Markham & Fitz: A World of Chocolate

Happy World Chocolate Day! I hope all of you celebrated with some form of chocolate, but I doubt many of you celebrated a day as chocolate filled as the one I had at Markham & Fitz.

Markham & Fitz is a local chocolate maker that sources cacao from all of the world, curating unique flavor combinations in the form of bars, truffles, desserts, and beverages. I had been familiar with the expensive chocolate bars of this company formerly known as Hello, Cocoa, but I was excited to see a new storefront and cafe. What had once been just chocolate and a very tasty cocoa tea had expanded to include three sipping chocolates and a few pastries when I visited for the first time a few months ago. Coming back to Markham & Fitz for world chocolate day, I found a chic cafe filled with a much wider variety of treats.

The world chocolate celebration began with a tasting of chocolates made with cocoa beans from different countries, highlighting the differences in taste based only on where chocolate is from. My personal favorite was Dominican Republic--dark, acidic, and earthy. Another favorite was Tanzania which had a fruity, wine-like flavor in addition to the dark richness.

The expanded menu offered many treats I had to try. And I truly mean had to; if you spent $15, you got a free bag of my much loved cocoa tea--a tea made from the casings of cocoa beans (rich yet light). Naturally, my mom, dad, and I each spent $15 in order to take full advantage of this bargain. Starting with my favorite, I tried the Santo Domingo, the drink pictured here (i.e. the right). This incredibly chocolatey drink was somewhere between chocolate milk and hot chocolate in terms of indulgence levels. Though it was chocolate, it was a cold, refreshing drink. I especially the loved the unexpected warmth of spices--nutmeg and something that tasted almost like white peppercorns--that accentuated the chocolate.
Next was a chocolate croissant. I am a bit of a croissant snob, as I have been (un)fortunate enough to have lived above a coffee shop this year at college and tasted what a real croissant should taste like, which is nothing like anything you will find at a grocery store. This croissant lived up to my expectations: flaky and crisp exterior, chewy inside, good lamination (insert Paul Hollywood handshake). However, I wanted more chocolate because what I had was delicious and fruity, a great compliment to my fatty croissant layers.
Cracked cacao nibs, two jars. Yes, they are that tasty. Crunchy, slightly nutty and bitter from the roasting, and the perfect amount of sweet. These chunks of cacao are roasted in bourbon and sugar, and unlike most cacao nibs, I willingly eat them by the handful. Though, they would be a great texture to add to ice cream or yogurt.
Another drink, the cocoa fruit soda (pictured left), was far different from the Santo Domingo. For starters, it was somewhat clear and looked like lemonade. This drink was unlike any I've had before. Though it was made from cocoa, it had no chocolate flavor. Instead, it was citrusy, tasting as if you were to take only the fruity and acidic qualities of chocolate to make a fizzy spritzer. I have a high sour tolerance, but to the faint of heart, this soda will make you pucker, though it mellows as you sip it. Note, I said sip, not drink, not gulp. The flavor was somewhat familiar, reminding me of the sour powder on the outside of Warheads candy. Intriguing, but not on the top of my list of things to order.
And, finally, six truffles in total. Thus far, I have only tried one, but I cannot imagine any of them not being as delicious as the one rolled in pistachios and maldon salt flakes. The other flavors are mocha, original, toasted coconut, and grand marnier, all showcasing a different cocoa bean.
The rest of the $15 was spent on a chocolate bar called brain food, because I like to believe that this chocolate bar will singlehandedly make me smarter and more prepared before a test. And how can a dark chocolate bar with cashews, blueberries, and health powders not be spectacular?

Three bags of cocoa tea and I don't even want to know how many calories later, I left Markham & Fitz a happy customer.

Off to drink mint cocoa tea*,
Christina


*Delicious hot and iced, by the way