Aroa Chocolatiers

Today, Adam and I made our way (in the pouring rain) down to Washington Street to hit up Aroa. Aroa is a café/chocolatier house that opened this year. I've been to Aroa before and snatched up some of their chocolates and homemade flavored marshmallows and
was not disappointed. The front case in the store is filled with a variety of chocolates on one side and jellies/pastries on the other. Pains au chocolat and madeleines adorn the white marble counter by the register. Blackboards announce the day's prices and treats and the atmosphere is warm and inviting--especially after being caught in the rain.

Adam had never been to Aroa, so I thought it would be fun to have a theme to what we tasted...and what better theme than alcohol?! We decided on 5 different types: Peach Schnapps, Champagne truffles, Stout Beer, Cointreau, and Port.

Now, I'm no expert chocolate taster, but all these chocolates were very good. Most had subtle flavors. The peach had a buttery texture, the cointreau was good... "orangey" and dry but not in a bad way. The port tasted a bit like cherries and had a smooth texture. The champagne truffle was what you would expect out of a champagne truffle; smooth, soft, and a lighter taste. I thought the cocoa powder around the truffle ball was a distraction but was necessary to keep the truffle from getting all over your fingers. The stout beer had a deep flavor and again was dry but not in a bad way.

As we were paying, Adam noticed the sugared jellies made from fruit. We decided to get those as well. We picked out: Blueberry, Raspberry, Green Apple, Pear, and Strawberry. All were good, (after all the chocolate a bit on the sweet side for us) and you could definitely tell fresh ingredients were used.

Our bill for 5 (1"x1") jellies and 10 chocolates came out to be just under 20 bucks. Not bad for the quality of chocolate and ingredients used. I would recommend Aroa if you are heading to a dinner party and want to bring something a bit different for dessert. There was a whole case of chocolates just waiting to be tasted...I can't wait to go back.