About Our Store

Established in 2006, Cacao features a curated selection of chocolate from around the world, including the best premium solid chocolate bars from craft producers, selected chocolates from the best regional chocolatiers and our house-made drinking and hot chocolates.

Craft chocolate has come a long way in a very short time with an explosion of North American small craft chocolate makers in the last decade (in 2006 there were approximately 3, now there are over 150). We offer an opportunity for our customers to explore this exciting new segment of the market in an open and honest way, avoiding traps of excessive packaging, unreasonable margins, and exaggerated hype. This is not a collection of all makers. It is a collection of the best makers. We make samples of our bars available to our customers when they are shopping, helping them to make the right selection with the aid of sampling and personalized service. We are very excited to have this selection of chocolate available, and hope that you will be too!

Ginger Burnt Sugar Caramel Sauce

I just made an awesome test batch of ginger burnt sugar caramel sauce using Aftelier Perfumes Chef’s Essences “Fresh Ginger”. I followed a basic recipe for burnt sugar caramel sauce (1 cup sugar, 6Tbs unsalted butter, 1/2 cup cream) and added a good shake of Fresh Ginger essence.

We worked with Mandy Aftel to produce a set of Chef’s Essences for chocolatiers and have a set available at our main store. I’ve been a little slow to make good use of these amazing essential oils and absolutes. They are a precious bundle of untapped potential. I can’t wait to explore them further. Based on initial trials they are very easy to use and can be added directly to chocolate to perfectly infuse the flavor.

More recipes from Cacao

Praise

We’ve received lots of postive praise and reviews since we opened

Portland, Ore.: Cacao
New York Times
“With about a dozen artisanal chocolate shops, you’d think Portland, Ore., needs a new one as much as it needs more rain. But Jesse Manis’s and Mr. Lindley’s shop, Cacao, where chocolate prêt-à-porter meets chocolate haute couture just outside the Pearl District, is getting rave reviews.”

Does Portland have the best chocolate shop in the world?
London Telegraph
“Half a block away from the stage door of the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall… is a hard-core chocolate shop. It is only small, leaning into the shoulder of the lobby of the Heathman Hotel, but its shelves are stacked with extraordinary delights.”

Locally Made Gifts for Food Lovers
The Oregonian
“Put down that packet of Swiss Miss. If you’re going to drink hot chocolate, make it the good stuff. This premium blend of dark chocolate from Bolivia and the Dominican Republic is a velvety, rich balance between bitter and sweet.”

Why Cacao in Portland Needs To Be On Every Chocolate Lover’s Bucket List
Serious Eats
“If there’s a better place for chocolate lovers, well, then I haven’t been there. Cacao is an emporium of all things chocolate… if you’re a die-hard chocolate enthusiast, you must visit this place. Really, it’s imperative.”

Portland’s West End
Willamette Week
“From the blissfully bittersweet Oregon bark made only a few blocks away at Sahagún, to single-origin Claudio Corallo bars hand-grown on the tiny African island of Principe, Cacao trades in some of the finest chocolate in both Portland and the world.”

Devour 2011: Chocolate
Willamette Week
“In addition to the three mouthwatering varieties of drinking chocolate, Cacao offers treats from local chocolatiers Sahagún, Cocanú, and Xocolatl de Davíd.”

Why Portland Has Become Chocolate City
Charlotte Druckman, Wall Street Journal
“‘There is less fear here about breaking rules,’ said Jesse Manis, co-founder of the Cacao shops, where the spotlight is placed on carefully selected small-batch producers.”

Bit and Bites Charlotte Druckman
Wall Street Journal
“Cacao blends its own knockout” drinking chocolate

Hipster magic in Portland
The Independent
“the ultimate chocolate lover’s boutique”

27 Of The Greatest Places In The World To Get Hot Chocolate
Buzzfeed
“At Cacao Drink Chocolate in Portland, OR, one hot chocolate isn’t enough. Try the flight of three drinking chocolates”

I Love Portland: Cacao
The Oregonian
The Oregonian posts a short video interview with Aubrey Lindley of Cacao.

Cacao – Portland’s new chocolate boutique
Willamette Week
“Indeed, walking into the West Burnside shop feels like stepping into a page of the Design Within Reach catalog, every surface clean-lined, gleaming and laden with small, gorgeous objects. Except these are objects you can eat—and afford.”

Portland Tastemakers
TakePart
“Instead of bars made from commodity market chocolate, Cacao carries only chocolate from premium chocolate companies that are so small, they often have a direct relationship with their small-scale cacao farmers.”

Cacao Portland Chocolate Shop
Portland Food and Drink
“Cacao compliments local artisans by providing additional products, helps educate the public about great chocolate, and provides a different kind of retail experience altogether.”

Cacao

Craft Chocolate from Around the World

About Our Store

Latest Recipe

Ginger Burnt Sugar Caramel Sauce

Praise

We’ve received lots of postive praise and reviews since we opened

Visit Our Stores

West End Store

At The Heathman

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