This boutique chocolate factory is the real deal and makes "almost organic" chocolate from sacks of beans that go through a roasting machine, then a crusher, and then a grinder, to produce rich, dark chocolate. The Dutch-Chilean owners have set up a nice showroom in a villa-style home, while the factory itself is a dinky little workshop out back designed like a mini-castle. Giggling girls with chocolate-covered hands greet you in the kitchen workshop. Chocolate neophytes, like myself, learn that the cacao beans come from a pod, shaped like an American football, in different varietals, and it is important to know where they are grown regarding quality -- in this case, the slopes of Volcán Mombacho. There is only one other chocolate factory in Nicaragua, which makes Castillo Cacao a unique, as well as a charming and instructive, experience. There are no on-site guides, so it is wise to call ahead and arrange a visit or book a tour through your hotel or a local tour operator.