Just as we were about to land on our Thai Airways flight to Chiang Mai, a flight attendant came by and handed the kids each a little box for Children’s Day, a celebration held annually on January 10th in honour of children. Their gift: a selection of chocolates from Kanvela. I watched with intense jealousy as the kids devoured their chocolates, completely unaware that Kanvela is one of Thailand’s renowned bean to bar chocolate makers. Not a bad way to kick off a chocolate focused trip to Thailand!
Their cafe is a bit out of the way if you’re walking, and it’s not a particularly scenic walk at that. So, if you’re visiting, I’d recommend taking a tuk tuk. The building itself is quite large and houses all their chocolate production, but unfortunately there are no windows to observe the process, as you often find with other bean to bar chocolate makers.
The staff must have sensed our excitement as we entered as they were so increasingly kind with us. Giving their chocolates to kids on the plane worked wonders. All my kids wanted was to keep eating Kanvela. We had a look around to take in all the options for our mid afternoon snack. They had beautiful bonbons and a selection of chocolates, mostly with inclusions, but also plain single origins featuring beans from around Thailand. Thailand is incredibly fortunate not only to grow cacao but to have many small and mid sized farms cultivated it, offering plenty of options for small chocolate makers. Kanvela has won many international awards for its chocolates.
We ordered a lot and lingered for quite a while. They have three signature hot chocolates, each around 70% dark, made with beans from different origins all, it seems, from their own orchards. The menu provides detailed information about each bean, including tasting notes. One option features notes of dried fruit, almonds and raisins, and is made with Kanvela’s own cacao grown in their Chiang Mai orchard. I tried the Chiang Mai origin with natural tropical fruit, longan and citrus notes. These aren’t added flavours, they’re intrinsic to the cacao itself. Each drink is thoughtfully accompanied by a small glass of tea made from the husks of the beans used to make the hot chocolate – a unique and smart touch.
Yet another reason why Chiang Mai is one of the great drinking chocolate capitals of the world.
Kanvela Craft Chocolate Cafe, 720 ปี Tambon Su Thep, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand, Open daily from 8:30am to 6:30pm www.kanvelachocolate.com
