Volta Coffee, Tea & Chocolate: Gainesville, FL

Like a kid in a candy store...

No matter the age, you are sure to find something to quench your chocolate needs. We’ve sampled some of the world’s finest chocolates in our quest to bring only the best to Gainesville.

We started with a modest selection of chocolates from very small, family-run chocolate companies-- like Askinosie Chocolates, out of Springfield, Missouri.

Today, we still feature selections from Askinosie Chocolates as well as, L’Artigiano, Vintage Plantation and our Gainesville local Armadillo Chocolates.

Askinosie

San Jose Del Tambo 70% 70% Cocoa Beans from San Jose Del Tambo, Ecuador (this includes 2% Askinosie cocoa butter made with the same beans). Other companies don’t usually disclose the amount of cocoa butter, but Askinosie does.
30% Pure Cane Sugar

San Jose Del Tambo, at least 200-years-old, is situated in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. It is said that the Quechua Indians used this little village as a resting place before journeying further into the Andes. At Del Tambo, the hills rise sharply until the tops are obscured by low-hanging clouds. The Rio de San Miguela, a fast-flowing river, along with just the right climate provides the land for some of the best cocoa in the world. The centuries famous Ecuador Ariba flavor is found in these beans.

Tanzania 72% 3% cocoa butter (made with the same beans)
28% organic sugar

Askinosie's newest single-origin dark chocolate bar is made with cocoa beans from Tenende, Tanzania. This mild bar has earthy notes with hints of tobacco and dried cherries and has a very smooth finish.

Davao Dark Chocolate 77% 1% cocoa butter (made with the same beans)
23% organic sugar

The first cacao brought to Asia in 1600 was grown in the Philippines and Askinosie is the first chocolate maker to export Filipino cocoa beans in nearly twenty-five years. The beans used to make this tantalizing bar are very exclusive, making the Davao, Philippines chocolate bar uniquely exotic. There has never before been a single origin bar from the Philippines.

Davao Dark Milk + Sea Salt Made with 62% Cocoa + Fleur de Sel

Askinosie's Dark Milk chocolate bar is made with cocoa beans from Davao, Philippines andcontains 62% cocoa liquor. They add organic sugar, goat's milkpowder and a touch of Fleur de Sel sea salt. This bar is dark enough to satisfy your dark chocolate craving with a smooth and rich finish.

Askinosie White Chocolate Bars 34% Cocoa Butter made from Soconusco, Mexico beans.

The main ingredient in Askinosie's white chocolate is 34% natural, non-deodorized cocoa butter. The cocoa butter is pressed in their factory, and they are the first small-batch chocolate maker to do this. After pressing our Soconusco, Mexico beans to create the cocoa butter, they combine it with goat's milk powder and organic cane juice, and then craft it for days in our 85-year old German melanguer, making Askinosie's white one of the only single origin white chocolates in the world. Available plain, with cocoa nibs, or pistachio

Volta uses Askinosie Del Tambo, Soconusco, and Davao chocolates for our signature single-origin hot chocolates, for our shop-made mocha sauce, and for select dessert offerings.

L'Artigiano

Fabio and Manuele Gardini have been hand-making chocolates in Forlì, Itali, since 1987. The Gardini brothers consider handcraft manufacturing as an absolute value to pursue; one taste of their bars and you will know that they don't take any shortcuts in their craft.

L'Artigiano Sale Doce Without a doubt, the Sale Dolce bar is the staff favorite at Volta. It was a complete revelation when we were first sourcing Italian chocolates. Milk chocolate with sea salt and olive oil? Why not! L'Artigiano begins building the flavors in the bar with milk chocolate. Yeah, we know. Chocolate snobs are not supposed to like milk chocolate. Trust us, you'll like this one. From the chocolate base, the Gardini brothers add sweet sea salt from Cervia (Ravenna) and olive oil from Brisighello. The combination of chocolate, sweet sea salt, and unctuous, peppery olive oil is close to chocolate perfection.

Also available as a dark chocolate + sea salt bar, with 54% chocolate and no olive oil.

Vintage Plantations

Over 15 years ago, Vintage founder Pierrick Chouard went searching for quality cocoa beans sourced from the farmer to promote indigenous native cocoa beans; he was among the first to recognize Farmers needed to be included in the chocolate manufacturing process to have any chances of increasing the quality of chocolate available to consumers.

At any time, Volta offers a selection of Vintage Plantations dark chocolate and milk chocolate bars, including a very popular 75% dark with macadamia and a milk chocolate with crystalized sea salt.

Volta uses Vintage Plantation chocolates in our shop-made flavored hot chocolates, our truffles, and for our chocolate desserts.