Chocolate Making And Tasting At A Local Factory In San José

Mauricio conducted an excellent chocolate tasting and making session. He explained the whole process of chocolate making from seed to nib to conching to making candy bars made of high quality Costa Rican chocolate. It was both fun and informative. The atmosphere was casual and friendly. There were only 5 of us, which made it especially rewarding. Our only negative is that it was hard to find the demo location, which was in a residential neighborhood with no sign or address on the door. We found it with the help of neighbors.

This was so much fun! We got to make two chocolate bars and learn about chocolate!! Had a blast

So amazing!! Informational and fun!

This was a good thing to do on a rainy day. This was not a factory- it was a room in a house with a kitchenette. There was instruction about the chocolate making process, and then we spooned chocolate into molds and added nuts, fruit, and fillings as desired. We each made two candy bars and then spent the time waiting for them to chill in the refrigerator coloring on cardboard candy bar boxes as “package design.” We each made 2 candy bars.

This was a phenomenal experience- we still talk about it almost a year later (I’m traveling for another trip and realized I didn’t finish my review). It was a small group (4) and an incredibly hands on experience. I would do it again in a heartbeat, we had so much fun.

This was an excellent experience, very informative, and delicious! The instructor was extremely knowledgeable

Awesome. The ingredients tasted so good. Great experience. Your guide was communicative and easy to reach.

If you enjoy chocolate you will LOVE this class! Mauricio is a wonderful and patient teacher and we learned so much about chocolate from the cocoa plant to the chocolate bar and everything in between. It was eye opening and so much fun too! Mauricio was so kind and suggested locations where we might see an endangered Tapir and helped us with our Uber after class. We loved it so much we are going to do this class again when we return to Costa Rica next year!

It was fun & informative, I won't take chocolate for granted ever again! Who knew there was so much history to this tasty food.

Great value for the experience

Love, love, love! So fun and educational at the same time. All the senses were involved in this tour (smell, taste, sight, etc). I would encourage all travelers, including this with younger children (5-years and up) to book this experience.

Very interesting and fun with a knowledgeable guest we learned a lot about chocolate We hoped that a sign would make it easier to find the place

It was so nice learning the history of chocolate and making our own. At the end we were suggested very good restaurants and are so appreciative!

Fun, educational and delicious. Owner was friendly and loves his work. He spent extra time educating us on cacao history.

Great chocolate making experience, the owner is a very nice and friendly person, my only suggestion is the place where is located need a little bit more of advertising like a big sign or something, because you feel like entering in a random house.

We had a wonderful experience! It was entertaining and informative at the same time! We would highly recommend! It was also very nice to bring home our homemade custom chocolate bars home with us!

This was so much fun! Even the teenagers were smiling!!! The Chef went through where chocolate comes from and we took tastes along with the story. We then made two custom chocolate bars each.

Great tour overall. The teacher was very knowledgeable and very friendly. He guides you step by step on how to make chocolate. I was a solo traveler and was scared to walk by myself in the neighborhood to go to a restaurant. He walked with me to the restaurant which was much appreciated. I'm only giving 4 stars because when I arrived 15 minutes early, he told me to wait by myself outside and I was solo and I didn't know the area. I had to tell my Uber driver to wait with me while the guy opened the door. Mind you I was in San Jose and since the traffic is always crazy you are supposed to arrive early to any activity otherwise you can miss the class or come in late. Word to the wise don't come early because he will not let you in.

This was one of the best experiences we had in Costa Rica! It was so intimate and such a great experiences for people with children. Taking us through the whole process, trying the various stages of chocolate, and then making our own bars was priceless. We each went home with two bars that we made ourselves. I would highly recommend this for a quick outing for anyone visiting San Jose.

This experience was AWESOME! Definitely book this tour! We learned so much and got to try the actual cacao fruit! So glad we did it

Mauricio was a great host and teacher! We got to learn a lot about the chocolate business and the science behind the making of chocolate.

Great place for solo travelers. Fun, easy going environment. Professional & Knowledgeable staff. Teacher was very good looking!

This experience was very cool!! We were able to learn about the different stages of how chocolate is formed as well as create our own chocolate bars. The chocolate and the ingredients were organic as well so that’s always a plus in my eyes. Mauricio was a very warm and welcoming host. We had a lot of fun and would come back again!!

We had such a lovely time learning all about the harvesting of cacao and the production of chocolate! It was very cool to be able to taste the products at each stage of the harvesting, roasting, and producing process! Making our own chocolate bars was definitely the highlight and the instructions were clear and easy to follow! We loved all the variety in the toppings and fillings you could use and getting to make our own boxes for our bars was a bonus. The location, right in San Jose, made this an excellent option for us to do with only half a day to spend in the city.

Great experience! The host was very kind and generous.

Mauricio was super knowledgeable about chocolate production with so many samples to try as he spoke. The class allows you to make two chocolate bars. You even get to design your own package to store the chocolate. I would highly recommend this activity to any chocolate enthusiast.

My coworkers and I had a great time learning about chocolate and getting the chance to make our own bar with customized flavors and our own signature wrappers! It was so cool to see the cocoa tree and pod. Once in a lifetime experience!

Mauricio provided excellent service. Would recommend great experience!

We wanted to do something different, so we picked learning to make chocolate. It is definitely a process. Our guide took us through the process and the history from the beginning. He spoke Englush which made it very helpful. He and his assistant were awesome. The chocolate was superb!!! Loved it and it is highly recommended!!!

Best experience in Costa Rica 🇨🇷!! I learned so much about chocolate 🍫 We had a blast 😊🎊🎉🎈we even decorated our own chocolate boxes for our chocolates.

A really wonderful experience -cannot recommend enough. Informative, interesting, and insightful!

Learning about the history of cocoa was interesting for me (my 12 year old would have skipped that part) but when we got to the testing and chocolate making he was all in. Letting you do the chocolate yourself, pick your toppings, and decorate your chocolate wrappers was a great experience. I would recommend it if you are looking for something smaller, more interactive and easy for kids to participate.

This was such a great experience to for such a great price. The history, knowledge & making process was so well worth every penny. Thank You Mauricio!

Fantastic!! Educational, unique and fun. I would highly recommend it and it was perfect for my stay in SJO

Tiny place on a quiet street, 100% artisanal, like someone’s home. Amazing experience, friendly educational, super fun. And the chocolate is beautiful, delicious!

A little tricky to find, but absolutely worth the effort. In a place like Costa Rica where so many activities are high-energy and physical, this was a perfect change of pace, relaxing, fun, and full of rich cultural insight. Mauricio was an incredible instructor, patient, engaging, and genuinely supportive throughout the experience. We loved every step, from learning the history of chocolate to crafting our own bars and even designing our own packaging. Such a unique, hands-on experience, and we’re so glad we did it.

We have 5 people in our family: 2 parents, an 18 yr old, a 15 year old and an 10 year old. We all loved the chocolate making experience. It is truly a bean to bar experience, beginning with opening a fresh cacao pod to creating our own, unique chocolate bars complete with packaging. It feels like an insider peek into the chocolate making process, including the history and economics of the chocolate industry.

WOWWWW hands down this was the BEST thing we've ever done! Not only was our host super kind and informative but he made the overall experience really something more people should be talking about. He went above and beyond and it is definitely going to be something we remember for a lifetime. Our daughters are 4 and 8 and they had the best time too, we stayed super engaged, the whole experience moved seamlessly and perfectly and we're so beyond happy we booked this! Amazing experience!

It is not actually a factory but rather small group training in how to make chocolate from bean to bar. The host is the owner o the boutique chocolate company. The actual factory is about 1 hour away. He is delightful and provides much historical information about the origins of chocolate. He takes as much time as the event requires and ours ran a bit long but he did not rush us at all. He also provides recommendations for restaurants in the area (he is a chef by training who became entranced by chocolate). His recommendations include all all types of food, including vegetarian and vegan options. The only confusing thing about the experience is that it is in a house in a residential area . When we went there was no Tapir Chocolates sign so we were not sure we were in the correct place. The location is in the middle of a block, and look for the house with the black bars and the bronze/terra cotta entry door. We had a lot of fun. He is also a wealth of information if, like me, you try to temper chocolate for holiday bon-bons or truffles! However, the other guests did not make candy at home and had an equally wonderful time !

Mauricio lead an educational and hands-on fun chocolate making experience, good for all ages probably suggest seven and up. We were able to see the CACAO fruit in all of its forms and taste each stage. we learned about the origins and how to properly temper chocolate to be able to make at home as well. Each participant had the opportunity to make two chocolate bars themselves including a huge variety of fillings and toppings. We even were able to design our own wrapper for our finished product. After being in the sun and doing lots of hiking every day, this was a super great way to end our Costa Rican Vacay. We give Mauricio and the TAPIR chocolate company ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ plus we got to bring our chocolate bars home!! Located in a great area for nearby restaurants after!

This was a fabulous chocolate making class! We had such fun and learned SO much about cacoa and the origins, how to make it from every step etc. from the owner Mauricio! We each got to make 2 chocolate bars and now we are master chocolatiers 🤣 He was great highly recommend!

This tour was one of the most unique experiences we had on our trip. If you are curious about the cocoa production and history, chocolate making and tasting this one is a must! Mauricio is a passionate farm to bar Chocolatier. He walked us through the whole process from Cacao plant, seed and roasting and then into tasting and making our own bars. They were gracious hosts and the facility was extremely clean. If you are looking for something interesting to do for just a few hours in San Jose I would recommend this tour.

This was a fun and informative experience that I highly recommend. An interesting group from all over and the knowledgeable company owner teaching us and helping us make our own chocolate bars. We made our own chocolate souvenirs. Great fun!

this was such a fun and unique experience! it was very informative and definitely something id recommend

This is a wonderful, interactive educational and fun activity! Forgot delicious! All age groups Mauricio was a fabulous instructor. So glad we did this!

The place was a little hard to find- but once I found my way- the experience was lovely! The instructor was very knowledgeable and I just soaked it all up. I highly recommend it. I’ll never forget this experience.

Had a wonderful afternoon! So much great information. Tasty chocolate (75% cacao). Tasty fillings. It was a great time!! I 100% recommend this!!

This was a fantastic experience! We learned a ton about the history & cultural significance of chocolate. Tasting all the stages from fruit to seed to bar was fascinating. And we made chocolate bars! All with a very knowledgeable and friendly host in a scrupulously clean setting. Totally recommend.

This tour was excellent. He was genuine in sharing his knowledge of the history of cocoa and chocolate making in Costa Rica. He was able to sense those who are more anxious when it came to following the steps for making our personal chocolate bars. He loved having questions brought forward and was complimentary to our questions. Overall great experience. Of course we lucked out and got basically a semi private class. 😊