Volta Coffee, Tea & Chocolate: Gainesville, FL

Like a kid in a candy store...

A very adult candy store. The staff from Volta have traveled around the world sampling the best chocolates in our quest to bring the best back to Gainesville. We're starting with a modest selection of chocolates from very small, often family-run chocolate companies-- places you've probably never heard of like Askinosie Chocolates, out of Springfield, Missouri.
Askinosie has a compelling back-story that appeals to our intellectual side (ex-criminal defense lawyer who walks away from a successful practice to create the first true direct-relationship chocolate company in the US), but more importantly they produce some of the most mind-expanding, single-farm chocolates that we've ever encountered.

We will be adding to our chocolate selections at a fast clip, but for now we have bars from the following companies in stock:

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.

Soconusco 75% 75% Cocoa Beans from Soconusco, Mexico (this includes 1% Askinosie cocoa butter made with the same beans).
25% Pure Cane Sugar

In 1502, when Christopher Columbus became the first European to see cacao off the coast of Honduras and the island of Guanaga, the Soconusco region of Mexico near the Guatemalan border had a reputation for producing some of the finest cacao in the Aztec Empire. Today, the modern town of Soconusco is a sleepy little hamlet that is no longer a center of cacao production. In nearby towns, however, families farm cacao using tools and techniques that would have been recognizable to their ancestors, forging a link between the legendary Soconusco cacao of Aztec times and the chocolate we are making today.

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 Croccolosi Croccolosi bars are made of extra dark chocolate, extra-fine milk chocolate, or white chocolate with pistachios, raisins, puffed rice, almonds, pine nuts, ginger, candied oranges, coconut, pearls of chocolate, dried fruit, or almonds.

L'Artigiano Extra Fondente 62% dark chocolate bars infused with local spices and traditional Italian flavorings. We currently stock the Cannella bars, with a rich undertone of Italian cinnamon, and the 54% dark Liqueriza bar-- a traditional bittersweet bar infused with sweet/strong licorice.

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.

Escazu

Escazu Artisan Chocolates is a small independently-owned company out of Beaufort, NC. It was created from a passion by chef Hallot Parson for chocolate and Latin American ingredients. Escazu bars are the most interesting flavored dark chocolate bars that we've come across in the last year; their chocolate-chili bars are without a doubt the most powerful (and successful) melding of heat and chocolate that we tested.

Escazu 73% With Roasted Brazil Nuts 73% Dark Chocolate with roasted, ground Brazil Nuts. Nutty and crunchy.

Escazu 73% With Chipotle Chili 73% Dark Chocolate with a spicy kick of chipotle chili at the end. Great for spicy food lovers.

Escazu 61% Spiced Chocolate 61% Dark Chocolate spiced with cinnamon and other Latin baking spices, then finished with dried organic banana chunks.

The Beaufort Bar This bar was Anthony's favorite when we first started tasting chocolates for the shop. Created after the town where Escazu started, the Beaufort Bar is 67% Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt.

Maglio

Dante Maglio’s chocolate factory has become a landmark for the aristocracy and bourgeoisie of the provinces of Lecce, Brindisi and Taranto. As their Bablefish-translated website states, "The town of Maglie thus came to be known not only for its baroque monuments, but also for the workshop where Maglio dreamed up extraordinary banquets, and invented sweetmeats and marzipans and the finest of chocolates." We are deeply impressed by the single-origin bars that Maglio produces. If Escazu and L'Artigiano excel at blending exotic flavors into their bars, Maglio focus on coaxing amazing flavors from single origin cacao beans.

The Cuban Bar Maglio imports Criollo cocoa from Cuba to craft this 70% dark bar. Everyone on staff agrees that the Cuban Bar is the best example of a classical dark European chocolate.

The Papuasia Bar Forastero and Criollo cocoa from Papua New Guinnea are blended with Italian milk to produce the richest, most flavorful milk chocolate in the shop. Even if you typically like darker chocolates, the Papuasia bar is the milk chocolate that will appeal to the most discerning bittersweet fanatic.

Blend de Cru Another classic European dark chocolate bar. Maglio blends their top African, Pacific, and Caribbean chocolates into a "best of" bar with a deep, round flavor profile.

Vosges

While the connection between Gainesville and Chicago seems a bit thin, Vosges is another Windy City source for Volta to draw from in building our identity. For over a decade Vosges has built a reputation for radically innovative flavor combinations in their chocolates. Ready for that bacon-smoked salt chocolate bar? We have the Vosges Mo's Bacon Bar waiting here for you. Although the Vosges bars don't have as much "punch" as some other flavored bars on the market, they have a subtle interplay that is more sophisticated than you might expect given the wild combinations of ingredients. The Vosges confections, like the toffees and caramels, are treats that you reward yourself with on special occasions. Indulgent? Sure. That's the idea.

Vosges/Intelligentsia Black Cat Bar The Black Cat bar was Anthony's introduction to Vosges. Originally sold only at Intelligentsia's shop on Broadway, near Wriggleyville, the Black Cat bar is still the best crushed-espresso-in-chocolate bar out there. A real treat for both espresso fans and chocoholics.

Mo's Bacon Bar Mmmmm. Bacon. Yes, you've read about in magazines and newspapers. And yes, it really is very good. Especially if you like bacon, salted chocolates, or confounding skeptics.