Find Your New Favorite Chocolate Bar: A Dessert-Lover’s Guide to NW Chocolate Fest
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In case the festival floor gets a little overwhelming, here's a straightforward place to start.
Start Here
We get it. You step onto the festival floor and it’s a literal river of chocolate — a wall of bars, samples, origin stories, textures, pairings, infusions, and flavor explosions.
It’s delicious. It’s overwhelming. And it’s a chocolate lover’s dream.
But where do you even start?
Here’s the cheat code: start with what kind of dessert person you are.
This quick guide helps you map your sweet tooth to the right flavor tents — so you can spend less time decision-fatigued and more time tracking down the bars you’ll be dreaming about for months.
How to Use This Guide
Welcome to your flavor-first roadmap for the Northwest Chocolate Festival — designed especially for chocolate eaters (not just the pros with tasting journals).
This isn’t a full vendor list, and it’s not meant to overwhelm you with every booth. Instead, it helps you navigate the floor based on what you already love — whether that’s fruity desserts, boozy pairings, textural crunch, or something weird and botanical.
Here’s how to use it:
- Pick your dessert style (there’s no wrong answer — you can like more than one).
- Explore the matching bar guides and articles. Each one highlights a small selection of must-try bars and the makers behind them.
- Keep a list. Use this guide on your phone at the festival, even screenshot your favorite sections, or just browse the blog hub as you walk the floor.
- Optional: Come back after the fest to leave a flavor review on Beanstalkr.com (private flavor review and then a optional public review) — your notes might help someone else discover their new favorite bar.
Need basic event info?
Find ticket details, entry times, location, and what’s included over in our Essential Guide to the Northwest Chocolate Festival 2025 (opens in a new tab — we got you).
And here it is: Your Northwest Chocolate Festival Flavor Guide
1. If You Always Go for Fruit Tart, Pie, or Crumble…
You’re the person who orders the lemon tart while everyone else gets chocolate cake — and you’re absolutely right for doing it. You’re after brightness. Tang. Texture. Something with a bit of zing.
Start here:
- Your Guide to Tropical & Fruit-Forward Chocolate Trends at NW Fest
- More Fruit Forward Reviews To Come!
Bars to look for:
Passionfruit and white chocolate blends. Mango ganache. Chocolate with pineapple or citrus oil. If you see Fu Wan Chocolates, Baiani, or anyone talking about “Calamansi” or “yuzu zest”, stop and try. You’re home.
2. If You’re Into Floral, Botanical, or Delicate Desserts…
Rose shortbread. Lavender crème brûlée. That weirdly good elderflower sorbet you had once and still think about. That’s your lane — and the festival has bars that hit that exact note.
Start here:
- Top 5 Botanical Bars: Bee Pollen, Rose & Lychee Infusions
- Asia’s Artisan Makers: Bold Flavors & Rare Origins
Bars to look for:
- Makers using rose, jasmine, lavender, shiso, lychee, and bee pollen.
- Highlights from Fu Wan, Siamaya, Green Bean to Bar, Kessho.
These aren’t bars you inhale — they’re ones you nibble slowly and taste the garden.
3. If Chocolate-on-Chocolate Is Your Love Language…
Dark chocolate cake. Fudgy brownies. Chocolate mousse. You’re not here to mess around — you want real cocoa flavor, no distractions.
Start here:
Bars to look for:
- Madagascar for bright red fruit notes
- Venezuela (Criollo) for silky, nutty cocoa
- Brazil (Bahia & Amazon) for earthy, herbal richness
Pro tip: Ask the maker about roast level and fermentation — the impact this has on flavor is insane and worth digging into.
4. If You’re a Wine & Cheese for Dessert Type…
You’re that person who orders port and a cheese board while your friends get gelato. You’re here for pairing potential. A bit of bitterness. A lot of bold.
Start here:
- Top 5 Cocktail-Inspired Chocolate Bars to Sip & Savor
- From Barrel to Bar: Spirit-Aged & Alcohol-Infused Chocolate
Bars to look for:
- Karuna Chocolate Pipa Bar or Aroko’s Mulled Wine Bar
- Try bars with cognac, whisky, negroni, or vermouth infusions
A few of these bars are practically cocktails in disguise. Cheers to that.
5. If You Order Espresso with Everything…
You gravitate toward roast, richness, and that slightly bitter, slightly sweet zone that coffee and chocolate share. You’re not alone — it’s a cult favorite combo.
Start here:
Bars to look for:
- Bars with espresso nibs, cold brew ganache, or coffee liqueur notes
- Mike & Becky, Kessho, and a few sneaky Thai makers bring the goods
These are basically the perfect mid-festival pick-me-up.
6. If You Love Heat (Chili, Ginger, Spices).
You’re the wildcard. Spiced pumpkin loaf. Chili chocolate truffles. Ginger molasses cookies. You want your sweet with a little kick.
Start here:
- Flavors That Surprise: Savory & Spiced Chocolates Stealing the Spotlight
- Top 5 Cocktail-Inspired Chocolate Bars to Sip & Savor (many include ginger, pepper, herbs)
- Chilli Bars rabbit hole article coming soon!
Bars to look for:
- Siamaya brings real heat (Thai chili, Szechuan pepper, the works)
- Keep an eye out for bars with turmeric, cumin, black garlic, or wasabi
7. If Texture Is Everything (Crunchy, Crumbly, Brittle-Style).
Your favorite part of dessert is the top — that layer of toasted coconut or caramelized nuts. You need snap, crunch, and surprise texture.
Start here:
- Top 5 Textural Bombs: Crunchy Nibs, Seeds & Crisp Inclusions
- Bakery Meets Bar: Chocolate Bars That Taste Like Toast, Cake & Crumble
Bars to look for:
- Lucid and Mission Toast both have bakery-vibe inclusions
- Don’t skip the Boho potato chip bar (yes, really)
If it sounds weird and textured, try it.
BONUS ROUND. Limited Editions, Rare Finds & Wild Cards.
If your dessert style is basically “I want what no one else has,” or “I want something I’ve never had before”, start here:
- Distant Makers and Their Epic Journeys to Seattle – Coming Soon!
Ask makers what they brought to the fest. Who knows what you’ll find hiding in small batches.
Final Tips:
After the fest, head back to Beanstalkr.com and leave a review for your favorite bar — so the next lost dessert soul can find their way too.
Bring your curiosity – and your sweet tooth, and a bag big enough to bring home your next obsessions.
Check out last year’s review – as a chocolate lover, you can’t go wrong.
The Northwest Chocolate Festival and Unconference has always been more than I ever could have imagined. So brace yourself for more chocolate festival shenanigans.
So what are you waiting for – grab your tickets here! Hope to see you there.
Did you go to Northwest 2024? Are you already thinking about Northwest 2025? Let us know – I would love to hear your stories.
Where to next?
Well if you’re new, we recommend:
And if you’re curious, we recommend:
And if you’re still not so sure, check out what events or makers are in your area:
Got any questions? Feedback? Want to hi say? Reach out below – we’re always happy to chat!
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