Hawaii for chocolate lovers

[KL&KR]

Here is an article from the San Francisco Chronicle listing fun places to go for chocolate "foodies" :D :

 

Chocolate farms a sweet spot on any Hawaii itinerary

 

Jeanne Cooper, Special to SFGate

Friday, October 30, 2009

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You don't have to be a trick-or-treater to indulge your sweet tooth in Hawai'i. Although the sugar industry continues to shrink, cacao — the source of chocolate — is on the rise as a cash crop, inspiring high-minded sustainable farmers as well as high-end chocolatiers across the islands. And while the prices for Hawai'i-grown "artisanal, single-origin" chocolate, as the gourmet crowd calls it, may keep it out of the Halloween bowl, year-round farm tours and tastings can be the sweet spot on any traveler's itinerary.

BIG ISLAND

Cool beans: High above Keauhou, the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory was on a recent Aloha Friday list of green souvenir sources, but it's justly famous as a pioneer in island chocolate. Although the first cacao trees were planted on O'ahu back in 1850, North Carolina transplants Bob and Pam Cooper (no relation to this author) created a cottage industry in 1997 when they began producing chocolate from cocoa beans harvested on their 6-acre cacao tree orchard.

These days they also buy other Big Island farmers' cocoa beans, but their modest-looking operation is still the only place in the state of Hawai'i where you can see the entire chocolate process from cacao tree to confectionery; the first half, from tree to roasted nib, is surprisingly similar to coffee production. Call (808) 323-2626 for an appointment for a free morning tour. Like labor-intensive Kona coffee, the single-origin stuff doesn't come cheap — around $10 for a 3-ounce bar (also available online.)

Down the road, Bay Area expats Greg Colden and Marty Corrigan have transformed a rocky site near an old quarry into a sustainably managed cacao, coffee and fruit orchard, called Kokoleko Lani Farms, which also offers tours by appointment (call 808-322-9111). The roasted cocao beans that Kokoleko Lani sells on site or online (4-ounce bag, $6.50) can be ground for culinary use or crunched as is — a sample revealed a dark, earthy flavor similar to that of chocolate-covered espresso beans, without the sweetness. Cacao also serves as an exfoliant in the partners' Kona Natural Soap Company line, in combination with ingredients such as sweet orange, litsea, lavender, coffee, lemon or cinnamon leaf ($5 a bar).

Candy land: In a less scenic area of Kailua-Kona — between the Home Depot and Costco — Kailua Candy Company is a popular stop mostly for non-Hawaiian chocolate confections, although some feature local ingredients such as macadamia nuts or Kona coffee. But the candymakers, in business more than 30 years, do sell Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory bars and Kona Gold Coast Truffles, made from the same Big Island-grown chocolate and priced accordingly.

KAUA'I

Cool beans: While Steelgrass Farm above Kapa'a doesn't sell its own chocolate or cocoa beans just yet, it does offer three-hour tours called "Chocolate From Branch to Bar." After a guided walk through a tropical fruit and flower garden, the tour stops in the eight-acre farm's cacao orchard, where pods ripen year-round and participants can taste the seeds. It then moves to a tented area, where the guide explains the steps of processing chocolate before presenting an 11-course, single-origin dark chocolate tasting menu (including the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory brand).

The tour is offered three times a week at 9 a.m., rain or shine; reservations are required (808-821-1857 or e-mail info@steelgrass.org). It's $60 for adults, free for children 12 and under accompanied by an adult.

Candy land: Sold in stores around the island, the organic Garden Island Chocolate Co. candy bars reflect the passion of founder Koa Kahili — a North Shore resident who believes organically grown cacao can become a sustainable alternative to sugar and genetically modified agribusiness — as much as the produce of many like-minded growers. Other organic ingredients on the label, besides 80 percent cacao solids, include vanilla beans, macadamia nuts and coconut from Kaua'i, plus spices and sugar sourced elsewhere. The handmade chocolate has a rough-hewn appearance and intense flavor (Woody Harrelson fans should try the version with hemp seed and mint.) Prices vary, but they can be found for $8-$10.

Based in Port Allen, the Kauai Chocolate Company uses a blend of Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory and Mainland chocolate for creations like its Chocolate 'Opihi, a shortbread cookie, mac nut and caramel covered in dark or milk chocolate, and also offers some 100 percent Hawaiian grown items.

O'AHU

Cool beans: The largest source of "estate chocolate" in the country is the 20-acre Dole Plantation-owned site in Waialua, which produces 15,000 pounds of beans a year — a tiny blip on the international market. Grown without pesticides, the seeds are processed in the nearby Old Sugar Mill before being made into chocolate by Guittard and sold back to Dole, according to a 2008 article in Honolulu magazine. Hints of fruit give the flavor a wine-like intensity.

Candy land: Stop by the Island X store in the mill and you can see the coffee and cacao production out back, as well as try samples of Old Sugar Mill brand Waialua chocolates, which use 38 to 70 percent cacao solids for bars and covered mac nuts or coffee beans. The Dole Plantation store in Wahiawa also sells Waialua estate chocolate, from $6.50 for 1.75 oz.

Honolulu's Malie Kai uses Waialua chocolate exclusively for milk and dark bars (1.5 ounces, $4.25) and boxes and tins of candies with macadamia nuts and orange essence or Kona coffee ($5.25-$7.25); they're sold in stores across the state and online. The Honolulu Chocolate Company in Ward Center also carries some Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory bars.

MAUI

Cool beans: Cacao is just one of the many fruits visitors can see — and possibly sample — at the 30-acre 'Ono Organic Farms on the Hāna Highway, which grows dragon fruit, durian, rambutan, cherimoya and mountain apples, among other more or less exotic offerings. Members of the Boerner family give 90-minute guided tours of their farm in Kīpahulu, starting with samples of their fruit and estate coffee to perk up those who've just driven the winding road from Kahului. They then proceed to the orchard, where guests can eat more fruit fresh from the tree (don't forget to spit out the cacao seeds).

Tours are offered on Monday and Thursday afternoons, by reservation, and at other times by appointment; the cost is $35 for ages 10 and older.

Candy land: While there seems to be no commercially produced chocolate made from Maui-grown cacao, the locally handmade Wow-Wee candy bars ($2) do get points for Valley Isle ingredients such as coffee, Kitch'n Cook'd potato chips and kava (the last comes with a warning that it's "not for use by persons under the age of 18.") And organic chocolate seekers will find what they're looking for in Pā'ia at Mana Foods, famed for its wall of gourmet chocolate bars.

 

Jeanne Cooper is the former Chronicle Travel Editor and author of SFGate's Hawaii Insider (www.sfgate.com/blogs/hawaiiinsider), a daily blog about Hawaii travel and island culture.

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