Mast Brothers logo,
carved into the cement of their building
After taking a tour of the Mast Brothers Chocolate Factory, I had to try the brew bar down the street. I was in need of another dose of locally produced chocolate.
The storefront looks very similar to the traditional store, but much more sparse. Shelves built into the wall house the chocolate bars available for purchase, and a simple menu behind the counter describes the five to six offerings of the day. They had samples of the chocolate spread on sourdough – delicious. We surveyed the short selection, first attempting to opt for the chocolate beer, which was not available. What a disappointment! It was a popular ask for the customers that trickled in after us, and I may have to visit another day to give the non-alcoholic, carbonated beverage a whirl.
Quickly overcoming the initial dismay of the out-of-stock beer, we chose to try the brewed chocolate and traditional hot chocolate. The brewed chocolate consists of brewed cocoa nibs using a syphon coffee system. It was fascinating to watch from the blonde wood bench – the only seating in the storefront – with the water slowly seeping upward toward the nibs, and bubbling out at the end to produce a brown, translucent beverage. It resembled coffee, but with the scent of chocolate. It was not particularly sweet and didn’t have much of a taste – certainly nowhere near the strong flavors present in their chocolate bars.
The hot chocolate was as expected – very rich, incorporating dark chocolate and not too much sugar, served in a small cup that proved to be more than enough for the group. It took four of us to finish it, and resembled the velvety fullness of a traditional Parisian chocolat chaud.
One new way to experience chocolate (brewed) and one traditional (hot chocolate), and one yet to be tasted (chocolate beer). I guess I will have to visit the establishment once again!
Until next time,
SugarSource
SugarSource 