Day 10 - Kakawa Chocolate House

   Kakawa Chocolate House, located off of Paseo de Peralta in Santa Fe, is a chocolate store like few others in the world. Their specialty is serving a variety of historic pre-Colombian style chocolate elixirs and a range of chocolate products. Originally from New York, owners Tony and Bonnie Bennett, did extensive research in chocolate and combined their knowledge with local chiles that they saw as important to the New Mexico culture, adding a green chile item to the previous chile-chocolate items. For locals and tourists Kakawa is on the “must-do” list offering a range of spicy, traditional, floral and contemporary chocolates and sweets.

photo courtesy of Kakawa Chocolate House

   Founded in 2005, Kakawa gets its name from the same Mayan glyph that the Spanish got the word cacao. The word that the Spanish most likely heard was cacahuatl meaning “sun beans” from the Aztec language Nahuatl. The Mesoamericans (including the Mayans and Aztecs) were consuming chocolate as a drink dating back at least 3,500 years ago. They considered chocolate, literally, to be the food of the gods. Spanish explorer Hernán Cortéz is credited for bringing chocolate to the new world after he observed the preparation of a cacao drink prepared for him in Moctezuma’s court. Similar to chile, chocolate was soon introduced to Europeans where its use and value as a commodity spread rapidly, becoming a core element to many European diets.

   Kakawa’s chile chocolates offerings, excluding their chile elixirs, are:

Green chile caramel – House-made agave caramel blended with dried New Mexican green chiles then dipped in house blend 80% dark chocolate, has a smoky sweet flavor.

Red chile caramel – A blend of six chiles from the Southwest and from Mexico stirred into house-made agave caramel, dipped into their 80% house blend dark chocolate, and then sprinkled with ancho chile powder.

Cherry chile truffle – Has a mild heat and tart aftertaste made with Kakawa's house blend 80% dark Chocolate, one of the most popular items.

Chile dark chocolates molded in the shape of Mayan glyphs – are made with Kakawa's house blend 80% dark chocolate, Kakawa's Chili Blend - Roasted organic chilies from New Mexico, Mexico and a rare chili from the Northern Sonoran Desert.

De Arbol chiles - Are dipped in house-made agave caramel then dipped into their 80% house blend dark chocolate. It’s their hottest item in the store; owner Tony Bennett says trying one is like “playing chile roulette, you never know what kind of heat you’ll be biting into.”

Courtney of Kakawa Chocolate House

I love going into Kakawa on a brisk winter day and sitting down to sample their various types of sipping chocolates. Some are spicy but there are also a couple that have more of a floral chocolate flavor. Their chocolates also make great gifts that can be ordered on their online shop and sent anywhere in the country. Kakawa is a foodie adventure for anyone that’s a fan of chocolate…and that happens to be plenty of us.

For our grand giveaway we will be including a chile lovers basket from Kakawa.

To be eligible to win the #ChileChicaGiveaway - one item from each of the 12 Days of New Mexico Christmas (valued at over $200!) - you will need to do to the following:

1.       Repost any of the "12 Days" as they are posted now through December 23rd on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram - feel free to repost older days you have already read as well!

2.       Include the hashtag #ChileChicaGiveaway on all your reposts!

3.       Follow New Mexico Chiles; History, Legend and Lore on Facebook.

4.       Follow The Chile Film on Facebook.

Post everyday for your best chance to win. Each post will count as an additional entry; limit one per day per social media platform. We will announce the winner on Christmas Eve, and remember to have your privacy settings public so we can see your posts!

Day 3 - Señor Murphy’s

Señor Murphy's all started when Neil Murphy, a fourth generation candy maker from Dublin, Ireland, came to New Mexico and opened a small artisanal candy shop in Santa Fe’s Sena Plaza in 1971. Murphy was captivated by the local ingredients, such as piñon nuts and chile, and incorporated them into his signature products that continue to be made by hand today. 

All of Señor Murphy’s candies are made in small batches to assure the freshest quality and their toffees, brittles, caramels, and fudges are made with as many local ingredients as possible, hand stirred in copper kettles to provide the highest quality taste and texture. Over the years, the staff's dedication to learning Murphy’s techniques and recipes helped the company grow and expand. Today, they have moved to a larger location in Santa Fe and have six other retail stores in New Mexico. Some of their signature chile candies they offer are:

Dark chocolate raspberry creams with red chile

Red and green chile jelly

Roasted red chile piñon nuts

Green and red chile pistachios

Chocolate chile piñon brittle

Chile pistachio bark

Chile seasoned pecans and peanuts (great for hikes and travel well).

However, my favorite Señor Murphy candy is by far the Carmales. The Carmale is a twist on traditional tamale. They make a vanilla fudge center dipped in creamy caramel and rolled in piñon nuts. Once the treat is dried, they wrap them in a cornhusk and tie them to look like miniature tamales. Without the husks on the piñon treat, they are simply known as piñon rolls.

To be eligible to win the #ChileChicaGiveaway - one item from each of the 12 Days of New Mexico Christmas (valued at over $200!) - you will need to do to the following:

1.     Repost your favorite of the "12 Days" as they are posted now through December 23rd on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram - feel free to repost older days you have already read as well!

2.     Include the hashtag #ChileChicaGiveaway on all your reposts!

3.     Follow New Mexico Chiles; History, Legend and Lore on Facebook.

4.     Follow The Chile Film on Facebook.

Post everyday for your best chance to win. Each post will count as an additional entry; limit one per day per social media platform. We will announce the winner on Christmas Eve, and remember to have your privacy settings public so we can see your posts! 

You can check out Señor Murphy's at any of their locations or by visiting them online.