Where can I buy bars of chocolate?

[Meguita]

Hello everyone!

I'll be in Xela in two weeks (yeah!!!), and I'd like to take some bars of delicious Guatemalan chocolate home with me so I can make hot chocolate at home.

Last year I attended a Spanish school and we visited dona Vicky's chocolate "factory." I bought some directly from her. Is there a store where I can buy chocolate?

Gracias!

Meguita

[jokerswildnyc]

I bought some chocolate from north south books, on 8 calle in zona 1. its a cool bookstore on top of a really cool hill.

there is also a factory somewhere. some friends of mine went but i dont know where it is. ask around.

Hello everyone!

I'll be in Xela in two weeks (yeah!!!), and I'd like to take some bars of delicious Guatemalan chocolate home with me so I can make hot chocolate at home.

Last year I attended a Spanish school and we visited dona Vicky's chocolate "factory." I bought some directly from her. Is there a store where I can buy chocolate?

Gracias!

Meguita

[Felipe]

There is also Doña Pancha´s chocolate factory. She makes chocolate on something like a popsicle stick so you can stir it into hot milk, coffee, or water. One of my English students gave me some of them as a gift. They were delicious. Her store is near Mercado Las Flores (in the same neighborhood as Casa Argentina).

Check out her website (www.chocolatededonapancha.com) for the exact address and lots of other info. She did a presentation recently at EntreMundos explaining the whole history of chocolate in the context of her Mayan heritage and how it is made now, distinguishing her traditional methods from modern mass-production methods. Very interesting.

[Monte Verde Tours]

Al-Natur sells several brands of tipical guatemalan drinking chocolate.
They are located on 13av. 8-34A Zone 1.

[ButterflyTeacher]

El Natur (as of 2 wks ago) also sells the Doña Pancha chocolate on a stick

[allobrogica]

Another recommendation for Al-Natur. The Bake Shop also has chocolate from a couple Guate places.

In case someone finds this thread looking for chocolate to bake with: There is a great hidden baking supply store on 15ave (the sign is barely legible). They have multiple varieties of chocolate including a suitable dark chocolate for baking (keep in mind my standards for chocolate are extremely high - I've not found any good dark chocolate in Guatemala. This is in part because they all put too much sugar in it.).

Moldes y Adornos para Pasteles: 15ave 0-26, zona 1. The door is never open, ring the doorbell (during business hours: 9am-1pm, 2:30pm-6:30pm). 7761-4349.

Another decent option for baking chocolate is the Emanuel shop near democracia - 17av I think - perhaps the 2nd block after Robles, on the right side of street. They have some fun things there like tiny chocolate chips that are half dark, half white chocolate. Super cute.

Next I'll be making my own since I found a place (near Emanuel actually, other side of street) near Democracia that has decent cacao (instead of hauling out to Terminal). Just need a molinero.

Oh, and the baking supply store also has real brown sugar. This is the only place in Xela that we've found to have real brown sugar. He literally has to buy it in Guate City and bring it here. The locals will say you can buy brown sugar in the market, Dispensa, etc. It's simply not the case. What those places have is granulated raw sugar (so it looks brown-ish/not white) and doesn't work the same for baking. Another item that gets confused is Panela. It's also unrefined raw sugar in block form, but different. While the flavor is good, it doesn't cook or bake the same way as brown sugar. Friends tell me that mixing panela and raw sugar together works ok. But now that I've found real brown sugar... Oh my, are my Pineapple Upside Down cakes and chocolate chip cookies great!

[durhamm]

I am seconding Al-Natur. It's all fair-trade, too! And they sell stuff from various charity organizations. A truly wonderful coffee shop.

There is also a little gourmet chocolate and jewelry shop on 4 Calle and about 18 Callejon with great truffles and filled fruit chocolates. I don't remember the name, but it's great. Closed for lunch but otherwise open normal hours.