Make Your Own Chocolate in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Looking for a hands-on chocolate-making class in Puerto Viejo? At Cacao Huasi, guests learn how chocolate is made from bean to bar using locally grown Caribbean cacao. This interactive experience includes tasting cacao, learning the chocolate-making process, and crafting your own chocolate to take home.

Quick info:

  • Duration: ~2.5 hours

  • Location: Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

  • Includes: tasting + hands-on chocolate making

  • Family friendly

  • Small groups

  • Make your own chocolate bars

Removing a fruit wrapped cacao bean from a freshly opened cacao pod during a chocolate making class at Cacao Huasi, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica.
Young woman participating in a hands-on chocolate class in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

**the top recommended chocolate tour in Latin America by Lonely Planet

**the top recommended chocolate tour in Latin America by Lonely Planet

What You’ll Experience

During this hands-on chocolate experience in Puerto Viejo, you’ll explore the journey of cacao from tree to bar while learning about the history and culture of cacao in Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast.

Together we:

  • taste local cacao and chocolate

  • learn how cacao is harvested and processed

  • crack and winnow cacao beans

  • grind cacao into chocolate by hand

  • explore flavor, aroma, and cacao tasting notes

  • create your own chocolate bars to take home

The class is interactive, relaxed, and designed for curious travelers, chocolate lovers, families, and anyone wanting a deeper connection to cacao. If you’d like to know more about the farms themselves, Victor from Wolaba Chocolate offers a farm tour of a traditional Afro-Caribbean cacao farm in the hills behind Puerto Viejo.

Why Caribbean Costa Rican Cacao Is Unique

Costa Rica’s South Caribbean is home to a growing community of small tree and bean-to-bar chocolate makers working directly with local cacao farms. Thanks to the region’s tropical climate, rich soil, and cultural history, cacao from this part of Costa Rica often has bright fruit notes, deep earthy flavors, and complex aromas that make each chocolate unique. Cacao from this area has a higher fat content, making chocolate from Talamanca even creamier and richer than other origins.

At Cacao Huasi, we are committed to working with small-scale cacao farms, hands-on chocolate making, and deepening connection between people who love to eat chocolate, people who love to make chocolate and people who love to grow cacao. And we think that in itself is a tasting note!

During the class, you’ll taste local cacao and learn how fermentation, roasting, and origin affect flavor — much like wine or coffee.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the chocolate class?

The experience lasts approximately 2.5 hours.

Is the class hands-on?

Yes. Guests participate directly in the chocolate-making process and create their own

chocolate bars from local cacao.

Do I need to reserve in advance?

We highly recommend booking ahead.

Is the class family friendly?

Yes. The experience is suitable for families, couples, solo travelers, and curious chocolate lovers of all ages.

What language is the class offered in?

Classes are generally offered in English. Spanish speaking classes can be arranged in advance.

Do you use local cacao?

Yes. We work with cacao connected to Costa Rica’s Caribbean region and share the local cacao-making process during the experience.

Can vegans participate?

Yes. The class is vegan-friendly.

Book Your Chocolate Experience

Ready to explore the world of Caribbean cacao through a hands-on chocolate experience in Puerto Viejo?

Join us at Cacao Huasi for an immersive bean-to-bar workshop where you’ll taste, learn, and create your own chocolate from local cacao.

Reservations are recommended. Looking for a chocolate experience in the afternoon? Perhaps you’d enjoy our Rum and Chocolate Pairing at sunset.

Hand made chocolate bars during a Hands On Chocolate Making Class in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica.