Aurum Chocolate: Artisanal Bean to Bar Chocolates Handcrafted in Los Altos

The Rich History of Aurum Chocolate

Chocolate has captured the hearts and taste buds of people around the world for centuries. While many chocolates today are mass-produced confections, the origins of chocolate lie in carefully crafted confections made from cacao beans harvested by hand. Aurum Chocolate in Los Altos, California pays homage to this history by creating chocolate that spotlights the inherent flavors of meticulously sourced cacao.

Cacao Origins in Central America

The cacao tree has grown wild in Central America for thousands of years. The first people known to harvest, ferment and roast cacao beans into a bitter, invigorating drink are the Olmecs of southern Mexico. Over time, cacao cultivation spread across Mesoamerica, used by the Mayans and Aztecs in ceremonial drinks for its reputed spiritual and health-promoting properties.

When the Spanish arrived in the 1500s, they recognized the cultural significance of cacao and brought it back to Europe where sugar was added to counter the natural bitterness. Chocolate was born as it made its way into Spain, Italy and the rest of Europe as a prized, aristocratic treat.

Aurum’s Bean to Bar Process

At Aurum, they pay respect to the long history of cacao by using carefully selected cacao beans to craft chocolate through an artisanal bean to bar process. This allows the expert chocolatiers at Aurum to highlight the distinct characteristics of each origin of cacao.

They source cacao beans directly from individual farms in Ecuador, Madagascar, Guatemala and other unique terroirs. The beans are shipped directly to their Los Altos chocolate factory where they are sorted, roasted, winnowed, refined and conched in-house in small batches.

Unique Single Origin Offerings

Aurum produces chocolate bars, confections and other treats using only cacao beans from a single origin at a time. This allows the flavors innate to beans grown in a particular terroir to really shine through from being cultivated in microclimates with distinctive soils, rainfall, sunshine and more.

You can experience chocolate that exposes the lively fruit notes of cacao from Ecuador, the winey undertones of rare Porcelana cacao from the Philippines or the bold intensity of heirloom Maya Mountain cacao from Belize.

Beyond highlighting single origins, Aurum plays with adding inclusions like coconut ash, Hawaiian sea salt or bergamot oil to complement certain cacaos. Yet the focus always remains on sourcing quality cacao beans as the foundation for making exquisite chocolate.

Inspired by Ancient Traditions

The team at Aurum Chocolate finds inspiration from ancient Mayan and Aztec traditions that treated cacao as something precious and cultivated it as carefully as possible. They apply a similar mindset by focusing on quality over quantity and sustainability from seed to bar.

Aurum maintains direct relationships with growers to support future crop yields while making sure no pesticides or chemicals are used. The end result is a chocolate that is ethically sourced and connects you directly to the terroir of where the cacao was grown through its unadulterated flavor.

Come Taste the Difference

While many people today think of chocolate as a ubiquitous treat, Aurum is on a mission to help people appreciate chocolate more deeply by connecting them with exotic cacao origins and the stories behind them.

You’re invited to visit their factory and tasting room in Los Altos to experience chocolate in its purest artisanal form. Talk with their knowledgeable staff to truly understand all that goes into making their chocolate. Then, most importantly, slow down and taste the difference that obsessively sourced cacao and attention to traditional bean to bar technique makes.

Aurum Chocolate enables you to embark on a chocolate journey across the world from the comfort of their tasting room in the San Francisco Bay Area. Let these OG chocolate makers transport your palette one bite at a time.

FAQs

Where is Aurum Chocolate located?

Aurum Chocolate is located at 132 State St, Los Altos, CA 94022 in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Does Aurum offer chocolate making or tasting classes?

Yes, Aurum offers private and group chocolate tasting experiences in their tasting room where you can learn all about the origins and flavors of their chocolates. They also offer hands-on chocolate making classes.

What kinds of inclusions does Aurum use in their chocolate?

Some of the specialty inclusions Aurum uses to complement or contrast the flavor profiles of their single origin chocolates are Hawaiian sea salt, coconut ash, freeze dried fruit, flower essences, and essential oils like bergamot.

How can I order Aurum chocolates online?

Aurum chocolates can be ordered directly through their website to be shipped nationwide. They offer selections of single origin chocolate bars, confections, gift boxes and monthly chocolate subscriptions.