Walking between the Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle neighborhoods, you are sure to find myriad restaurants, boutiques and cafes, but if you pay close attention, you will find something more singular to the District’s typical offerings. Biagio Fine Chocolate’s basement shop might be easy to overlook, but once you have stepped inside, it is almost certain you will never again pass by without stopping in.

The shop’s bright and simple interior is the perfect backdrop for a selection of the finest chocolates from around the world. The shop’s co-owner and namesake, Biagio Abbatiello, is a longtime chocolate enthusiast, something that has been encouraged during his tenure as a flight attendant, allowing him to try chocolates from all corners of the world. Even before becoming a chocolate entrepreneur, Abbatiello made sure to save the wrappers from each chocolate bar he tried, ultimately accumulating a hefty collection.

In 2006 Biagio decided to open his own shop in the District after noticing that the city was lacking in its own purveyor of fine chocolate. Recruiting friends William Knight, Sandy Hazen and Terry Jackson, the store was opened at its 18th Street location on December 26, 2006. The shop, only 13 feet square, was designed by Knight, a former New Yorker and TV producer. Offering over 300 different types of chocolate bars from 18 international and four local companies, the shop is well stocked with a smorgasbord of the world’s best chocolates.

When it comes to deciding which brands to carry, Knight insists that they look first to the ingredients: “The best fine chocolates only consist of a couple of basic ingredients, cocoa, cane sugar, cocoa butter, lecithin, vanilla and nothing artificial.” Many of the companies they purchase from make their chocolates in small batches and buy their ingredients directly from the growers.

The world of chocolate is like other fine artisan products such as wine, cheese or single malt whiskey. There are certain rules and growing practices to be followed when creating the best quality chocolate. There are chocolate competitions around the world, where each bar is tested and criticized harshly before passing muster to “fine chocolate” status. Biagio carries many of the world’s top ranked chocolatiers, including the currently highest-rated bar in the world called Amadei, an Italian chocolate. Knight insists, however, that the four local chocolatiers they carry, three from Virginia and one out of Capitol Hill, are on par with the most highly rated companies from countries historically known for their chocolate.

For customers not well educated in the world of chocolate, one of the best things about Biagio is the samples it offers on a daily basis. Typically the shop sets out a dozen different chocolates to be sampled, but do not hesitate to ask if there is something under wraps that you are curious to try. In addition to its daily tastings, the shop hosts complimentary tastings open to the public (check the website or call for more details) and recently collaborated with Cork, a wine bar on 14th Street NW, to host a wine and chocolate tasting. “It was a challenge to figure out which wines and chocolates complemented each other best. There is no reference to look to like you might have with wine and cheese,” says Knight. After the success of the first tasting, the businesses hope to eventually host the event once a month.

It is undeniable that Biagio has become a successful business and neighborhood staple since opening over a year ago, and there are already plans in the works for expanding the current space to more than double its size, allowing more room for visitors at tastings and possibly bringing an even wider selection of chocolates to the District.