Q: Do you have a refund/returns or satisfaction guarantee policy?

100% Satisfaction Guarantee We are confident you’ll love our chocolate as much as we do. If for any reason you’re not completely satisfied, get in touch with us within 30 days of your purchase, explain to us why you were not satisfied with the product and if we can't resolve your concern with a replacement or our complimentary insurance then we’ll issue a full refund. Our policy lasts 30 days. If 30 days have gone by since your purchase, unfortunately we can’t offer you a refund or exchange. In the event that your chocolate was damaged, lost or stolen during shipment you are eligible for our complimentary shipping insurance . If your claim is approved you have the choice of a full refund or replacement. Please note that gift cards are non-refundable. More Questions? Use a keyword or phrase in the search box above or contact us via phone, SMS, WhatsApp, email or social and we are happy to help.

Q: What is the cut-off time for same day shipping?

Cut off times for same day delivery For orders to the USA or Canada, 8am Mountain Time. For orders to all other countries, 9am Ecuador time. In the event that your order is very time sensitive please contact us directly to discuss options for fastracking delivery. We ship Monday to Friday excluding public holidays in USA or Ecuador. More Questions? Use a keyword or phrase in the search box above or contact us via phone, SMS, WhatsApp, email or social and we are happy to help.

Q: How can I check my shipping status?

Tracking your delivery Once you complete the checkout process you will be taken to an order summary page where you can enter your phone numer and request shipping status updates via SMS. You will also find a link to track your order with the Shop app which offers detailed tracking information. https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/aDIvXXFAzR/resources/p944XJNFVG/Install%20the%20Shop%20App%20for%20Tracking.png (Install the Shop App for Tracking.png) Email notifications You will receive email notifications once your order has been dispactched/shipped and, if the information is available, when your order is out for delivery. You can click the Track my shipment button on any of the emails to be taken to the tracking page for the shipping provider chosen. https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/aDIvXXFAzR/resources/XcCbBYOafz/Email%20confirmation.png (Email confirmation.png) We're always available to assist in the event that you don't find the information you are looking for. You can contact us via: Phone/SMS (USA) : +1 (805) 600-8625 Phone (Ecuador) : +593 23227520 Email : hello@toakchocolate.com

Question 1

Do you have a refund/returns or satisfaction guarantee policy?

Accepted Answer

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

We are confident you’ll love our chocolate as much as we do. If for any reason you’re not completely satisfied, get in touch with us within 30 days of your purchase, explain to us why you were not satisfied with the product and if we can't resolve your concern with a replacement or our complimentary insurance then we’ll issue a full refund.

Our policy lasts 30 days. If 30 days have gone by since your purchase, unfortunately we can’t offer you a refund or exchange.

In the event that your chocolate was damaged, lost or stolen during shipment you are eligible for our complimentary shipping insurance. If your claim is approved you have the choice of a full refund or replacement.

Please note that gift cards are non-refundable.

What to avoid

Definitely do not store dark chocolate in a freezer. And a refrigerator should only be used as a last resort—for example, if you live in a hot place and don’t have air conditioning.

Options for hot climate

If you live in a hot place and don’t have air conditioning, you can store your chocolate in a refrigerator or a wine cooler; in this case, we advise you to first put the package of chocolate inside a ziplock bag, to protect it from moisture.

General advice

If you live in a home where the indoor temperature doesn’t exceed 24° C (75° F), the best thing to do is simply store your chocolate at room temperature, in a dry place that is protected from sunlight and other strong odors. For example, in a cupboard.

Dark chocolate likes to be stored within the temperature range of 12-22° C (53-72° F), and temperatures as high as 25° C (77° F) are usually fine. The official melting point of dark chocolate is around 30° C (86° F).

We have also had success storing our bars in a wine cooler that has an option to reduce humidity/moisture. Generally speaking, most solutions that are suitable for storage of a fine wine will also be suitable for fine chocolate.

What does my shipping protection cover?

Please get in touch with us for lost, stolen or damaged packages in the unfortunate case that they arise.

What if my order is marked "Delivered" but it is stolen? And when can I file a claim?

We ask that you wait 5 days from the day the package was marked delivered before requesting a replacement or refund. It is common for packages to be scanned as delivered and not show up for a few days. Stolen claims must be filed within 15 days from the date it was marked delivered.

What if my order is lost? And when can I file a claim?

An item is considered lost if it never is reported as Delivered. This can also include if your order has been stuck in any shipping state OTHER than "Delivered" You may file a claim if enough time has been allowed for delivery to take place and it's well past the expected delivery date, or if your order is stuck in a shipping state other than "Delivered"

What if my order arrives damaged? And when can I file a claim?

If your item arrives damaged, unusable, or otherwise in an unacceptable condition, we invite you to file a claim right away. Please remember to include pictures of the item(s) and packaging. Claims for damaged item(s) can be filed right away. Damaged claims must be filed within 15 days from the date it was marked delivered.

Please note it is important (in the case of damaged products) that you take a photo/s of the damage as it is very difficult for us to assist in resolving a damage claim without a photo.

How do I file a claim?

Take a photo of any damage.
Submit the claim information and photo (if available) to us at hello@toakchocolate.com with a brief explanation of the issue.
We aim to resolve claims within 5 working days of submission.

Countries we cannot ship to or that require additional paperwork

There are a small number of countries we cannot ship to due to the import restrictions those countries impose on foodstuffs. The countries we cannot ship to include but are not limited to:

Mexico
Russia
Venezuela
Peru

If you don't find your country in our shipping address form then it is likely that we cannot ship to your country. However, you are welcome to contact us to check if we can make an exception.

Additional information may be required

The following countries may require additional information (such as the ID number of the recipient) or paperwork to be completed in order for the order to clear customs:

India
Turkey
China
Liechtenstein
Colombia
Poland

We will contact you shortly after your order should we need further information to initiate your shipment or ensure it clears customs.

More Questions?

Use a keyword or phrase in the search box above or contact us via phone, SMS, WhatsApp, email or social and we are happy to help.

Question 8

How and why do you age your chocolate?

Accepted Answer

Aging Chocolate

Aged chocolate is a new phenomenon that To'ak has been pioneering since 2013. The process is grounded in the science of flavor extraction, and draws heavily from long-standing practices in both the wine and whisky traditions.

Chocolate has an interesting advantage in extracting flavor and aroma from the wood: namely, the absorptive oils that are naturally present in cacao.

Barrel Aging Applied to Chocolate

Cacao beans are roughly 50% fat. If you press a cacao bean with a great deal of strength, you can actually extract this fat, which is referred to as “cacao butter.” Cacao butter is used as an additive to some chocolates and also as a skin care product, among other uses. At To’ak, we usually don’t add extra cacao butter to our chocolate. But the cacao butter that is already naturally present in our chocolate is put to work during the aging process.

One of the interesting qualities of cacao butter is its remarkable ability to absorb other aromas.

The Element of Time

In some cases, aging chocolate takes many years—for example, our Ecuadorian wood-aged editions require long-term aging—up to six years so far. In other cases, a positive transformation is evident within one year—for example, our cognac edition—but the aroma continues to slowly improve over the course of many more years.

The value of this approach, as opposed to merely adding flavors at the point of production, is the subtlety and elegance of the aromas that are achieved. Over time, the flavor of the chocolate naturally evolves on its own through processes such as oxidation. Flavor extraction from barrels and other vessels adds another layer of complexity, which also evolves over time.

Doesn't Chocolate Spoil After Several Years?

Milk chocolate does spoil, because of the milk, but dark chocolate does not. The abundant tannins and polyphenols in cacao serve as a natural preservative. This study found that 80-year-old cocoa powder and 116-year-old cacao beans were still viable and "still show very high levels of antioxidant activity and flavan-3-ol content."

Many dark chocolate products have a "best by" date range of two years, but this is an entirely arbitrary number that isn't backed by any research. What is important, while storing or aging chocolate, is to keep it at a cool, consistent temperature and protected from direct sunlight.

We age our chocolate in the perpetually cool climes of the Andean city of Quito, Ecuador. The indoor temperature naturally hovers around 20° C (68° F), give or take one degree celsius, pretty much every minute of every day.

A New Frontier

There is no precedent for this. To’ak is the first chocolate maker to deeply explore aged chocolate, so we are learning as we go. In the process, we believe we are building a new system for the production of chocolate and the crafting of flavor and aroma—one which is based on the science of wine and whisky aging, and is implemented through the work of time.

Here’s the full article we wrote that explains why we do it and how it works.

The short answer is no, but we produce in a factory that also handles some allergens

Our chocolate is produced at a factory that also handles nuts, peanuts, soy, and milk, but we do not intentionally add any of these ingredients to our chocolate.

The equipment we use is thoroughly cleaned between production batches and therefore it is unlikely that there are nut, soy or milk traces in our chocolate, however if you or the person you are thinking to purchase for has a severe allergy, it may not be worth the risk.

Do you have a refund/returns or satisfaction guarantee policy?

How should I store my chocolate?

What is the cut-off time for same day shipping?

Do you offer shipping insurance? And how do I make a claim?

Other ways to enjoy cacao powder

How can I check my shipping status?

Do you ship to my country?

How and why do you age your chocolate?

What are your social and environmental commitments?

Does your chocolate contain nuts or other allergens?