Chocolate Tour of Port of Spain

This was a surprising element of this year’s Bocas Lit Fest.  Not only did that event comprise of lots of literary topics, but it also included quite a few music experiences, roundtable discussions on topical subjects, and … a POS Chocolate Walking Tour. 

This tour was not on the printed programme, but it was on the website list of events.  After some difficulty trying to register online, I turned up on Saturday morning, just in time to join the small group of chocolate lovers assembled inside the NALIS (National Library) atrium.  Gillian, our friendly and knowledgeable guide, got us to introduce ourselves and tell where we were from.  She told us that Port of Spain was built because cocoa was king in those days.  She explained how our Trinitario cocoa came about, and why it is renowned for producing the finest chocolates in the world.

Soon we were off, heading for Woodford Square nearby.  Here, Gillian talked about the historic significance of this site, pointing out the still-being-renovated Red House where political rallies were often centred.  As if to emphasise her point, a noisy march of Youth for Christ followers came up Abercromby Street behind an obligatory music truck, and stopped in front of The Red House. 

Despite the loud music behind us, Gillian showed us examples in the park of a Silk Cotton Tree and a Yellow Poui Tree, whose blossoms floated all around us.  She read a lovely extract from Earl Lovelace’s ‘The Schoolmaster’ which is set in a Trinidad cocoa community.  This was our first stop, and Gillian cracked open a cocoa pod so that we could taste the raw cocoa clinging to it seeds.  We also sampled our first cocoa nib, breathing in its aroma before gently letting it melt in our mouths.  We then talked about the sensations and tastes that we experienced.

We headed to the northern exit of the park where Gillian pointed out important buildings, like the Hall of Justice “where many of our judiciary will be attending soon”, and the old Town Library that is presently being restored.  This was our second stop, so we enjoyed another tasting of a different flavoured nib.  It was a perfect overcast day with little traffic, so it was a pleasant walk up Pembroke Street, observing an old church as well as two important secondary schools – my alma mater, St. Joseph’s Convent (for girls), opposite St. Mary’s College or C.I.C. (for boys).  At each stop, we sampled more delicious nibs, each with distinct tastes, and all at least 70% cocoa, the only other ingredient being sugar. 

Eventually, we turned left into Gordon Street where we were introduced to The Cocoa Pod, “the first exclusively chocolate shop in the Caribbean”.  As is common in Port of Spain, this shop is situated in an old French-styled Woodbrook house. Here, Gillian demonstrated to us a model of a cocoa house with a sliding roof to protect the drying beans from rain.  The establishment’s owner, Wayne, led us into a back room that was set up like a small theatre.  On a large screen on one wall, he projected a You Tube video that talked about the shocking child-slavery practices in the cocoa plantations in parts of Africa.  At least you can be assured that any chocolate from Latin America or the Caribbean is “ethically sourced” (and also organic). 

After that, Wayne presented samples of his cocoa products – all manner of chocolate flavours made from raw cocoa, cookies and muffins, sorbet and mousse desserts, as well as skin care products “guaranteed to remove all blemishes in two weeks”.  I’m testing out the latter right now!  There were also various hot and cold drinks, everything made from cocoa, and delicious.  There was a scramble to buy his products as we were being hurried to move on.  Gillian described Wayne as “the alchemist of cocoa”. 

We headed back down Abercromby Street, with Gillian pointing out interesting facts.  For example, the bricks in some old houses along the street were actually made from mud, and the stone in the foundation of others came from the ballast off of sailing ships of trade.  We all thoroughly enjoyed our walk and all the interesting things that we learnt about our city.  As I was walking back to my car, I appreciated the church bells from the Anglican Holy Trinity Cathedral, opposite Woodford Square, playing “Blue Danube”.

If you want to find out more about similar chocolate tours of the city and various cocoa plantations, then contact The Alliance of Rural Communities of Trinidad and Tobago (ARC) at

493-4358 or
email thenewruraltt@gmail.com or
find them on Instagram THENEWRURALTT.