It seems that I can’t get enough of chocolates, kind of when you attend one wine tasting session you look forward to the next one that has more variety, even older ones to go with the famous quote; aging like fine wine. That has also been my fate with chocolate tasting. I went to my first one while living in Guadeloupe.
They called it ‘Maison du Cacao’. It was like a little heaven, blooming with flowers and the scent from the cacao plants softly making way through my nostrils. It was guarded with tall green trees that stood majestically on the side giving a photogenic view from the mountains.
Find out more about it from the link below;
https://www.addikahbelinda.com/2020/06/01/things-to-do-in-guadeloupe/
How to locate it
Back to Bayonne now, L’Atelier du Chocolat – Musée du Chocolat is home to one of the biggest chocolate manufacturers in Bayonne and they can be found in the wider France. The museum is located within less than 10 minutes drive from Bayonne city centre, one could even walk.
How to visit
According to my experience – this is not just a walk in museum. Details of booking the visit are all on their website. It’s a simple process – you just choose the date and time you want to visit and pay. However, something to consider while booking is to check for the availability of the artisans – that way you can also see the whole chocolate making process, like a mini workshop. I missed that but would have really loved to see it.
What to expect
The visit consists of like a group of ten which I really liked – it was easier to move around and even be attended to easily.
The visit includes an introduction at the beginning with cacao history and the whole making process. There are posters with pictures explaining. You get to walk around and see the actual machines used back in the day to make chocolate.
For people who deal well with visuals – there’s a whole video documenting cacao history that you can sit and watch.
The main part of the visit at least for me was the chocolate tasting part. I found it very resourceful to do the tasting – that way when you pass by the gift shop it is easier to pick what you want and not trying flavours out. I tasted chocolates all the way from Sao Tome. Kids can also get to participate in a painting workshop that they can carry home.
All these for 6.5 euros – I felt it was value for my money so here I am looking forward to see if I bump into the next Chocolate Tasting opportunity.
Watch the vlog to see what my favourite flavour was;
https://www.addikahbelinda.com/2022/09/30/chocolate-tasting-%f0%9f%8d%ab-bad-creole-food/