Blue Stripes Urban Cacao Shop

“If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it.” I believe that’s what Willy Wonka sings as the golden-ticket winners bound about the chocolate room, clearly overwhelmed with possibility and sugar-high anticipation. Such is the energy surrounding the new Blue Stripes Urban Cacao Shop in The Gulch. The staff buzzes about, scooping creamy frozen dollops into airy, handmade sugar dough cones, dipping head-size pretzels into drums of melted chocolate, and pouring airy mousse out of taps (taps!) into chocolate rimmed stemware while customers stand about, eyes glazed over in childlike delight.

The choices are truly near overwhelming. It was recommended that I start with an adorable feuilletine stack – two squares of chocolate with crispy feuilletine (small, broken pieces of crispy crepes) throughout, sandwiched with chocolate frosting. Paired with the white chocolate chai latte it was heaven. The chai was higher in anise flavor than your standard chai, but understandably so as it plays so well with the white chocolate resulting in a luxe latte experience.

In addition to dunking all manner of confections into chocolate, Blue Stripes is also happy to pipe Nutella into things until your heart’s content, so I went with a warm croissant. To accompany it, a cold brew dripping with summer vibes, the bitter cocoa nib flavor expertly accenting the familiar cold brew flavor we know and love.

Finally, though the chocolate shots (yup – a straight shot of sipping chocolate) called out to me from their neatly appointed rows, my last selection was a plated serving of their chocolate mousse. Light and fluffy, just as I hoped, but served with a smart and unexpected dollop of zippy crème fraiche that my tongue happily welcomed after consuming near my weight in cacao.

Speaking of cacao, Blue Stripes not only uses it to imagine delicious concoctions, they use ALL of it, as part of their firm commitment to sustainability. In general cacao farming, 70 percent of the cacao fruit is discarded as only the beans are desirable, creating an enormous amount of waste and contributing to the negative effects of climate change. Instead, Blue Stripes, which sources its cacao from Guayaquil in Ecuador, processes the entire plant and uses 100% of the cacao fruit in products such as their refreshing and antioxidant rich cacao water (one sip and I was obsessed), honoring their commitment to a low-waste and sustainable approach to farming cacao that’s good for the planet and the farmers they cultivate a relationship with.

Basically, Blue Stripes Urban Cacao is more than just a new, pretty face in The Gulch. Stop by soon and see for yourself. I hear the Nutella latte is amazing and if you’re truly a chocaholic looking for the full Monty chocolate experience, order the cake & shake. That thing looks INTENSE.

To read more about Blue Stripe Urban Cacao’s quest to cultivate a more sustainable cacao future, visit bluestripes.com.