Manoa Chocolate Hawaii

Great service! Friendly and welcoming environment. As soon as my friends and I walked in they greeted us and invited us to a chocolate tasting. We got to sample all their chocolate and teas. I would definitely recommend this place! Everything was delicious

THIS PLACE IS AMAZING!
If you like chocolate this place will teach you lots of things and let you taste chocolate in the bean form before it’s been processed and melted down!
Goat Milk chocolate?! So different from anything I’ve had, and I love goats!
They also have Brewing Chocolate and Chocolate Tea!
The brewing is darker and would compliment coffee well and the tea is delicious! Not what I expected, truly above and beyond any chocolate store I have been to!
We were lucky enough to watch them making the chocolate in the factory itself, but just trust me when I say order online if you have to and try the Breakfast Bar!!! It has Coffee beans on it, and tastes amazing.
Thanks again you masters of chocolate!
One of my favorite parts of our trip to Hawaii!

In person view of the steps from bean to bar! Taste tour of the chocolates, beans and bars that Manoa offers. This a great stop for a tour and tasting! I couldn’t leave without a couple breakfast bars (chocolate bar with espresso and cacao flakes) for family and friends! A bit pricey but so worth it!

We stopped off here on our way to Kailua beach park. The staff was super nice and passionate about their product! The chocolate was delicious and you could really taste the flavor they described. A bit of a splurge at $ 9−10/bar but worth it.

Chocolate is the new wine. You can indulge in it. Smell it and taste it to tingle and smooth your senses. When you sample the chocolates at Manoa Chocolate you’ll experience the overtones and undertones of each flavor and experience hints and whiffs of chili, nuts, sea salt, coffee beans and goat milk. Each flavorful bar is wonderfully wrapped and you can choose to buy them individually or as a package. There’s only a small selection of flavors but you can really get to know each one. You can mix and match with the other products they sell to make a cute gift basket. These are great thank you, birthday, bon voyage, welcome gifts!
They also sell the shells as chocolate tea and it’s really pretty amazing.
The folks at Manoa Chocolate Hawaii know their chocolates and it shows through in the quality of their products.

I’ve had chocolate, but I’ve never had this kind of chocolate. Hershey’s isn’t exactly gourmet, but even Godiva can’t compete!
Their chocolate tasting starts with an introduction to different types of cocoa, ranging from tangy Costa Rican cacao to the heavier Papua New Guinea.
The Breakfast Bar has fun, crunchy nibs, the Hawaiian Sea Salt is great, and the Goat Milk is like chocolate-​covered chevre.
The Lavender is the most amazing chocolate I’ve ever had, a pretty flower that lingers. The Ghost Pepper is a bar that bites back.
So many chocolate bars, so little time. Yet they do so much more. Their chocolate tea is irresistible, and they even make a brew for beer. Definitely stop by, especially if you’re waiting in line for Cinnamon’s!

This review is for the Manoa booth at the 2015 Hawaii Chocolate Festival which we visited on 10/​18/​2015. I have not visited the store or factory yet, but will certainly be doing so soon.
We stopped by the booth and spoke with owners Tamara Butterbaugh and her husband at length. She took a great deal of time to educate us about the process of producing fine artisan chocolate from bean to bar — which is what they do. Not an easy task it turns out!
Tamara was so knowledgeable about her craft and passionate about her desire to create quality chocolate that — like fine wine — has its own symphony of flavors from the first note to the last — without the need to add extra ingredients. They also create other fun flavors like lavender, ghost pepper and goat milk.
She let us taste every single flavor — and as she was describing all of the different flavor profiles in each, I could actually taste each thing she was describing. She was so enchanting and delightful that it was like visiting Wonka’s Chocolate Factory in real life.
She also made «chocolate tea» out of the nibs (and/​or the shells?) of the cacao bean. It was served piping hot and unsweetened — it was delicious!
I might be weird, but artisan chocolates I have tasted from other companies — I don’t really like most of the flavors. REAL chocolate — especially with little sugar and no milk — is actually somewhat of an acquired taste. I was surprised that I actually loved ALL of the flavors of Manoa chocolate right from the beginning. I think they are some sort of flavor wizards.
I look forward to visiting the store and the factory. You can see Tamara on this morning’s news on KITV.

This place is adorable and perfect for any chocolate lover.(I’m not a chocolate person and I loved it here)
My boyfriend and I discovered this place while waiting to be seated at Cinnamon’s as so many others. Walking in we were immediately greeted and offered a chocolate tasting. So much fun. After that we were invited to sample their chocolate tea, actually really good.
Besides the chocolate bars and tea they also have truffles which we couldn’t resist. We walked out with a sample pack of all four and none have been disappointing.

We decided to wander in here while waiting for a seat at Cinnamon’s downstairs, and I’m so glad we did!
The females behind the counter were very friendly, knowledgeable, and seemed to genuinely enjoy being there. The samples were free. I overheard them recognizing and welcoming people who have been there before. It was very cool seeing the chocolate getting made through the windows. And I love how all the ingredients are responsibly and thoughtfully sourced here in Hawaii. Truly a bean to bar company.
Lilikoi and salted caramel were alright. The fillings for both were luxuriously silky smooth. Guess I’m not a lilikoi fan. The salted caramel could’ve been more buttery or sweet, as it was very mild.
It was difficult deciding on just a few bars because they’re all very delicious but pricey at $ 9/​bar. (Though it’s worth every penny!)
The bars we ended up getting:
Hawaiian sea salt/​Costa Rica were my favorites.
Lavender bar surprisingly had a really strong lavender flavor.

My children just had a awesome field trip for their homeschool today. They were very informative. And my children loved their atmosphere. Not so much their chocolate (but that’s not their fault, my children just don’t like dark chocolate). A definite + is that their chocolate is healthy! Great for field trips!

So what if the tour was nothing like what we’ve seen in the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie, this tour has to be one of the best tours I’ve ever been to. Yes, it’s very small. And yes, the tour literally took place in just two rooms. BUT, I’ve learned a whole lot about chocolate. I truly had a chocolate enlightenment. The tour was hands on… because I got my hands on some chocolate that is. Lol. But yes, the tour does include sampling their chocolates. There were so many flavors, and I enjoyed every single piece of chocolate given to me. The chocolates that did leave a lasting impression were the ones that had real distinct flavors like goat milk, ghost pepper, or raw cacao nibs. The chocolates are more expensive than your average chocolate bar found in a grocery store but is worth the price in my opinion.

This place isn’t for those who come in here and expect a Hershey’s bar type of chocolate. The folks at Manoa Chocolate Hawaii are very proud and passionate about the quality of chocolate and chocolate products they produce. When you first walk in, you will be greeted by a friendly staff member who will be more than happy to give you samples of all the major products they produce. While sampling, the worker helping you will describe flavors that you will/​may be experiencing. During my sampling experience, I tired chocolate that was grown in Costa Rica, Papua New Guina, and the Big Island of Hawaii. In edition of these three areas, I also tried different flavors which included: goat milk, lavender, ghost pepper (not too hot), the breakfast bar (had coffee beans in it), and sea salt. If I were to rank them from favorite to least favorite it would be:
goat milk
ghost pepper
lavender
breakfast bar
sea salt
This is a great place to come if you are either a tourist or a local. You learn a lot about a business that allows almost nothing to go to waste (they make chocolate tea out of the byproducts). It is great to see a local business want to educate people about the importance of putting quality into an every day food item.
PROS:
local ingredients
friendly staff
many free samples
20% off next purchase if you bring back the box
unique lesson about Hawaii and the products Manoa Chocolate produces
CONS:
about $ 9 a chocolate bar

First thing’s first, Manoa Chocolate is NOT located in Manoa. It’s located in Kailua on the 2^nd floor of where Cinnamon’s Restaurant is.
My girlfriend got a LivingSocial deal to tour their factory and was actually pretty skeptical at first, but was pleasantly surprised at how enthusiastic the staff was about chocolate. During the tour we were able to witness how chocolate is made and even got to taste what dried cacao seeds taste like (very nutty).
So now, the chocolate. We were given a chance to sample a few of their house dark chocolates (my favorite). They were infused with things from lavender to coffee and even a spicy chocolate. The chocolate was very smooth and melted almost instantly in your mouth (apparently a good thing).
Since they are a Chocolatier that specializes in craft chocolate, a single bar is slightly more expensive than your normal everyday bar, roughly $ 9 each, but definitely worth it; Think craft beer versus something like PBR.
Parking is in the same lot as Cinnamon’s so make sure to bring coins and either come early or at an odd time as the lot can quickly fill (Avoid the breakfast hours for sure)
Overall, a very awesome experience with a great small business who’s passion for chocolate definitely shows in their product. As a plus, if you do the tour, you get a 20% discount off all bars at the end.

I love Manoa Chocolate! I work at a health food store and get so excited being able to promote these bars every time a customer asks about them. Yes, the price is always the first thing they comment about but once I explain the company they usually end up trying one.
My favorites are the Breakfast Bar, Sea Salt, and Ghost Pepper (that one always catches people’s eye). The staff is so knowledgable and you can taste the quality of the chocolate and the difference in each bar you sample. The bar itself is a little pricey and you can get it cheaper elsewhere but they carry items like cacao beans and honey that isn’t offered in stores.
I really wanted to try the tea but they didn’t have any when I went and Kailua is a little far for me. I can’t wait until the next time I’m able to go to that side of the island, it’s a perfect dessert after eating at Cinnamons (another great place) and I hope the company continues to grow and keep making quality products!

Located upstairs on the second floor in the same plaza as Cinnamon’s. Walked in while I was waiting to be seated for breakfast. They’re a small chocolatiers making their many varieties of Manoa Chocolates. The girl helping us was really nice and was super enthusiastic about chocolate. Of course, to sell chocolates but definitely in a low pressure sort of way. Although you can find their chocolate in many local markets I would recommend visiting this place. You really get to learn how they started out and the hard work put into making the chocolate. It’s not as hard for them now they have the right tools but still you can tell they out a lot of love in making it.

[Location & Parking]
Manoa Chocolate Factory is located above Cinnamon’s Restaurant on the 2^nd floor. When Cinnamon’s isn’t open, the aroma of chocolate will lead you to their door!
Make sure you bring coins for the metered parking (24 hour enforcement). Try to come during the off hours of Cinnamon’s as majority of the parking is taken by those restaurant patrons. We came during the late afternoon so there was ample parking.
[Experience]
Tammy and Dave (?) are a wonderful and enthusiastic couple who own the Manoa Chocolate Factory. I came here with my boyfriend for their chocolate factory tour. The tour was approximately an hour and they showed us how chocolate is made from the beans to an actual chocolate bar. But, my favorite part of the tour was when we got to taste the different chocolates! After tasting the chocolate, I had to purchase some for myself. One of the perks about going on the tour is that you receive a 20% discount.
[Chocolate]
They mainly offer dark chocolate (my favorite!!). But the taste of their chocolates are out of this world! In their chocolates, they keep the sugar level to a minimum so you can taste the natural raw ingredients.
The chocolates that I purchased are the Breakfast Bar and Ali‘I Kula Lavender. The Breakfast bar has bits and pieces of coffee beans in it, (hence the name breakfast bar) so when you take a bite of it, you get a nice crunch but also the combination of coffee and chocolate tastes so wonderful! Ali‘I Kula Lavender has a nice smooth/​creamy taste but you’ll get a taste of the lavender.
[Overall]
It was a great experience! This is now my favorite place to get chocolate (I told my boyfriend he has to drive all the way down here for my Valentine’s Day Chocolate: P) I’m a huge godiva fan, but to me this chocolate tastes way better with their natural ingredients and you gotta support the local businesses :)

Came here for chocolate tour which I had bought a Groupon for the two of us.
Tour was very informative & the guides were very nice & patiently answered all of our questions.
We enjoyed learning about the different places cacao comes from & the whole chocolate making process.
Faves:
Ghost chili
Hawaiian lavender
Coffee
Chocolate tea
Strawberry balsamic truffle
lilikoi truffle
Native Hawaiian honey
This tour is perfect for any chocolate lover to visit if you have time when you’re in Hawaii.
At the end of the tour, we got 20% off the chocolate bars & truffles.
Tip: Free parking at nearby library if you’d rather buy chocolate with your $$ than paying for parking like me. =)

My girlfriend and I stopped by here as we waited for our massage appointments next door. We had no idea we’d have such a great experience!
They gave us a (free) mini-​tour and it was more than anything we expected! Dylan walked us through everything from bean to bar. Then he asked if we wanted to do a (free) tasting. I don’t know about you, but anyone passing up a chocolate tasting is just CRAZY! =) We were truly like little kids in a candy store. We got to try at least 10 (or what felt like 10) different kinds of chocolate.
Their best sellers are the breakfast bar and lavender ~ after the tasting we could totally see why! Who knew lavender and chocolate would go so well together?!
$ 2.50 truffles
$ 9 bar
It sounds expensive but the chocolate is truly amazing! I purchased 2 bars weeks ago and wanted to save them because I knew I couldn’t get them locally (they’re locally grown in Oahu). Then I went on their website and saw I could order them online… oh no! My waistline is going to be in so much trouble!

(Late review) While the little one was on summer break, I was looking for fun and unique learning opportunities for her and I to do together. A tour of a chocolate factory was the perfect activity for BOTH of us to enjoy!
I called to make a reservation for the both of us, and showed up on the day and time of our tour. We were the only ones so we had a «private» tour and my daughter got to ask lots of questions and the staff were so good about educating her, at her 6 year old comprehension. We met Dylan the chocolate maker, and learned so much about the process from bean to bar. My daughter was pretty shocked that chocolate came from «beans» and so now when I want to her eat her real beans, I always remind her that they are related to chocolate (thanks Manoa Chocolate for that handy kid-​trick!).
I think the part blew it out of the park for my 6 year old is when Tami, brought out the sampling box of chocolates, and we got to go on a little «tasting» adventure of about 8 different kinds of chocolate! Granted they were small pieces (I would call them «nibs») but it was the highlight of the tour, for both of us! What I really enjoyed was that Tami explained where each chocolate was grown, and what goes into the soil there, and what kinds of flavors we should be experiencing. It’s amazing, the different tones and flavors that chocolate can have, depending on where it was grown. It was neat to taste the different chocolates side by side and experience their vast differences.
After the tasting, you are able to make a purchase with a 20% discount. This brings the bar price down to about $ 7 per bar. It’s a hefty price but the chocolate is GOOD, local, and made by hand in this very factory, so you know you are getting a quality product. We ended up with 2 bars, and both my daughter and I savored every bite over a week’s time. A 5 star experience from this mom, and if you ask my daughter, she gives it TEN stars!

Whether you’re going there on purpose or just to kill time while you’re waiting for your table at Cinnamon’s, you’re going to have a great experience!
I had the pleasure of meeting Dylan, one of the founders/​chocolatiers, on accident at a dinner once upon a time a year or two ago, and you can tell he really has a passion for his craft! Whether you’re there for the first time or just need a refresher course, the staff at Manoa Chocolate are always wiling to answer all your questions and teach you about where the chocolate they make really comes from.
Parking:
Since this is near the ever famous Cinnamon’s, parking can sometimes be really tough, especially during breakfast hours. There is a metered lot right outside the building, a metered parking structure across the street or street parking around the block.
Service:
Super, super friendly and knowledgable. They’ll show you the stages of making chocolate — cacao pods, seeds, nibs, etc — and how they get it done. If you’re lucky, you can get in on a tour toward the back of their shop where they actually make the chocolates they sell. There’s a nice big picture window that you can look through, even if you can’t get back there in person. It’s neat being able to see where your chocolate is being made.
Chocolates & Cost:
They’re so good! It’s rich and comes in lots of flavors! They’re also more than willing to give you samples of their chocolates so you know what you’re getting into when you pay the seemingly pricy cost. Just note that they make everything in house; they try to locally source a lot of the things they add to the chocolate for flavors (goat’s milk, Hawaiian salt, Ali’i Kula Farms lavender, etc); they’re focused on quality; and it tastes really freaking good!
I personally love spice in my chocolate because sweet and warming spiciness just seem to go so well together! That’s why my favorite bar is their Ghost Pepper chocolate bar! If you’re reading this and wondering why the hell anyone would eat a ghost pepper (pretty high up there on the Scoville scale; 900.5 times hotter than Tabasco sauce), but it’s not actually that ridiculously hot a bar of chocolate lol. It’s just enough to get that spicy flavor and warm your mouth.
But to each his own, right? You’ll just have to go there to figure out which is your fave.