Event: Chocolopolis Sixth Anniversary

Every July Chocolopolis celebrates their anniversary with a month of wonderful chocolate events. Of particular note is the chance to win a free bar of chocolate every week for one year by finding one of three golden tickets placed in bars during the month. That experience initially inspired this blog.

If you're new to the Seattle area, visiting during the month, or just haven't made it there yet, attending an event that interests you is another reason to go. Chocolopolis also has free Thursday evening (happy hour, 5 to 9 p.m.) themed chocolate tastings nearly every week throughout the year.

Here are some of the special events this year:

• Wednesday, July 2nd, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.: truffle-making demonstration from Sebastian and Dominica Falcon of Chocolopolis.
• Tuesday, July 8th, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.: meet Nat Bletter of Madre Chocolate and taste chocolate made from cacao grown in Hawaii.
• Thursday, July 10th, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.: meet Jacques Dahan of Michel Cluizel and taste some French chocolate.
• Saturday, July 12th, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: taste iced drinking chocolate, and check out Queen Anne Days Sidewalk Sale until 5 p.m. There will also be two guided chocolate tasting sessions for children: one at 11 a.m. and one at 11:30 a.m.
• Tuesday, July 15th, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.: get advice from Lauren Adler of Chocolopolis about how to host a great chocolate tasting party.
• Thursday, July 17th, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.: be one of the first to taste three new single-origin Chocolopolis chocolate bars at this launch happy hour.
• Tuesday, July 22nd, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.: learn about cacao in Belize as Lauren Adler of Chocolopolis shares photos and stories about traditional Mayan cacao farming and the local Fair Trade cooperative.
• Thursday, July 24th, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.: compare U.S. crafted chocolate, with a East vs. West (of the Mississippi) tasting.
• Tuesday, July 29th, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Chocolopolis chocolatiers give suggestions about how to avoid chocolate baking and cooking mistakes. Some bulk chocolate will be on sale.
• Thursday, July 31st, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.: taste some favorite chocolate bars of the Chocolopolis team.

You can read more about their anniversary and other events at Chocolopolis (including chocolate tasting classes and their frequent bar club) on their website.

Event: Chocolopolis Fifth Anniversary and Golden Tickets

During their anniversary celebration in July, Chocolopolis places golden tickets in three bars of chocolate in their store. Buying one of the bars with a golden ticket inside wins the buyer one free chocolate bar of their choice each week during the subsequent year! As you know if you're a regular reader, winning one of those golden tickets is what inspired me to begin my exploration of artisan chocolate and this blog. They'll be staggering the release of the three bars containing golden tickets over the month, with the first one being put out on shelves on July 6th, the second on July 13th, and the third on July 20th.

So, if you live in the Seattle area and haven't yet been to Chocolopolis, then this is the month to go and buy some great chocolate (and maybe find a golden ticket). If you can't make it this month, remember that Chocolopolis has weekly Thursday evening (5 to 9 p.m.) free themed happy hour chocolate tastings that occur year-round.

During this fifth anniversary celebration, they also have many special events:

• Tuesday, July 2nd, all day: 50% off drinking chocolate.
• Saturday, July 6th, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.: meet chocolate maker Rob Anderson of Fresco and taste his chocolate for free, including some prototypes in development. First golden ticket bar is on the shelves today!
• Wednesday, July 10th, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: truffle-making demonstration, Kickstarter campaign kickoff, and free samples.
• Thursday, July 11th, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.: meet Alex Espiritu of Valrhona and taste free samples of their single origin chocolate.
• Saturday, July 13th, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: try free samples of iced drinking chocolate at Chocolopolis table during Queen Anne Days festival. Second golden ticket bar is out!
• Sunday, July 14th, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Bastille Day, so free samples of French chocolate bars from Bonnat, Michel Cluizel, Francois Pralus, and Valrhona, plus videos about their chocolate making techniques.
• Wednesday, July 17th, all day: 50% off truffles made by Chocolopolis.
• Thurday, July 18th, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.: drinking chocolate demonstration, meet Chocolopolis chocolatiers, and free samples of Chocolopolis products.
• Friday, July 19th: By invitation and reservation only, a tasting of fresh cacao pulp and selected bars. I hope you're an active Chocolopolis Frequent Bar Club member so you're invited to attend this.
• Saturday, July 20th: Third golden ticket bar is on the shelves.
• Monday, July 22nd, all day: 50% off chocolate bars made by Chocolopolis.
• Tuesday, July 23rd: Another by invitation and reservation only event: a guided tasting by Alex Espiritu of Valrhona nibs, cocoa mass, and chocolates.
• Thursday, July 25th, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.: meet chocolatier Christopher Elbow and try free samples of his creations.
• Saturday, July 27th, at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., and 5 p.m.: guided chocolate tastings for children.

You can read more about their anniversary and other events at Chocolopolis (and their Frequent Bar Club) on their website.

Where To Buy Chocolate Bars

There are several great online stores for buying chocolate bars in the United States. Here are my five favorite places to shop (now, six, with the addition from Lowe's comment). These are the best online stores for buying chocolate that I've found. All of them have large selections of many excellent chocolate bars:

Caputo's has good prices and flat-rate USPS priority mail shipping of $7.99 regardless of order size. Click on See all brands link at the left to find chocolate bars by brand. Accepts MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover, and PayPal. Ships from Utah.

Chocolopolis has good prices and good shipping rates. Use the Shop By Brand drop-down at the top-left to find chocolate bars by brand. Accepts MasterCard, Visa, and American Express. Ships from Washington State.

Chocosphere has big selection and tends to have the lowest prices with slightly higher shipping rates, but includes warm weather packaging for free when they feel it is needed. Accepts MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover. Ships from Oregon.

Cocova has a huge selection, but typically higher prices and slightly higher shipping rates. Accepts MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover. Ships from Washington, D.C.

The Meadow has slightly higher prices and good shipping rates. Use Chocolate By Manufacturer to find chocolate bars by brand. Acccepts credit cards and PayPal. Ships from Oregon.

World Wide Chocolate has big selection and tends to higher prices and shipping rates, but also has sales every week, so there are opportunities for getting good deals. Accepts MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover, Optima, Diner's Club, and PayPal. Ships from New Hampshire.

If ordering during warm weather, be sure to add warm weather packaging to your order to make sure your chocolate arrives safely. Typical cost is around $7. Another consideration is the location from where your chocolate is being shipped because a longer time in transit increases the risk of damage.

In our individual bar reviews, we put a link to the least expensive price that we can find online at the time of the review (not including shipping charges). Because prices change, it's worth checking all five of the sites above if you're looking for a specific brand or bar.

Of course, a local chocolate store can be even better, as that may give you an opportunity to try a chocolate before buying! Plus, no damage in transit and no shipping charges to pay -- just your own transportation to the store. For example, here in Seattle, Chocolopolis has weekly happy hours during which they provide several chocolates to sample.

If you have a favorite online or local chocolate bar store, please add a comment to tell us about it (preferably with a link to their website). We'd love to learn about such stores in other countries, too!

Chocolopolis Fourth Anniversary and Golden Tickets

During their anniversary celebration in July, Chocolopolis places golden tickets in three bars of chocolate in their store. Buying one of the bars with a golden ticket inside wins the buyer one free chocolate bar of their choice each week during the subsequent year! As you know if you're a regular reader, winning one of those golden tickets is what inspired me to begin my exploration of artisan chocolate and this blog. They'll be staggering the release of the three bars containing golden tickets over the month, with the first one being put out on shelves on July 7th, the second on July 14th, and the third on July 21st.

So, if you live in the Seattle area and haven't yet been to Chocolopolis, then this is the month to go and buy some great chocolate (and maybe find a golden ticket). Throughout the month, Chocolopolis will have single origin mini chocolate tastings every Tuesday and Saturday at 3 p.m. They will also continue their weekly Thursday evening (5 to 9 p.m.) free themed happy hour chocolate tastings that occur year-round.

During this fourth anniversary, they also have many other special events:

• Saturday, July 7th, 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.: Japanese Tea Ceremony and tasting tea paired with chocolate.
• Monday, July 9th, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Serious Chocolate Talk: Kristy Leissle (a.k.a. Dr. Chocolate) explains fair trade, direct trade, and free trade.
• Wednesday, July 11th by private invitation: Chocolopolis Frequent Bar Club members taste raw cacao from the pod, as well as Chuao and Porcelana chocolate.
• Saturday, July 14th, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Bastille Day celebration with samples from French chocolate makers Bonnat, Michel Cluizel, Francois Pralus, and Valrhona.
• Saturday, July 14th, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.: Chocolopolis chocolatiers Dominica and Sebastian Falcon demonstrate how to make truffles. Samples afterwards.
• Tuesday, July 17th, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Serious Chocolate Talk: Kate Selting explains the cultural significance of cacao to indigenous cultures based on her Peace Corps experience with cacao farmers.
• Saturday, July 21st, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.: Chocolopolis chocolatiers Dominica and Sebastian Falcon demonstrate how to temper chocolate. Samples afterwards.
• Saturday, July 28th, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.: Rob Anderson, founder of local Washington chocolate maker Fresco answers questions about his chocolate making process and shares samples of his chocolate.

You can read more about anniversary and other events at Chocolopolis on their website.

Store: Seattle chocolate store updates

Chocolopolis now carries Ritual Costa Rica, and I've updated their detailed original store posting accordingly.

kakáo is now open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon, but no longer open on Sundays. They've added a few bars by Michel Cluizel. I've similarly updated the kakáo store posting.

Event: Northwest Chocolate Festival and Chocolopolis

Chocolopolis is not only participating in the Northwest Chocolate Festival (weekend of October 22-23 in Seattle), but also selling a limited number of tickets without online fees. You can purchase a VIP pass for $85 (saving $4 vs. online, and not available at event) or a single day pass for $20 (saving $2 vs. online, and $5 vs. at event). However, you must pay in cash.

Chocolopolis is facilitating three classes during the festival, including

• Chocolate Tasting 101 (by percentage of cocoa solids) Sat 11 a.m. with their Chief Chocophile Lauren Adler
• Chocolate Tasting 102 (by cacao origin) Sun 11 a.m., again with Lauren Adler
• Make It Snap! (about tempering chocolate) Sun 1 p.m., with chocolatiers Dominica and Sebastian

In addition, Chocolopolis is hosting two additional free events separate from the festival.

The weekend before the festival, on Saturday, October 15th, from 2-4 p.m., Kallari will be at Chocolopolis (1527 Queen Anne Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109) having a chocolate tasting. There will also be a cacao farmer from the Kallari Association.

The day after the festival, on Monday, October 24th, Colin Gasko, the chocolate maker and founder of Rogue will be having a chocolate tasting at the store from 5-7 p.m. Rogue is one of our favorite chocolate makers, and we're looking forward to meeting the maker behind their wonderful chocolate.

One additional note about Chocolopolis is that they are now selling chocolates from maker Dandelion.

Store: kakáo: website is up and a few changes

kakáo has made a few changes since I first posted about them in April.

• They extended their hours until 6 p.m. on weekdays and are now open on Sundays from noon to 8 p.m.
• kakáo also has a website with a little content: http://www.kakaoseattle.com (replacing http://www.kakao.us that had been a placeholder for two years and is no longer in use).
• When I was there yesterday, I noticed they had two new bars: Nocturne from E. Guittard and a dark chocolate with pomegranate bar from Nirvana.

In any case, I've revised the detailed original posting about their store to include this updated information.

Chocolopolis Third Anniversary and Golden Tickets

During their anniversary celebration in July, Chocolopolis places golden tickets in three bars of chocolate in their store. Buying one of the bars with a golden ticket inside wins the buyer one free chocolate bar of their choice each week during the subsequent year! As you know if you're a regular reader, winning one of those golden tickets is what inspired me to begin my exploration of artisan chocolate and this blog.

So, if you live in the Seattle area and haven't yet been to Chocolopolis, then this is the month to go and buy some great chocolate (and maybe find a golden ticket). Throughout the year, Chocolopolis has weekly Thursday evening (5 to 9 p.m.) free happy hour chocolate tastings.

During this third anniversary celebration, they also have many other special events:

• Saturday, July 16th, 1:30 to 4:00 p.m.: chocolatier Christopher Elbow shares samples of his truffles.
• Tuesday, July 19th, 7 p.m.: U.W. professor Kristy Leissle (a.k.a. Dr. Chocolate) talks about slavery in the cacao trade.
• Wednesday, July 20th, 1 p.m.: Chocolopolis chocolatiers demonstrate
  tempering chocolate.
• Tuesday, July 26th, 7 p.m.: Kate Selting talks about her experience as a Peace Corps volunteer supporting Panama cacao farming.
• Wednesday, July 27th, 1 p.m.: Chocolopolis chocolatiers demonstrate
  making ganache.
• Saturday, July 30th, 3 to 5 p.m.: Rob Anderson, founder of local Washington chocolate maker Fresco, shares samples of his new Venezuelan Chuao.

Here's a full list of events.

Store: Kakao

Last month I ran across kakáo (pronounced kuh-key-oh) while on a walk in the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle. I saw the sign in the window and felt compelled to check it out. I'm glad I did.

kakáo is a combination chocolate and coffee shop, with lots of bright, open space in which to hang out. In this converted warehouse, under 15' high wooden ceilings, they have ten tables with chairs, two loveseats, two lounge chairs, free Wi-Fi for internet access (wireless network 415: just ask them for the password), and lots of outlets around the walls and windows (to power your laptop, etc).

chocolate store	kakáo
website	http://www.kakaoseattle.com/
address	415 Westlake Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109 United States
phone	(206) 388-5467
hours	Mon-Fri	7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
	Sat	8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
online shopping	no
shipping area	N/A
warm weather shipping	N/A
chocolate makers	Amedei Michel Cluizel Claudio Corallo Dagoba Fran's Green and Black's Guittard Kallari Komforte Lindt Madécasse Moonstruck François Pralus Republica del Cacao Scharffen Berger Taza Theo Valrhona Vosges
special deals & events	free Wi-Fi
last updated	February 24, 2012

With more than 50 different chocolate bars of more than a dozen different brands, kakáo has the second largest collection of quality chocolate in Seattle (including some not available at Chocolopolis).

At the espresso bar, they serve Valrhona Celaya drinking chocolate in addition to more traditional drip coffee and espresso. Their coffee is from local Seattle green coffee maker Herkimer. A small collection of pastries is also available.

The shop is officially open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but a barista let me know that they are usually open by 7:15 a.m. Their website is only a placeholder at present, but the owner, J.B., intends to add content and perhaps eventually sell chocolate online (I'll let you know if he does!)

kakáo has a side room that holds up to twenty people that is available for free, and can even be reserved. They also have a huge venue space for rent in back that has a capacity of 300 people (200 for a seated event). Call and talk to Jim if you're interested in more information about their venue space.

Store: Chocolopolis

As you've no doubt read in previous postings, Chocolopolis was the store that introduced me to artisan chocolate and inspired me to create this blog. The owner, Lauren Adler, is not only an enthusiastic and educated chocophile, but also extremely generous and interested in sharing her passion for chocolate. All of the staff that I've met at the store in Seattle have been friendly and helpful, providing information for the novice and expert alike. At the same time, when they haven't known something, they admitted it and offered to try to find out.

Chocolopolis has many events, including weekly happy hours during which you can taste chocolate for free. They also have a frequent bar club, in which you receive one bar free for every 10 different chocolate bars you buy.

chocolate store	Chocolopolis
website	http://www.chocolopolis.com
address	1527 Queen Anne Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109 United States
phone	(206) 282-0776
hours	Mon-Wed	11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
	Thu-Sat	11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
	Sun	11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
online shopping	yes, click here
shipping area	continental United States click here for more information
warm weather shipping	yes, with gel packs
chocolate makers	Amano Amedei Askinosie Bonnat El Ceibo Michel Cluizel Coppeneur Claudio Corallo Dandelion Domori Escazú Fearless Fine & Raw Fresco Grenada E. Guittard Kallari Lillie Belle Farms Madécasse Chocolat Moderne Moonstruck Olive & Sinclair Original Beans Pacari Patric François Pralus Republica del Cacao El Rey Ritual Rogue Santander Snake & Butterfly Taza Theo Valrhona Venchi Waialua Estate
special deals & events	frequent bar club weekly happy hours tasting events
last updated	Febrary 24, 2012

In addition to stocking over 200 different chocolate bars, Chocolopolis carries a variety of chocolate truffles by multiple chocolatiers and several other items for chocolate lovers (drinking chocolate, books, gifts, etc.)

Chocolopolis also opened a temporary second store at the Bravern in Bellevue for the winter holidays, but it is still open.
  Address:
     700 110th Ave. NE, Suite 192,
     Bellevue, WA 98004
  Phone: (425) 453-0776
UPDATE: The last day the store at the Bravern will be open is April 30th.