On Monday, June 10, Monsoon Chocolate Café + Market, located at 3630 E. Fort Lowell Rd., celebrated its first anniversary. Just a month ago, the local chocolate factory known for its award-winning sweets celebrated its sixth anniversary in Tucson (the original location is on the corner of 22nd Street and Sixth Avenue).
It’s always a time to celebrate when chocolate is involved!
This summer, Monsoon Chocolate Café + Market is remaining open from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily and unveiling new drinks and sweets.
There are a couple of new beverages to shine a light on including the Cacao Fruit Spritz. This one features Ecuadorian cacao fruit pulp from Hacienda Palo Santo in Ecuador and bitters from Mission Garden‘s Seville oranges.
“It’s a way to experience cacao in a different form than most people expect,” said Prab Virdee of Monsoon Chocolate. “It tastes like pineapple, pear, and apple, and is tropical, refreshing, and not too sweet.”
Also, Monsoon Chocolate’s current rotating fruit cooler beverage features a blackberry lemongrass puree. “Fruity, balanced sweetness, and very refreshing as well,” Virdee added.
The new bakery options include the Aleppo Pepper and Cheese Biscuit — this one’s served warmed up with spiced butter.
“Our new Cocoa Nib Coffee Cake is both vegan and gluten-free,” said Virdee. “It features a crunchy cocoa nib streusel on top of a spongy cake and it’s not overwhelming with sweetness.”
So, stop by the Café + Market anytime between 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
If you happen to visit them on the corner of Fort Lowell Road and Dodge Boulevard before 9 a.m. any day of the week, you’ll get 50% off your drip or iced coffee.
More Sweet News
In April, Monsoon Chocolate came out on top during last night’s annual Good Food Awards, winning in the chocolate category as well as for confections.
Monsoon Chocolate won for its Sonoran Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Bar and Reposado Sweet Orange Margarita Bon Bon.
The winners are all chosen through a blind tasting and sustainability vetting process (nearly 2,000 entries this year). This year’s winners “rose to the top based on taste, while also demonstrating an outstanding commitment to sustainable environmental and social practices.”
Monsoon Chocolate Café + Market is located at 3630 E. Fort Lowell Rd. The original location can be found at 234 E. 22nd St. For more information, visit monsoonchocolate.com and follow Monsoon Chocolate on Instagram.
Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
