Gourmet chocolate-maker Taza opens doors for tours, tempts palates across the country

SOMERVILLE, Mass. The taste of chocolate never ceases to be magical, and an up-and-coming chocolate maker in Somerville, Mass., is opening its doors to show chocolate lovers how the magic happens through Willy Wonka-style tours.

Taza chocolate isn’t anything like your typical Hershey bar. It boasts a more rich, refined taste that combines earthy flavors, all of which stem from 100 percent direct-trade, organic ingredients, as Taza buys directly from farmers and harvesters.

Top-notch Boston restaurants are adding Taza chocolates and chocolate-based confections to their menus, and wine and beer connoisseurs are finding unique combinations of drinks to present at regular tastings and pairings. The factory tours allow visitors to be led through the chocolate process by one of the two founders, Alex Whitmore and Larry Slotnick, where visitors can observe the handful of Taza employees hard at work at constructing chocolate creations. Dark chocolate samples, including 60, 70 and 80 percent bars and flavored chocolate drinks, are offered on the tours.

All of the chocolate-making takes place at the Somerville factory, a rare situation among U.S. chocolate manufacturers. But beware of a Taza chocolate addiction, as it will cost you. One 3-ounce bar is priced at $6.50.

Taza chocolate candies are available at Massachusetts retailers such as Boston Organics, Greenfield’s Market and Whole Foods Markets, as well as hundreds of other grocers and retailers across the United States.