Chocolate Workshops, Talks, and Tasting at the Ecotrust Building.

All included with the wristband-pass for the day, $20!

Billy Frank Jr. Conference center room on the 2nd floor of Ecotrust.

10:00 a.m. Healthy Living with Chocolate

Join Nutritionist Dani Little and Lifestyle Educator Robert Cisneros as they answer questions about the health of chocolate and living a healthy lifestyle with chocolate. There will be a tasting of health giving chocolate to go with this talk. Tea included.

10:00 a.m. Culture and Ecology of Chocolate

Join Dr. Dave Keifer and special guests from Sustainable Harvest international to learn about the ethnobotany, ecology, and culture of growing chocolate.

3rd Floor Outdoor Terrace and Micro-Chocolate Room at Ecotrust.

10:00 a.m. Coffee and Chocolate Pairing on the Terrace

Join us for a truly inspiring pairing of great coffee with great chocolate. Learn the subtle points of tasting and comparing roasts, regions, and flavors in chocolate & coffee.

Billy Frank Jr. Conference center room on the 2nd floor of Ecotrust.

11:00 a.m. Drinking Chocolate the Mayan Way, special culture presentation.

Drink chocolate and learn about the ancient roots and preparations of this ancient elixir of Mayan and Aztec people. Join chocolate historian and educator Mark Sciscenti from Kakawa Chocolate in Santa Fe, NM for this guided tasting.

11:00 a.m. Erotic History of Chocolate, a food of the sensuous gods.

Explore the contemporary and social history of chocolate as an erotic food and discover the hidden aphrodisiac properties hidden in a bar of chocolate. Join our special team of educators for this lively workshop, followed by a tasting on the terrace.

World Cup Coffee at the Ecotrust Building

11:00 a.m. Cacao Roasting Demonstration (Cocoa Bean Roasting) by Theo Chocolate.

Come watch the micro-roaster convert the raw/fermented cocoa beans into chocolate ready beans! Compare the differences with coffee roasting and talk with roasters from Theo Chocolate about the process of cocoa bean transformation with heat!

Terrace Area at the Ecotrust Building.

12:00 p.m. Aphrodisiac Chocolate Pairing, special tasting.

Taste the sensuous tidbits of chocolate paired with contemporary and historical aphrodisiacs. While health enhancing for the body, this may tempt the mind!

Special Presentation Saturday: 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

The Mystery of Chocolate Making & The Science of Bean to Bar Chocolate. A dual special presentation by Theo Chocolate founder and bean-sourcer Joe Whinney alongside chief chocolate scientist of Theo Chocolate Dr. Andy McShea.

Show-up early and watch the cacao beans being hand sorted and roasted. Then settle in to the Ecotrust conference center as stories are told about regions where chocolate comes from and the lengths you might go for a perfect chocolate bean from a well farmed cocoa pod...as the cocao beans are ground into nibs and the aroma of chocolate wafts through the air.

Taste the cocoa liquor as Joe weaves a story and Dr. McShea adjusts the instruments for you to monitor the process of transforming the raw bean into luxurious and fine chocolate.

This special presentation at Ecotrust happens from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Saturday only. The presentation will include a special tasting presented by Theo Chocolate.

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1:00 p.m. "The Chocolate Meditation" - Being One with the Sweetness of Life

Join passionate chocolate-lovers, and nationally renowned spiritual teachers, Matt Kahn & Julie Dittmar, to learn how to bridge the joy of chocolate with finding true inner peace, while deepening the enjoyment of the chocolate-eating experience. Come immerse yourself in this delicious experience that offers balance and harmony in today’s fast-paced world.

1:00 p.m. Tasting around the World, tastes from the chocolate lands.

Join us on the terrace at Ecotrust for a decedent tasting of chocolate from around the world. We will be sampling the chocolate regions and taking notes on the characteristics of chocolate and it's origins.

There will be a private wedding in the conference center after 3:00pm. All activities will wind down for the day in the building and we will be closed for the day inside Ecotrust at 2pm. The Wine & Chocolate Bars and the Beer & Chocolate Bar will remain open until 5pm with our last call at 4:45pm. The Open Air Tasting area in the Ecotrust Ground level lot will be open until 5pm on Saturday.