These bean-to-bar shops are bringing the most decadent handcrafted chocolate made in-house, right here in our own Hong Kong backyard
Though Belgium and Switzerland are usually the places that spring to mind when thinking about where chocolate is made, Hong Kong happens to have a small but nonetheless passionate community of artisanal chocolate makers that have full control of the production process from start to finish and dedicate their time to perfecting consistency, taste and smoothness.
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, skip the mass-produced chocolates and head over to these bean-to bar chocolatiers instead for sweet treats filled with complex notes and aromas that will enrich all your senses.
Hakawa Chocolate
Tucked away in a seven square meter shop at the end of Gough Street is the unassuming yet extremely popular artisanal chocolatier Hakawa. You would hardly believe that a whole manufacturing process could operate from the back of such a small establishment, yet the bean-to-bar shop has been selling small-batch solid and drinking chocolate ever since it opened three years ago.
Much like the name of the shop—a play on the words Hong Kong and kakawa (the ancient Olmec word for cacao)—the two owners consider the chocolate a bit of a crossover between cultures, mixing cacao beans sourced from Sri Lanka, Peru and Ecuador with local ingredients such as goji berries, osmanthus, sichuan peppers, Himalayan salt and more to develop distinctive flavours that you won’t find in commercially-available chocolate bars.
Their most in-demand items are the dark, almond and macadamia chocolate bars as well as the hot chocolate—available with either 74 or 100% chocolate and your preference of whole, soy or nut milk. Don’t miss out on the limited-edition sesame and coconut flavours, made specifically for Chinese New Year.
Hakawa Chocolate, Shop1B, 49-51A Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 6163 3563, facebook.com/HakawaChocolate
See also: Hong Kong's Best Chocolate Gifts For Valentine's Day 2020