THE MAYA AND AZTECS OF MESOAMERICA celebrated chocolate, enjoying its bitter qualities brewed with almonds, chile, and herbs in powerful elixirs. (Traces have been detected in pottery mugs found in Chaco Canyon.) In the 1600s, Spanish explorers likewise fell for it, sending the cacao beans back to Europe, where milk and sugar softened its edges. Kakawa Chocolate House owners Bonnie and Tony Bennett have a unique understanding of its complexities and have grown their business from its 2010 birth as a cozy nook near the state capitol in Santa Fe, serving intriguingly thick and warm elixirs, to now including bars and truffles in four locations: three in Santa Fe and one in Salem, Massachusetts.

Read more: Try this recipe for Chocolate Piñon Torte from David Perry and Matt DiGregory of the Range Café.

Kakawa’s main location is at 1050 Paseo de Peralta, in Santa Fe, with other sites near Meow Wolf and in midtown. The company also ships.