Ben B Coco Chocolate Factory — Restaurant in Miami

An awesome experience with truly high quality chocolate

If you’re a chocolate nerd like me you’ve probably seen documentaries about how it’s made. I never thought I’d get to see a real chocolate factory, then my wife surprised me with Ben’s chocolate making class. We got to sample cocoa beans, raw chocolate liquor, and I even got to temper some chocolate which was a real fun treat (never thought I’d get to do that)!

Ben was very thorough, informative, and generous with his time during the class. Definitely eat before you do the class because if you’re hungry you won’t be able to concentrate due to the fragrant smell of chocolate. You can truly smell this place from a block away. Anyway, we only tried small samples during the class, but when we got home and we tasted Ben’s chocolate, it’s pure heaven. We probably would’ve bought twice as much if we’d known how good it is.

All the chocolate at Ben B Coco has a crisp, clean taste and you can tell he uses top notch chocolate and ingredients. If you love chocolate then Ben’s chocolates may taste shocking because they don’t contain fillers or what I call “food science” ingredients like lecithin, oils, or artificial additives that are used to extend shelf life and claim to boost flavors. All of his chocolate tastes fresh and clean, the way chocolate is meant to be enjoyed, and that’s where the real flavor is. When you eat the Ben B Coco chocolate bars you can taste the beans, and each bar has their own subtle, fruity notes. The texture is so smooth on every bar that you won’t want to eat any other store bought chocolate after trying the chocolate at Ben’s.

What kind of chocolate nerd wouldn’t try the Dubai chocolate bar at Ben’s. It’s the best I’ve tried and I’ve tried a lot of them. It’s definitely the crunchiest Dubai chocolate bar I’ve tried, and that’s a good thing. The ratio of chocolate to filling is really superb: not too much chocolate on the sides (so many bars get this wrong and you barely taste the filling). You can even tell how fresh the pistachios are in the filling. Not everyone can justify spending $45 on a single chocolate bar, but the Ben B Coco Dubai chocolate bar is worth it. Everything I said about his other bars—the fresh, clean taste—is true with the Dubai bar too. Lots of other Dubai bars give me a stomach ache from all the garbage ingredients, but these are just pure pieces of heaven.

Why would you still be reading this? You should be on your way there to try the...

Located on 26th street in Wynwood, Ben B Coco is a premium bean to bar chocolate shop with an array of options. Ben (the owner) and Lucie were super friendly! They were kind enough to offer some samples before committing to a chocolate bar. Bars go for $12.50-$18, which in my experience is fair and standard for this kind of high quality chocolate. Everything is made in house with whole ingredients and minimal sugar. The cacao definitely shines in these chocolates! The cherry on top is the beautiful presentation of the products.

They also offer bon bons and other treats like caramel turtle, chocolate dipped candied ginger, and more! There is something for everyone, if you’re vegan, avoiding sugar, want something sweet, there will be something for you to enjoy.

I left with a handful of bars, my favorite being the chuncho 85% for its sweetness despite being a high percentage. The cacao itself has a sweet flavor. I fell in LOVE. Honorable mentions for 100% dark chocolate and Café.

Overall, I had a great time meeting Ben and trying the chocolates he had to offer! You just have to check it out for yourself....

Chocolate lover or not, Ben B Coco is a must-stop in Miami's vibrant Wynwood district!

Chocolate, similar to wine and coffee, is complex, and there's so much more than meets the eye. Benjamin Fogel, the Owner, and Chocolatier behind Wynwood's Ben B Coco showed us why their chocolate is so special.

To start, Ben winnows his cocoa beans in-house. Winnowing is the process of removing the outer shell of the cocoa bean in a way that ensures the meat of the cocoa bean is left mostly intact. This process enables Ben and his team to offer single-origin cocoa beans that provide unique and distinct flavors to their geographical origins.

But it doesn't stop there. This process allows Ben and his team to whip up some vibrant chocolate concoctions like their passionfruit chocolate bar that's tart and provides a burst of flavor, or their chocolate-covered corn flakes that are velvety and crunchy. There's something for all ages and palettes at Ben B Coco.

So the next time you are walking around Wynwood and want to see some art that you've never seen before, pop in and...