Colored rectangular shapes decorate the walls and display names of countries such as Cuba, Spain, Venezuela, France, Switzerland, Ecuador and Belgium. Encased behind glass there are a variety of small dark shapes, some edged in shiny gold, others decorated with miniature flowers of purple or green. There is a buzz of energy in this place but its origin is not what you might expect.

People mill about or sit with heavy ceramic mugs wrapped in two hands. Frothy cacao- colored cream drips from their lips, a testament to the sinful tastes they have come here to experience.

These people all share a common vice, an addiction that has become increasing popular in recent years, that of the chocoholic. Or as they’ve recently relabeled themselves, the chocolate connoisseur, and this place is where they come to get their fix.

Wedged into a small space on Oakland’s College Ave. Bittersweet, a Chocolate Café, provides those seeking the obscure brands of chocolate a satisfaction that only a true chocolate snob can appreciate.

Make no mistake; this is one café that’s not about coffee, but another type of bean. The cacao. Here is where one can indulge in premium chocolate containing the highest percentages of cacao and a wide range of flavors, aromas and colors.

Bittersweet offers over 120 different types of chocolate bars from around the world and a great selection of specialty chocolate drinks. These chocolate drinks contain little, if any, milk or other liquid to distill the chocolate content resulting in drinks that are strong and rich.
“This café has a great variety of interesting high quality chocolates from remote parts of the world,” says Susan Nielsen, 57, a self-proclaimed chocolate connoisseur who has visited Bittersweet on a regular basis since its opening in January of 2005.

Nielsen says her vice isn’t an unhealthy one. “Chocolate has antioxidants that benefit your health plus it makes you feel good and as long as you don’t go to excess chocolate is actually very good for you.”

Chocolate also contains phenethylamine, a stimulant to the nervous system that releases endorphins and other chemicals that increase the level of dopamine and serotonin in the body. Dopamine is associated with feelings of sexual arousal while serotonin is what makes us feel happy.

With all of chocolate’s charms it could soon reach the respect that coffee and wine varietals have already achieved with their devotees. Chocolate cafes like Bittersweet are all the rage these days – so indulge while the chocolate is haute and enjoy yourself guilt-free.

Bittersweet’s second location, opened early this year can be found at 2123 Fillmore St. in San Francisco.