I remember the tour to Hershey, PA almost 20 years ago to have more of a wow factor, mostly because we could see the machines going, and the machine I remember most vividly was the one that made Hershey Kisses--I was mesmerized by the way it touched its tips to the conveyer belt.
Today, the tour at Scharffen Berger's factory in Berkeley was like an upscale version of that... we started with a very strange and theatrical tour guide who walked us through the history of chocolate, how it was made, the history of Scharffen Berger, etc. In the course of all that we got to taste all kinds of chocolate: 71% dark, 62% dark, 41% extra rich milk. Dee-lish. I ended up buying a "limited edition" special blend called Finisterra (or the End of the Earth). Delicious notes of berry and wine. I'm glad I finally got a chance to do this.
