Cocoa bars are to chocolate what wine bars are to cabernets and coffee shops are to Guatemalan dark roast.
Chocolate lovers in the District are learning the nuances that go into great-tasting confections, lingering over truffles and discovering what type of handmade hot-chocolate blend caps off a meal.
Need advice? Rob Kingsbury is there to help.
Mr. Kingsbury’s cocoa bar and shop, Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections - ACKC, to those in the Logan Circle neighborhood - opened a little more than a year ago. However, Mr. Kingsbury and business partner Eric Nelson have been in the chocolate game for a while. A hobby of making chocolate for co-workers turned into a vocation for Mr. Kingsbury, who opened his first store in Old Town Alexandria six years ago.
Nationwide, many big cities have caught on to the European trend of cafes that specialize in all things chocolate. So Mr. Kingsbury and Mr. Nelson opened their much larger operation in the District in December 2007. The District is also home to Co Co Sala Chocolate Lounge in Penn Quarter and to a few gourmet chocolate stores.
Mr. Kingsbury says Washington is actually a little behind when it comes to chocolate cafes. Cities such as New York and San Francisco have been rife with places to get hand-dipped creations and a good cup of hot chocolate for years.
“We were so excited to pull this business together, to show the artwork and the sense of production going on here,” Mr. Kingsbury says.
At ACKC, customers drop in for high-quality hot chocolate drinks - dubbed “divas” here - brownie sundaes and chocolate fondue, among other treats. There are monthly classes to learn the art and science of making chocolate, as well as an assortment of pastries brought in from other local places, such as Buzz Bakery in Alexandria.
The decor also sets ACKC apart. Mr. Nelson creates most of the wall artwork and also the hand-painted cafe tables (all of which are for sale).
Visitors to ACKC can look through the window near the back of the store to get a glimpse of the production room. Staffers may be working on anything from Black Forest truffles to chocolate bars with chipotle spices.
Some of ACKC’s best-sellers are creations that blend the sweet and the savory, Mr. Kingsbury says. The Shoyu Bar contains almonds soaked in tamari and sprinkled with sea salt. The Autumn Harvest contains sunflower seeds, pine nuts, lavender and rosemary. Customers are always curious about the bacon bar, a milk-chocolate concoction that contains tiny pieces of candied bacon, chopped dried apples and smoked Turkish paprika. All kinds of dark chocolate, endorsed by physicians as good for heart health, are big sellers.
ACKC makes close to 50 types of truffles, which look like little jewels inside a display case. Chocolate lovers can play it safe and go for Just Milk or Just Dark. If they want to try something new, the Brie contains brie cheese, dark chocolate and toasted black sesame seeds; the Kir Royale is creme de cassis and champagne brushed with amethyst; the Lavender Pistachio has Provence lavender and roasted pistachios.
If you are looking for a Valentine’s Day gift, most of the 4-ounce bars are $6.50. Truffles are $1.95 each.
When it comes to chocolate, you usually get what you pay for, Mr. Kingsbury says. Sure, you could pick up a mass-produced bar at the grocery checkout line for a fraction of that cost, but that product isn’t made local and fresh with the highest-quality ingredients, he points out.
Gourmet chocolate has a higher cocoa content and uses premium cocoa beans. Often it is made in small batches without preservatives or artificial flavors, and it usually contains just a few ingredients: cocoa solids, cane sugar, vanilla and cocoa butter.
“The part that we are educating people about is that we are working with wonderful chocolate,” Mr. Kingsbury says. “We are working with couverture, a type of chocolate with the highest level of cocoa fat and solids. It is premium in the chocolate world.”
ACKC also carries products not made on-site, such as chocolate candles, chocolate soaps and cupcakes from D.C.-based Blushing Bakeshop, formerly Couture Cupcakes. Romance not working out as planned? Pick up a chocolate voodoo doll here.
Speaking of romance, there are several theories as to how chocolate became the signature treat of Valentine’s Day because all of the legendary European St. Valentines died long before chocolate arrived on the shores of the Old World.
Chocolate likely started with ancient Aztecs in what is now Mexico, where it was considered an aphrodisiac. The chocolate was consumed in liquid form. Legend has it that the Aztec king Montezuma drank liquid chocolate all day to enhance his libido. Meanwhile, in Europe, it became a tradition that on the 14th of February young men would court young ladies with flowers and gifts. Eventually, as chocolate was introduced to European aristocracy in the 17th century, it became the romantic treat of choice.
In 21st-century Washington, the product has been reinvented and contains chocolate liqueur, cloves, orange brandy or mint - but the objective remains the same.
• ACKC Cocoa Bar is located at 1529 14th St. NW. There is an ACKC retail store at 2003 Mount Vernon Ave. in Alexandria. Visit www.thecocoagallery.com or call 202/387-2626.
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