THE NEIGHBORHOOD: Little Havana
THE PLACE: Exquisito Chocolates is Miami’s first chocolate factory, and they like to “Latinize” and “Miami-fy” their bean-to-bar bon bons: “Little Guavana” is made with fresh guava, and “Miami Vice” is a dark-chocolate truffle made with cafecito and dulce de leche.
FUN FACT: Local brewers and chefs at Lincoln’s Beard Brewing Co., Azucar Ice Cream Company, and The Salty Donut have used Exquisito’s cacao husks—which would otherwise be discarded—and infused them in beers, cocktails, ice cream, pastries and more.
QUOTABLE: “We’re really trying to take it back to its origin and what it used to be, which was just pure cacao and unrefined cane sugar,” says founder Carolina Quijano. “It’s amazing the flavors you can get just by keeping it simple.”
CHECK IT OUT: Exquisito offers factory tours every weekend, along with edible paint nights. That’s right, you can paint with chocolate — and eat it, too. The next tour is set for this Friday.