Living Chocolate

Let us be honest. Living Chocolate is not really a coffee shop. It is a cacao shop, a wellness shop, a chocolate shop and a Sedona shop in the truest sense. Yes, coffee is on the menu, but it is sharing the spotlight with things you do not see at your average cafe.

The whole place revolves around the owner Shari and her love for cacao is the kind that rubs off on you the second you walk in. She knows her stuff and she will happily walk you through any of it.

I came in for the ceremonial cacao which is what you should do too. Shari scooped a paste portion from a container in the fridge and steamed it using the high pressure steam wand on the Astra GA espresso machine. The result was rich, dense, thick and velvety with complex undertones running underneath. I am pretty sure there was a touch of honey in there for sweetness. Here is the cool part though... About 5-10 minutes in, I noticed a warm, calm and clear feeling and a noticeable mood lift. No jitters. No espresso crash. That is the theobromine doing its thing. It dilates blood vessels and works very differently from the central nervous system jolt you get from an espresso shot. Cacao has very little caffeine, so what you are feeling is something else entirely.

The wellness rabbit hole goes deeper too. You can add a medicinal mushroom blend to any drink (Lion's Mane and other adaptogens) and there are Ayurvedic soma shots on the menu, with authentic flavors and quality ingredients. The goal here is holistic wellness, and Shari means it.

Now to the coffee, since this site is, after all, about coffee. Living Chocolate sources beans from Clay Coffee Roasters. The bean of choice is the Guatemala single origin at a medium dark roast. Shots are pulled on the Astra GA. Do not expect third wave fireworks here. It is a comforting and familiar milk drink that pairs really well with a piece of chocolate.

Speaking of, I grabbed a handful of pieces from the case and the runaway winner was the Keto Pecan Truffle. Shari uses quality single origin and blended cocoa across the line to craft these things which is cool.

If you are in Sedona and you only have time for one stop, make it Living Chocolate. Order the ceremonial cacao, add a truffle and let Shari tell you about cacao for ten minutes. You will walk out warmer than you came in.