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Private Chocolate Tour in San Francisco
Select Date and Travelers
Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance. Learn More
6 to 7 Hours
Mobile ticket
Pickup offered
Offered in: English, Spanish
Overview
In this amazing experience you’ll immerse into the fascinating world of chocolate, but also treat yourself to a refreshing cocoa butter exfoliation, ending up with a natural massage at a waterfal!!
Start by exploring a beautiful cacao farm and learning the intricate process of how chocolate is made from start to finish. Then, chill by a crystal-clear river and enjoy a natural spa treatment with the cocoa butter we made at the farm, leaving your skin feeling smooth and rejuvenated!
Don’t miss out on this awesome mix of fun and relaxation!
What's Included
Meeting And Pickup
Meeting point
We'll meet where the buses and taxis park, right beside the metro station, towards the east exit.
End Point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Travelers staying out of Medellín, we'll meet where the buses and taxis park, right beside the El Poblado metro station, towards the east exit, or if you wish to be pick up at your location, it will have an extra cost.
What To Expect
1) After the pick up at your Airbnb/Hotel on a comfortable and private transportation, we'll head to the east region of Medellín towards the beautiful countryside, where we'll see a great variety of landscapes, farms and little towns on the road, after a 60 minutes drive away from the city we'll have our first stop to stretch, go to the bathroom and absorb the extraordinary scenery around us, at the famous "Mirador de Cocorná". The "Mirador de Cocorná" is a traditional restaurant with a scenic viewpoint at the highest part of the mountain, allowing us to asimilate the magnificense of the Andes Mountain Range in all of its glory, It's located near the typical town of Cocorná, and it's an obligatory stop for anyone that passes by.
15 Minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2) Soon we'll arrive to a gorgeous local family Cacao farm, immersed in natural beauty, full of a diverse of crops, flowers and plants, where we'll live an authentic Cacao experience that will take you through the entire process of making chocolate, from the Cacao tree to the drink and chocolate bar! Surrounded by the beautiful landscapes of Antioquia, you'll understand the art and science of Cacao and it's incredible history. From picking the fruit to roasting the Cacao Nibs, we'll see first hand the complexity and dedication that goes into producing a simple cup of chocolate. This is the process we will see: 1. Cacao Cultivation These trees thrive in tropical climates, not higher than 1500 meters, producing cacao pods that are the starting point of chocolate, that are this fascinating and unique oval shaped fruits of all colors. You'll see the different stages of growth and learn about the importance of the environment in cultivating high-quality cacao beans.
4 Hours • Admission Ticket Free
2. Harvesting the Pods Next, we'll witness the harvesting process. Farmers carefully handpick the ripe cacao pods, that are ready once they have a good size and bright color, which are then opened to reveal the cacao beans hidden inside a sweet, sticky and delicious pulp. Then is hanged upside down for a few hours, so gravity pulls the pulp down to earth and leaves the beans barely with any meat. 3. Fermentation The freshly harvested beans are then placed in shallow wooden boxes, barrils or covered with banana leaves to ferment for 5-6 days. This critical stage develops the beans' flavor and color, affecting the quality and taste of the final chocolate. 4. Drying the Beans After fermentation, the beans are spread out under the sun to dry, covered in a plastic bag creating a type of green house effect. This process usually takes several days depending on the sun, ensuring the beans reach the proper moisture content.
• Admission Ticket Free
5. Roasting Once the beans are dry, they are roasted to bring out their rich, mysterious and complex flavors. The roasting time and temperature vary depending on the desired flavor profile. On the tour, you'll see the roasting process in action and perhaps sample some freshly roasted beans!! 6. Winnowing Roasted beans are then cracked and winnowed, which separates the cacao nibs from the husks. The nibs are the purest form of cacao and are the essential ingredient in making chocolate. You'll get to see how machinery or traditional methods are used to perform this separation, it's simply amazing and magical. 7. Grinding The cacao nibs are ground into a thick paste known as chocolate liquor or cocoa mass. This step usually involves heavy machinery that crushes the nibs, but we'll use a very traditional and resourceful method, releasing their natural ingredients (cocoa butter) and transforming them into a smooth, liquid form, which we will use to exfoliate after in the river!!
• Admission Ticket Free
8. Conching The chocolate liquor is then refined through a process called conching, where it is continuously mixed and aerated at controlled temperatures. This step can last from several hours to several days, depending on the desired smoothness and flavor, impacting the final product's texture and taste. 9. Tempering To achieve the perfect snap and glossy finish, the chocolate is tempered. This involves carefully cooling and reheating the chocolate to stabilize the cocoa butter crystals. You'll observe the precise techniques used to temper chocolate and perhaps try your hand at it! 10. Molding and Packaging Finally, the tempered chocolate is poured into molds to create bars, truffles, or other delicious shapes. After cooling and hardening, the chocolate is ready to be packaged. We'll make and package our own chocolate bar and take it home as souvenir!!
• Admission Ticket Free
After our enriching cacao experience at the farm, we'll head to a stunning, crystal-clear river with a small waterfall. Here, we'll use the cocoa butter we made earlier for an exfoliating session, we'll spread it all over our body to slough off dead skin cells, moisturize and rejuvenate our skin, and we'll finish with a great natural massage inside the waterfall. This natural treat will leave you feeling refreshed and literally glowing!!
1 Hours • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Operated by The Andes Adventure Travels
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
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