Montadero Chocolate Workshop: Everything you need to know

Montadero Chocolate

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Montadero Chocolate is the brainchild of Germán Ramos, who claims to be one of Puerto Rico’s first influencers.

That ties into his story of starting a chocolate shop … somehow. It’s a long story about someone who knew him who knew someone, thanks to his social media following, who helped him when he and his wife missed their flight home from their honeymoon. That detour lands him, fatefully, into a conversation about chocolate making, something that had been a part of his family’s heritage.

Ramos tells this story during the workshop.

He tells of his grandmother, who is painted on the wall between the two bathrooms in the shop (an odd place to be memorialized, if you ask me), who was poor and made chocolates for her family because it was cheaper than buying them.

It helped that she raised her family on a cacao farm in the Montadero sector of Isabela in Western Puerto Rico. 

She passed and along did her chocolate recipe, for the most part. One of Ramos’ aunts knew it.

He uses his grandma’s recipe for hot chocolate (which is amazing), but his own process for chocolate. Which is much better than his original recipe, which, he says, didn’t taste great.

Montadero Chocolate makes a variety of artisanal chocolates: bonbons, powdered hot chocolate, pastries, and bars of milk chocolate, dark milk chocolate, and dark chocolate. The chocolate molds for those bars are crafted to have the topography of the mountain range of Montadero, Puerto Rico, Ramos’ and his grandmother’s hometown, on them.

And the chocolate is made from 100% Puerto Rican cacao beans (so you can technically call it “single origin,” which sounds fancy).

Puerto Rico has the perfect climate for growing cacao and it does grow quite a bit. Another famous Puerto Rican chocolate maker, Cortés Chocolate, which has been around since 1929 and is currently run by its fourth generation of family, uses a mix of cacao from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, a process that has helped the shop survive when hurricanes come through and destroy cacao trees.

(Side note: You can purchase Cortés Chocolate on Amazon.)

Montadero is still new, starting in 2020 due to the state of the world just not being kind to Ramos. He lost everything … twice. Once after a famous pair of hurricanes hit Puerto Rico (Hurricane Irma is September followed by Hurricane Maria 10 days later), wiping out so much of the beautiful island. That got Ramos thinking of just how important it is to preserve the land of Puerto Rico, its resources, and its history.

So, like the famous Spanish phrase, “se levanta.” Still, we rise.

Ramos dusted himself off, went back to his family’s roots, and started making chocolate.

Montadero is new, but Ramos is a hustler. He’s a marketer. He’s a seller. Remember, he was one of Puerto Rico’s first influencers. And there’s a spark that comes along with that personality type.

That’s how the shop, not even 10 years old, makes chocolates with and for Bacardi. You can buy Bacardi-infused bonbons at Casa Bacardi in Cataño, a short drive from Caguas.

You may also get a Montadero bonbon when you make a purchase at Tiffany’s, which is a much longer drive from Caguas. It’s that type of high quality product that Montadero is getting known for. And good for a little chocolate shop in Caguas is doing big things.

Who knows where Montadero Chocolates will show up next. (Okay, we know next is San Juan. It’s opening a shop there in a couple weeks). But maybe it’ll be in my local grocery store in the United States in the future. But for now, at least it’s in my house, thanks to the chocolate workshop.

Montadero Chocolate Workshop

Each Saturday, Montadero opens its doors to guests who are interested in the chocolate making process. Or interested in eating chocolate. Or maybe just looking for something unique to do while on vacation.

Most likely, it’s all three.

Ramos is Puerto Rican by birth, but spent time in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. So, even though Spanish comes much easier, he can conduct the entire two hour workshop in English, with small asides in Spanish to guests who are bilingual.

He makes jokes in English and in Spanish, making everyone feel really comfortable the entire time.

The workshop starts with a little history of chocolate, starting with the Aztecs, moving to the Lindt family in Switzerland, and ending with Puerto Rico.

And that’s when you, as a group, move from the store part of Montadero to the workshop part.

Stations with chocolate molds, hair nets, and gold wrappers are set up, very similar to Wine & Design — just, without the wine and paint.

But, before you can make your own chocolate bars, you need to learn about chocolate.

Ramos hands out cacao nibs, which are edible but not delicious. He then hands out powdered chocolate, which your rub between your fingers and taste. It’s better, but not great.

Then, Ramos talks about white chocolate (which is not chocolate) and cocoa butter and passes some around so you can rub it until it melts and moisturizes your skin.

Then it’s time for chocolate making.

You clean the mountain molds with a vinegar-based spray. The shinier the mold, the shinier the chocolate.

You then, eventually, use one of Montadero’s fancy machines to fill up the mold (which is a lot more nerve wracking than you expect), then add toppings (for us, we had sliced almonds, mini chocolate covered caramel balls, and a salt option that’s great for pairing with red wine were our options).

Chocolate usually takes a while to harden, but your molds are taken somewhere (my guess from watching way too much Chopped is a glass chiller, but Ramos never says) to speed up the process.

The workshop is scheduled for only 75 minutes according to the website (although we were there for two hours).

While your chocolates are cooling, Ramos teaches you about chocolate pairings.

He doesn’t love wine, so he doesn’t pair wine with chocolate. But, he does like whiskey, so he pours samples of Dewar’s (made by his friends at Bacardi) and hands out squares of bitter chocolate.

He has you take a sip and explains that the alcohol burns. But then you have some chocolate (rubbing it between your fingers to expunge some extra flavor first) and another sip of whiskey. The second sip doesn’t burn, thanks to the sugar in the chocolate offsetting the burn.

For anyone, like me, who doesn’t drink alcohol, you get a small cup of hot chocolate instead. Hot chocolate made from Ramos’ grandmother’s recipe, a recipe that makes me wish I was part of the family so it could get passed down to me.

It’s warm and chocolate-flavored, but not too sweet. It doesn’t taste like sugar, but like chocolate.

There’s no fancy way to enjoy the bitter chocolate and the hot chocolate. There’s just a moment to sip, indulge with good chocolate, and enjoy.

And then your chocolates are back.

You channel your inner Willy Wonka and wrap the bars in gold foil, then stuff them into Montadero-branded boxes.

You’re Willy; Ramos is an Oompa Loompa. He says that multiple times. He performs for you during the entire time you’re at his workshop, educates and engages while also being a commercial for his chocolates.

It’s a balance. He wants to educate you about Montadero as much as he wants to educate you about chocolate.

In the end, that’s part the point of the workshops for him. To let people know Montadero is in Puerto Rico. To have people get familiar with the brand, the chocolate, the family behind it. His family. His legacy.

And for you, it might just be something unique to do while you’re in Puerto Rico on vacation. It’s a great price for that. For only $40, you leave with three chocolate bars and a story to tell your friends when you get home.

It’s a win-win for everyone.

Montadero Chocolate: Frequently Asked Questions