Vegan Chocolate Heaven

 You guys know of my undying love for Taza Chocolate. Taza HQ is within walking distance of my apartment (!), but it took a visit from an Irish friend (Seanan's brother Fergal) to finally get me to sign up for one of their factory tours. And boy, do I recommend it. Well worth the $6 ticket price.  Krisha, our tour guide, managed to pack a lot of fascinating information into forty-five minutes. The Taza founders/owners, Alex and Kathleen, loved the taste of traditional Mexican drinking chocolate and simply wanted to share it in solid form. ("Taza" means "cup" in Spanish.) We learned loads of interesting facts about how cocoa beans are grown, harvested, shipped, and processed, most of which have completely leaked out of my brain. Just take the tour!     A few days after Fergal left, I went back to the factory with Miranda for their annual Day of the Dead celebration, complete with DJ, sugar-skull face painting, food trucks, Slumbrew beer garden, and tons of free samples.  Taza does dark chocolate only, but lots of other companies (like Raaka and Charm School) are doing non-dairy milk chocolate now. Yet more proof that we vegans never "deprive" ourselves!