I’ve been desperately trying to find a substitution to my Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate bar, and I might’ve found it… at quite the price. The Manoa Chocolate factory is near the market I went to and happened to open at 10am. I had some time to spare and have very little willpower against chocolate, so I stopped in quickly. I met a very nice woman who happens to be from Connecticut originally, because of course. They give tastings on a walk in basis, and tours every day at 3pm.

This is made from cacao grown in Hawaii. I couldn’t walk out without buying a couple bars… for $12 a pop. Woof! It is ABSOLUTELY delicious, though. I’ll have to continue to ration my Trader Joe’s stash and keep this in the rotation as a special treat. I also bought a chocolate macadamia nut spread, think Nutella but macadamia nut, and honestly wasn’t as much of a fan as I thought.

With low capacity and staffing shortages, tours are capped at 8 and Saturdays are booked through November. I am thinking of trying to coordinate with one of my officer spouse groups, but it’s getting complicated. Anyway, I’ll find a time to get there for an official tour and tasting.