17/05/2026
Baracoa • Chocolate • Eco Farms • Authentic Local Culture
Here's a deep, authentic, flavourful Cuban experience: cacao & chocolate in Baracoa!
You've never tasted a chocolate drink like this one. Baracoans call it "chorote". It's made with freshly roasted & ground, locally grown cacao beans. Organic. Unique. And with coconut milk, and plantain flour to thicken the drink. Some farmers throw in a subtle bit of cinnamon. Gosh, the aroma... The slightly smoky and flowery layers of taste...
Visit a Local, Family-Owned Cacao Farm
Some 15 km east from town, there are 3 or 4 small family farms who welcome visitors. All of them women led. Visits are free of charge – you can purchase chocolate products from the farmers to support them. [Tip: these products travel well in your suitcase. They are known to have made it to Canada, Europe, South America... Keep them out of the sun. Wrap them in plastic.]
Your hostesses at the family farms will walk you through their orchards, where you will get acquainted with the cacao pods and the flowers and hear their stories about their generations-old traditions, and the cultivation, maintenance and harvesting practices. A buds-thrilling tasting is included!
Some of the Cacao Products You'll Discover
There's the classic product everyone buys – the cacao balls. They are made from cacao paste, which is the result of grinding the roasted beans. (Folks tend to imagine that grinding the beans would produce cocoa powder. Nope. It produces a rich paste that can be later processed to extract the fat and make cocoa powder.) The balls are then refrigerated, which makes them quite hard, almost like a stone. And you can grate them to make hot chocolate at home, or to garnish a tiramisu, or to top a nice scoop of vanilla, praline, or pistachio ice cream...
Another excellent product: the pure roasted cacao bars. And then there are bonbons, and cacao butter (good for your skin, for your lips in the winter...).
If you are in town and it's one of those classic eastern Cuba hot days, drop by at the Casa del Cacao in the pedestrian strip downtown and order a chilled chocolate drink. [Tip: do not confuse Casa del Cacao with Casa del Chocolate – the latter does not have the same lovely setting nor offers the same products.]
Cuban Cacao in the Hands of Fine Chocolatiers
There's such a thing as cacao terroirs. Different cacao-producing countries are known for the specific qualities or their locally grown beans. Cuba, specifically Baracoa, is a sought-after terroir among chocolatiers the world over.
Needless to say, the real thing, the freshly roasted flavours are in and its artisan products!
Now, if you're not in Cuba and wish to enjoy a great chocolate bar made from Baracoa beans, you can find various ones made it Belgium, England, France, Italy, Ireland, Switzerland... Most of them ship chocolates abroad.
We have been lucky and delighted to taste the following:
• France's Chapon – a dark, 75% chocolate bar.
• Belgium's Marcolini – a dark, 72% chocolate bar.
• Ireland's NearyNogs – a 65% chocolate bar.
N.B.: those pics are not AI-made. They were taken at the places shown in the photos. ;-)
Check out our post about Baracoa's cacao here:
👉 ENGLISH: https://villaparadisobaracoa.com/en/baracoas-organic-cocoa-finger-licking-good/
👉 FRANÇAIS : https://villaparadisobaracoa.com/fr/le-cacao-biologique-de-baracoa-un-vrai-regal/
👉 ITALIANO: https://villaparadisobaracoa.com/it/il-cacao-biologico-di-baracoa-da-leccarsi-le-dita/
👉 ESPAÑOL: https://villaparadisobaracoa.com/es/el-cacao-organico-de-baracoa-de-chuparse-los-dedos/
![An inhabitant of Alexander Humboldt National Park, in Baracoa!Stygian Owl – in Cuba: Siguapa.[Asio stygius siguapa]Photo...](https://img4.glotels.com/175/821/1428912201758212.jpg)
