Ultimate Chocolate Tour in Montreal with Included Tastings
Description
Meet the most passionate chocolate makers and connoisseurs in Montreal on this guided, 4 hour, chocolate-tasting walking tour. From a bean-to-bar chocolate maker to a chocolatier making confections with chocolate made in Montreal, the chance to work with chocolate yourself, to a chocolate tasting in the style of a wine tasting, to a Mexican restaurant for mole and the history of chocolate as well as other surprises on the way, you will see and taste all angles of chocolate. Learn the hows or whys of chocolate, develop your nose and be ready to explore the subtleties of high-quality single-origin chocolate.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This 4 hour chocolate tour begins at chocolate factory- a bean-to-bar chocolate maker's production site. Learn about the process of making chocolate and listen to the owner's personal story. See the beans and other parts of the process that take place, all while tasting three chocolates, made mostly with single-origin beans. Afterwards, walk to a small Mexican restaurant through the Mile End neighborhood. Enjoy a light meal with mole tamales, agues frescas and traditional Mexican chocolate as well as an explication of chocolate in Mesoamerica during the Colonial period. Take the opportunity to hear about the owner and chef of the restaurant and peruse her privately imported Mexican products. Then walk through the Mile End with quick stops at a historic site to learn about the origins of the neighborhood. Leave the Mile-End for the Mile-Ex. Arrive at a cocktail and high high end knife shop for a tasting of two cocktails or virgin cocktails. Finish at a bean-to-bar boutique for a chocolate tasting, a cacao drink and a tasting of confections made with single origin chocolate. Taste three very different chocolates with an explanation of how to sample them and a tasting wheel to help with the vocabulary for chocolate tasting. Then contrast with the confections. There will then be time to shop and ask questions.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- A moderate amount of walking is involved. There is about 40 minutes of walking total which comes to about 2 km
- The tour runs regardless of weather conditions and seasonality so please dress appropriately
- Please notify your local tour operator of any food restrictions
- We suggest that you bring a reusable bottle of water in the goal of creating less waste, but we will provide one for those who do not
Reviews(24)
The tour was well organized. It carefully built on different chocolate experiences along the way. Each one was unique and fun. Melissa is highly knowledgable and is talented at sharing information. She has put together a great tour. The factory element was very informative and will make you passionate about chocolate production. I would highly recommend! As it says in the description, don’t get put off by the meeting point. Wait in the lobby, you are in the right place.
Thank you Kim! I really appreciate the review! I love the touch at the end about the lobby. I actually like that because people are pleasantly shocked and surprised when they find out what they're in for, after being unsure at the beginning. :) It was a great group and great day! All the best to both of you. Maybe we'll see you again on another tour someday?
Fantastic! Melissa was very knowledgeable and personable. When we had questions before the tour, she was very responsive. We learned a lot, had a great time, and tasted fantastic foods and drinks! Tour included walking and driving, and we made chocolate bars to take home.
Thanks so much Jacqueline! I'm really glad you enjoyed it! It really is an enjoyable tour!
Other than knowing about chocolate in a general sense and that it comes from cacoa plants, this tour gave us a much better appreciation of the entire process to making chocolate. The guide, Melissa, accommodated our scheduling conflict and taught us so much at each stop. At each stop, she had us really take time to smell and taste different chocolates to appreciate the differences. At the factory the owner and Melissa talked about each step of the process from selecting cacoa seeds, drying them, roasting, separating them and we could see and taste the differences by changing something at each step. We got to try our hand at making some chocolate bars and adding nuts or other things to take with us. Not skimpy on samples, multiple samples, and all of the guides/owners were so kind, informative, and fun. It wasn't too much walking, easy pace, and our teenager enjoyed the tour (the other family had a middle schooler). It was a mix of listening and doing, so even younger kids would be able to participate and learn something along the way. Lots of visuals and the people were prepared with large pictures for us to be able to see. Highly recommend this tour.
I really appreciate the detailed review. This tour has been revamped recently and is better than ever! Thank you for spreading the word and sharing your experience!
Had such a surprisingly good time on this tour…Who knew there was so much to making chocolate…Melissa was a gem and an absolute scholar on chocolate and so much more…Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Montréal…The experience was well worth it…
Thank you so much for the review and being game because I know you aren’t a fan of high percentage chocolate. I’m so glad you enjoyed it! You were both a treat to have on the tour, you and the true chocolate lover you came out on it for! All the best!
We loved the meeting with the chocolatier: he took the time to explain and answer our questions. The Mexican restaurant was a discovery. As for the final tasting, it was a refined experience. But what we preferred was the presence and knowledge of our excellent guide, Melissa, who proved to be a great Montreal specialist: she showed us hidden parts of our city, even for us Montrealers. Thank you so much, Melissa!
Ça a été vraiment un grand plaisir pour moi. Je suis flattée et contente que vous avez apprécié autant le tour comme montréalaises et amoureuses de chocolat! A la prochaine!
I live in Montreal, but Melissa gave us more than a chocolate tour, which was awesome. She gave us history of Montreal that I didn't know about!
Thank you so much Lucia. You were both great to have on the tour! I'm glad you rediscovered your city!
Learned to savor and properly appreciate fine chocolate as one would a glass of fine wine. Really enjoyed the tastings as well as all the background information. Each of the stops was equally fascinating and informative. I had no idea Montreal was such a mecca for bean to bar chocolate production. Melissa is an amazing tour guide. Very accommodating and organized. We had two children with us (energetic boys: 10 and 12 years old) and she was able to engage them and was very patient with their constant questions. Our family of four had a great time. Even my husband (more of a sports fan) found this tour interesting. We also learned about the history of the neighborhood. We felt we were with a friend who was having us visit her friends who happened to be chocolate connoisseurs and producers. Best tour guide ever!
Thank you Gisele! I’m glad this got to be your present to yourself and the family enjoyed it. You guys were all great snd the boys asked great questions. I loved how engaged they were! I wish you many more great chocolate experiences and I hope to see you on another tour! Mauritius and Reunion Island just moved to the top of my list because of you guys!
My son and I did the Ultimate Chocolate Tour. It was absolutely wonderful! Our guide Melissa was so friendly and knowledgeable! We learned a lot about chocolate and also a lot about the history of Montreal. It was fun, interesting and delicious! We loved it!!
You guys were a blast. So enthusiastic! I look forward to exploring tea with you too someday or maybe I’ll see you in Mauritius. 😁
This summer, I decided to (re)discover my own city as a way to make the best out of the COVID-19. This chocolate tour made me travel to Perou with a few stops in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Guatemala learning about the art and the reality behind cocoa production and small scale bean to bar chocolate production! A wonder for the senses and very instructive. Daniel from Chocolat Monarque and our guide Melissa were amazing!
Thank you so much Ms. Colombo. :) It was really a privilege to have someone who can appreciate chocolate in the way you do, its origins, agricultural production, botany and local food businesses. You are a top client to have on this as you have so much perspective and appreciation for all that goes into this chcolate and the tour! :) Merci!
oh my god. This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Our tour guide was so knowledgeable and charming, and we learned so much about chocolate production and tasting. She also helped point us towards other restaurants and bakeries we might enjoy (which we did!) Please go on this tour and support this company. We can't wait to visit again and go on another one!
Thank you Jesse!! You were just as much fun. You guys kept the humour ball rolling with me, especially during the tasting. I’m still smiling about that!
