Raaka Chocolate

Love, love, love Raaka! My husband and I took a class all about chocolate at their location (factory) and it was so cool! We learned so much about the process of making chocolate. We got to make our own chocolate to take home and we also got to sample about 7 different type of chocolate bars. My favorite was the coconut milk, the bourbon and the earl grey tea. I definitely see myself buying more of their chocolate. So worth it!
P. s. all their chocolates are vegan!

I purchased a Gilt City coupon for $ 29 which included a tour of the factory in Brooklyn for two and $ 40 worth of chocolate, and it was a great deal. The tour is short but informative (these guys are still pretty new to the chocolate game), but the guide was very friendly and we enjoyed it. He was also super liberal about letting everyone try all of their main flavors and talked us through the tasting notes of each. The chocolate is really tasty, and I definitely recommend it.
It’s also worth noting that all of their chocolate is free of gluten, dairy, soy and nuts.

I can’t say enough good things about my experience at Raaka. I purchased a Gilt deal for a Chocolate making class, $ 50 for 2 people and it was a complete and absolute STEAL. Considering each of their bars cost 6 dollars and between the two of us we got 6 bars of chocolate to take home as well as an awesome in-​depth tour around their factory.
Disclaimer — this isn’t so much a chocolate making class rather its more of a chocolate experience with chocolate pouring included. But a very very enjoyable experience for chocolate lovers or really anyone who is interested in learning about food and the journey that it goes through prior to hitting our bellies.
The class started out with a very in-​depth history and background of chocolate followed by Raaka’s own process and how they source their cacao bean. Our tour guide (I was a bit late to the intro so I didn’t catch his name — but he was AWESOME) narrated a video showing how the cacao pods were farmed and the processes that the beans went through before they reached Raaka. We had the opportunity to taste two different cacao nibs, which I enjoyed more than I thought I would have.
Once the beans have been shucked and the hulls and nibs have been separated they are brought into the next room where they are placed into grinders over a period of 3 days. It is here that the nibs are place in these metal bins and ground between granite cylinders that allow the chocolate to release their natural butters to create a creamy consistency. After the first day, they begin to add the flavorings and sugars. They create only one flavor per day, lucky for us that day they were making their Coconut Milk Chocolate.
Next we were showed the tempering process where our guide made a GOT/​Lord of the Rings analogy in which chocolate is heated and cooled down multiple times to ensure crystallization — loved it. And then next was the fun part — the chocolate pouring. We each got to use the tempering machine to pour 3 chocolate bars and then top them with various toppings (salt, dried berries, rice puffs, granola, dried coconut). After the molds were set to harden.
While we waited we got to taste test their various flavors. A few things to note, when tasting chocolate its best to start with the darkest and more to lighter. My favorites was the Vanilla Rooibois — it had a floral tea taste that balanced out their bitterness of the chocolate and the Mint & Nibs. This chocolate was infused with peppermint leaves and topped with cacao nibs giving off a slightly bitter nutty taste to it.
I can’t recommend this place enough, it was a great experience. The workers here are clearly passionate and knowledge about their chocolate art. The chocolate is amazing, I slowly am gaining an appreciation for dark chocolate and delicious chocolate such as this is making me like it more and more.
Fun Facts about Raaka & Chocolate:
— They are a nut free and dairy free facility — they have created great alternatives leveraging coconut milk for that creamier/​milky texture and cacao nibs for a nutty crunch and taste.
— All of their chocolate is dark, chocolate is considered dark chocolate if their cocoa content is 50%.
— All of their bars are created from bean to bars in this small factory in Brooklyn and then shipped out, Whole Foods being one of their partners.
— Raaka loosely translated to untamed in Finnish.
— Chocolate consistency is measured by microns, Belgium Chocolate is about 18 microns and Raaka chocolate is approx 30 microns.
— All of their chocolate wrappers are based off hand drawn designs.
— Following a Henry Ford production model, everything is created at the same pace so that there is never a pile up of chocolates are a certain station waiting for the next step.
— Chocolate doesn’t necessarily go bad, but it begins to stale after about 6 months.
— They have plenty of samples for chocolates so you can try before you buy.
A few things to keep in mind:
— If you plan on going on a tour or are planning on taking the chocolate making class, wear a hat and you won’t have to wear a hair net.
— They have a coat rack for you to unbundle prior to your tour
— Small unisex bathroom on site

I went to Raaka Chocolate’s factory in Red Hook, Brooklyn 3 times in the past 5 months. I fell in love with Raaka Chocolate right away. The first time was out of curiosity, the 2^nd time was pure coincidence, the third time was for the launch of Earl Grey Tea flavor. Every time I returned, I have a shopping list from my colleagues. I also have my stash in my refrigerator at all times!
Keep up the good work!

Excellent and fun class. Very interesting process, explained clearly with lots of details. This is a small (actually tiny) artisanal chocolate making company, fanatical about the ingredients, and where they are sourced. The classes are small — ours was 15– so any and all questions are answered. Just watching a small scale shop at work is fascinating! And the joy with which the guide showed us their «new» (to them — actually used) chocolate bar wrapping machine was a joy to behold. It is a machine from Switzerland (natch!), its beautiful (she turned it on to allow it to show us its beauty). And we got to taste like 10 types of chocolate! and make our own chocolate bars (3!) with a bunch of «add-​ins». Life is sweet!

Very interesting visit of this factory.
All the chocolate bars are excellent.
The guide was knowledgeable and nice.

Following the success of Mast Bros there is a terrific artisanal chocolate industry in Brooklyn, including Raaka in Red Hook. Their twist is not roasting the beans. They offer factory tours, and I joined one on a recent Sunday afternoon. Plenty of tasting throughout, and full behind the scenes demonstration of the processes (photos are allowed, which Mast Bros do not allow). Very passionate and informed staff answer all questions from the sourcing of the beans through to the design of the wrappers. Interesting backstory too (ask the founder if he’s there). The chocolate is fantastic and ranges from single origin bars to various flavored bars, some limited edition (they have a choc of the month club that included «experimental» flavors). Loved all all, and highly recommended as part of a Red Hook afternoon of activities.

Were you as scared of the little green-​haired orange-​skinned Oompa-​Loompas in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory as I was? And I’m talking about the original 1971 Gene Wilder classic, not the 2005 Tim Burton remake, which was even scarier. Well, you don’t have to be scared anymore, nor have a Golden Ticket to visit the Raaka Chocolate Factory in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
My girlfriend and I had the opportunity to attend a Cookie n’Chocolate Tea Party in conjunction with One Girl Cookies to celebrate their new Earl Gray Bundt Cakes and Truffles. Absolutely delicious, they will be accompanying our Thanksgiving dessert table this year, unless we eat them all first, which has a high probability given my massive sweet tooth and lack of self-​control. In addition to these tasty morsels we were treated to samples of all the chocolates made by Raaka at their factory. My favorite was their Mint & Nibs, a blended mint, coconut, and Congolese cacao, with toasted nibs to add an addictive crunch. What, you don’t know what a ‘nib’ is? Well, chocolate nibs are the center of the cacao bean and the base of all chocolate. After the outer shells of the individual beans have been removed, the nibs are roasted and ground.
How did I find this out you might ask? Nate Hodge, one of the founders, gave us a personal tour of the factory! In it we experienced the entire production process from the prospective of a cacao bean (without being eaten in the end). It was very interesting, and I didn’t turn into a giant blueberry or fall into the chocolate river either! You too can take a tour of their deliciously smelling factory as they offer tours and classes. If you’ve got a sweet tooth or even if you don’t, you’ll have a fun time checking out the Raaka Chocolate Factory!

Coming here was a really fun experience! I purchased the Groupon for the 2 person chocolate making class. This includes a tour of their facility so you can see up close how their chocolate is made. It was really interesting to learn and see how chocolate goes from the bean all the way to the packages that you buy in the store.
After seeing how the chocolate is made, each person gets to «make» their own chocolate bars. This consists of pouring their standard chocolate in a mold and choosing your own toppings. For my class they had the following toppings: salt, dried cranberries, candied ginger, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. I would have personally liked some almonds or something, but all of their chocolate is nut and dairy free. The one criticism I had with this, the salt was super potent which we weren’t warned about. When I went home and tried my chocolate all of the salt ones were too salty.
The last part of the tour we got to sample all of their chocolates ranging from the darkest to lightest. Because they are dairy and nut free, they have really unique flavors that I’ve never tried before such as: bourbon, chai tea, and black tea. This is a great date activity to do with a friend or partner!
A few notes:
*there’s plenty of free parking on the street
* they will make you wear a hair net for the tour/​class. If this isn’t your thing bring your own hat or bandanna to wear instead
*they serve water with the tasting

6 friends of mine and I did this last weekend. So fun, and super good chocolate. Loved the tasting of all the bars they make, and the fact that we went home with 3 made-​on-​site bars, and (2 of the company’s selection that we purchased). Total recommend. Very informational, and super nice people.

I should say before my class here at Raaka, I don’t have much experience in chocolate tasting, let alone chocolate producing. Our lecturer Jennifer was very helpful and walked us step by step, from cocoa bean cracking, to grinding and molding, and eventually to topping and packaging.
Chocolate here at Raaka was virgin, meaning not roasted as other chocolate usually was, so I got to try their initial flavor with no artificial add-​ins. A handful of flavors were provided, ranging from dark chocolate (82% cocoa) to milk chocolate (60%). Good thing about Raaka as a small manufacturer was that they were able to explore new flavors each month and add them towards general batch based on feedback.
What was unique here was for sure the chocolate making session, which I could mold and top chocolate all by myself (of course with the help of Jennifer). As a new «joiner» in the industry, I’m pretty satisfied with my outcome — three self-​designed commingle flavored chocolate bars. Experience here was remarkable given how much I’ve learned and tried.
I gave them five star, each of the star itself represents another five stars!

As a longtime fan of Raaka chocolate, and was pleasantly surprised to find their factory nearby in Brooklyn during a recent visit to New York. We took a tour on a Saturday morning and sampled all their chocolate and cacao beans, just a perfect way to start the afternoon. The process of making chocolate from bean to bar, without roasting, is a complex, multi-​step art form which preserves all the health benefits and delicious nuances of the cacao beans. Thanks Raaka for staying true to this technique and educating us about the craft and dedication you put into each delicious bar!

We had an awesome tour today. I give the tour five stars. I learned so much about the process of making chocolate, the supply chain, the chemistry, and the flavor profiles. I feel like a chocolate expert now! And it was so much fun! Clearly the people at Raaka have put a great deal of love and care into their bars and their chocolate tours. I paid $ 25 (with a living social deal) for a two hour tour + chocolate making class and it was worth every penny. Highly recommended for one and all.

Lapin and I came here for the bean to bar chocolate making class. I been to a couple of classes and since he never been to one, we figured it would be a fun way to spend a day. The classes are located in the Raaka’s factory in Red Hook. The place is pretty much out of the way, we would have never thought to walk down this path. The class also included a tour and our guides, William and Christina (if I am not mistaken) were nice. At first, I must admit they didn’t seem as friendly but as the class lingered on, they were nicer. The tour began with video but the projector wasn’t working and apparently, either was the fridge and chocolate tempering machine (I am sure there is a better name than the one I am using). The tour itself was very informational, fun and interactive. We got to taste a couple of cacao beans. The best part was using the tempering machine to pour our own chocolate into the 3 chocolate bar molds. They set out an array of standard toppings — dried blueberries, sesame seeds, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, sea salt, black pepper, cacao nibs, coconut flakes, rice krispies, and two other toppings that slipped my mind I was a little disappointed that they didn’t have any of the toppings in their bars that you could buy. After creating our three bars, we were able to have a tasting of all the chocolates Raaka have available for sale. I literally found like 5 bars that I NEEDED in my life. After the tasting was done, I made a bee-​line right for the store (it’s the same spot you check in) and purchased 5 bars and a box of 4 truffles. The chocolates are a bit pricey but if you buy from the factory, you can get 3 bars for $ 15 instead of the standard ($ 8 per a bar).
My only qualm is that the class was supposed to start at 5pm but it started almost at 5:28pm because they were waiting for latecomers. We took a taxi and ran there (the taxi-​man got lost) just to be on time. It was quite annoying that they made the entire class wait for people that never showed up. Also, be sure to pack water as they do have water available but towards the end of the tour is it available.

Really condescending staffer ignored me when I let him know I was not there for a class, but rather a potential retail customer.
Against my best judgment splurged on a ghost pepper bar anyway. Must admit the factory smelled great and it’s a tasty product, but that kinda service means I’ll never be back, especially given the prohibitive hours.

Some «immediate tips»:
— bring a bottle of water with you (the generous amounts of chocolate tastings will make you thirsty)
— be sure to smush the toppings into your hand-​made bars
— street parking is available
— check Groupon for deals
More detailed review:
Parked right across the street from Raaka Chocolate on a Sunday for the 2−4pm class. If you are thinking of driving to this location, I think parking is generally easy to find. Bean to Bar is no exaggeration when it comes to this factory tour. You’ll be tasting throughout all the different «sections» of the tour. Throughout the tour, photography is welcomed and even encouraged~ Feel free to hashtag them. :)
Upon entering the factory, Peter greeted us and wound up being our factory tour guide.
Section 1: The tour began with a video that showed where the cocoa nibs are from and how they are harvested. Peter explains the entire process with knowledge and humor. You’ll walk away with a better understanding of the history behind chocolate. You also get to taste the «raw fermented» nibs. Followed by a display of how they started separating the husk from the nibs.
Section 2: You enter a room where the nibs are being ground down so that you get a smooth chocolate bar. It’s a 3 day grinding process. Day 2 is when they add the sugar — you’ll get to taste the chocolate at this point of the tour.
Section 3: Now that the chocolate is ready to become a bar, you’ll be able to create 3 of your very own bars. You’ll be able to use a machine that’ll dispense the chocolate into chocolate bar molds. Then you add your own toppings — when I visited they had: salt (which Peter recommends adding), sesame seeds, cranberries, banana chips, coconut, and sunflower seeds. AT THIS STEP, I encourage you to smush your toppings into the bar, this’ll ensure that when the bars harden… your toppings will stay. I didn’t smush and the toppings fell off in the bag shortly after I left the factory. :(After your group has completed their topping additions, your bars will go into the blast chiller for 20 minutes.
Section 4: TASTING ALL THE DIFFERENT BARS!!! This part was delightful. The tasting went from 85% cacao to 65% cacao (dark to light). My favorites were: Vanilla Rooibos, Maple & Nibs, and Sea Salt.
Overall this was an extremely delightful experience and I would highly recommend making a trip out to this factory. THANK YOU Raaka Chocolate!!!

Visited Raaka Chocolate Co. after purchasing a voucher from
. We had a two hour class along with a tour of the factory and a $ 20 credit to use on merchandise (aka chocolate)!!
The factory was a cute small space and you could really see all the TLC Raaka puts into their chocolate and their process. They literally go from bean to bar and throughout the tour, they allow you to sample the beans form various regions so you can taste the effects that climate, soil, and neighboring crops have on the bean.
After the tour we got to make our own chocolate bars. We filled a mold with enough chocolate for three bars and then got to customize them with the toppings laid out for us. These became our souvenirs.
Next we got to sample and taste all the different bars they produce. This was by far my favorite part. We moved from the darkest, least sweet chocolate to the more sweet variations.
At the end I had my $ 20 credit to spend which I thoroughly enjoyed. The bars are a little pricey at $ 8 a pop but it’s worth an occasional splurge. I loved the vanilla rooibos bar so I bought two! And then I was able to purchase a chocolate coconut truffle.
All in all, this was quite a pleasant afternoon spent at Raaka. Our instructor was extremely knowledgeable and very friendly. She answered everyone’s questions and offered a lot of history about chocolate and how it came to be. I would definitely recommend this class, especially if you can find a good deal for it. It’s also a great date spot or girls day out. If you can’t find a deal for it, indulge and give it a try.

I bought a Groupon for the chocolate making class for my best friends birthday and it was definitely worth it! We got a thorough tour of how Raaka makes their virgin chocolates and our guide was very knowledgeable on the history of chocolate and cacao. It was very interesting.
The tour starts with tasting cacao nibs from various countries and the inside of a cacao fruit. Then goes on to show you how the chocolate is refined and tempered. Finally you get to fill your own chocolate molds, top with your choice of several toppings and ends with a tasting of many of Raakas delicious signature chocolates.
My favorites were the maple nibs, vanilla something (the green tea one), and the bourbon one! And of course the sea salt ones a no brainer.
I also easily found parking right outside Raaka Factory if you’re considering driving!

I’ve been a fan of Raaka ever since a grocery store I worked at upstate began carrying it. It’s virgin chocolate, and some of the best I’ve ever had.
I bought a Gilt City voucher to take a chocolate-​making class with a friend, and at $ 50 for the both of us, it was a total deal. The factory is a hike, but worth it.
The tour/​class was both fun, educational and delicious. Our guide was very knowledgable about the process, and walked us through each step and showed us the different rooms where the chocolate is made. In the end, we each got to make three bars with the mixins of our choosing, plus had an intense chocolate tasting session where we sampled every Raaka flavor — even some discontinued/​subscription varieties!
Our Gilt coupon also included a $ 20 credit EACH for us to use, so we each walked away with five bars and a truffle at the end of the day. Not bad!
My favorite flavors:
Vanilla Roobios
Sea salt
Coconut truffle

When we purchased tickets for January, even calling to confirm, we were never told that the building doesn’t have heat.
The employees told us when we got there, that the contractors never put heat in the building, at all. There is no heat in the building. There has never been heat in the building. Yet we were not told this beforehand.
The two smaller rooms have space heaters. The large main room does not. The tour was not enjoyable since we were extremely cold the entire time (1+ hour).