When I first arrived on Oahu, I was determined to make the most of my time here. I created My Hawaiian Bucket List based on what I found online and what I thought would be most worth exploring. During one of the videos that I watched, I learned about Manoa Chocolate, which prides itself on its “bean to bar” experience right here on the island. After getting to do the tour and tasting earlier today, here’s why I think everyone should do it. 1. Educational Online the tour was advertised as 60 to 90 minutes. Today, we were at the factory/tour for more than two hours. These two hours were packed full of information about the island where some of the beans are grown, the way chocolate is made, the origins of the business itself, the flavor profiles of chocolate, and so much more. I left the shop feeling truly excited about the tour even though it was long. I don’t think I’ve ever done such a good tasting/tour, and I’ve been lucky enough to experience tours/tastings like the Guinness Factory Tour. Our guide was born and raised in Hawaii (although, I do not believe she had any Native Hawaiian ancestry), and she really took the time to do the tour correctly. Props for this! 2. Off-the-beaten-path There are a lot of unique activities in Oahu, but this one really threw me for a loop. Never did I think my favorite activity on the island would be chocolate tasting. That said, it was just so well done that it’s going to become the first activity I recommend to people who are coming to the island. I know that they’ll get plenty of beach and water time. This isn’t something I know they’ll get to see, but it’s such a neat intersection of what Hawaii has to offer. 3. Fun I think I loved the Manoa Chocolate Tour and Tasting so much because it was just fun. Going on a Friday afternoon after waiting for our reservation for six weeks really built the anticipation. And you might be thinking, “Six weeks?” Yes, that’s how far out we had to book in order to go. Now, granted, it is tourist season right now, but I truly think it speaks to how desirable the tour is. There were a couple of activities on my bucket list that I asked Dan to transform into dates, and this was one of them. For a $15/person date, he really delivered! How Does the Tasting and Tour Work For about an hour or so, you’ll be learning all about the history of where the beans come from, how the beans are processed, and how the chocolate goes from the bean to the bar. After that, you’ll get to the good stuff: the tasting. The tasting was a lot longer than I had anticipated. For only $15, I had expected to try a handful of their chocolate bars. Instead, the tasting consisted of 14 chocolate bars that are all sold right there in the store. We got to try small nibbles of each bar with a chocolate tea palette cleanser in between. The tasting probably lasted at least 45 minutes and our tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable about each bar. She took her time and pointed out the different flavor notes and highlighted where all the different ingredients came from. This investment of time was well worth it. By the end of the tasting, every single person purchased at least one bar. Dan and I left with a Breakfast Bar, O’ahu Island Waiahole, and Ali’I Kula Lavender. The Lavender was my personal favorite, which surprised me because I don’t like lavender scents or flavors in really anything else. Dan also purchased a bag of chocolate tea (the palette cleanser) and a bottle of their Cocoa Wine, which we couldn’t try in-store because they lacked an onsite liquor license. The wheel designating the flavor notes in the chocolate How to Do a Manoa Chocolate Tour and Tasting Are you dying to visit yourself? Go to Manoa Chocolate to book a tour from Monday to Saturday from 11 AM to 3 PM. You must have a reservation for the tour and tasting. If you just walk in, then you’ll be able to do a quick tasting of about five different chocolate flavors. However, in order to try them on, you must sign up online to do the full tour and tasting. Additionally, the parking lot outside the factory is metered lot. After today, I recommend that you bring about $2.00 in quarters (25 cents for every 20 minutes). This will keep you paid up through the tour and purchasing any chocolate/gelato/merchandise. Final Thoughts If you have the opportunity to go to Manoa Chocolate for a tour and tasting, take advantage of it! It’s my favorite activity on the island, and it’s worth booking well in advance. If you can’t book the full tour and tasting, they do walk-in tastings with just five of their bars that last around 15 minutes. Visit here to learn more about Manoa Chocolate. You can also click the link to read more items on my Hawaii bucket list. Thanks for reading! If you found this helpful, feel free to: 📚 Explore more: Check out related posts below 📎 Share: this post with someone who might find it useful
