolate, European Hot Chocolate, Guatemala, hot chocolate, Hucks, Kakawa, Mayan Encounter 2013, Mayan Hot Chocolate, milk chocolate, Nibs, Shells, Travel Thursday, workshop|0 Comments

One of my favorite activities in Guatemala was making chocolate! On my first day in Antigua, I visited the Choco Museo and did their “Bean to Bar” Workshop. This is a 2 hour class that is offered at various times throughout the day and is a lot of fun for all ages! A traditional Mayan grinding stand, with actual chocolate being ground into Cacao Liquor. They first walk you through the museum. While the museum is free, I got a lot more out of it and the hands on displays while the teacher explained things in more detail.

Museum Monday: Choco Museo / Chocolate Museum

As an American, we eat so much chocolate, but rarely think of where it comes from or how it is made. That is why I decided to visit the Choco Museo in Antigua, Guatemala. Beyond learning about the history of chocolate and its uses over time I was more fascinated to simply learn about where chocolate comes from! Chocolate is from the cacao tree. This tree is very picky on where it lives, and only grows in certain parts of Central & South America, the Caribbean, West Africa, and a few plantations in Asia. There are also different types of