Come chocolatouring with me!

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Aloha everyone:

Chocolatours are small customized group tours for chocolate lovers. Taste the world of chocolate and come chocolatouring with me!

 join me on a chocolate tour

I thought we’d start with Hawaii as it is the ultimate chocolate destination:
1) They grow tremendous-tasting cacao on the islands of Hawaii, which in turn is made into fantastic small batch single origin chocolate. And for the most past, this chocolate is not exported, so you’ve got to go there to get it. We will get to see the cacao growing, learn how the cacao is harvested, processed, and made into Hawaiian grown and made chocolate.

chocolate-tour-hawaii

We’ll see how cocoa beans are dried in the sun before being ground, processed, and made into chocolate.

2) There are a number of excellent bean-to-bar chocolate makers, as well as some very talented chocolatiers and confectioners who are doing some great stuff with Hawaiian chocolate. We’ll be visiting Manoa Chocolate and Madre Chocolate in Kailua, and the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory, and Big Island Candies on the Big Island.

chocolate-tour-hawaii

I really loved the Breakfast Bar from Manoa Chocolate. Can’t wait to taste their new offerings!

hawaii-chocolate-tour

The Triple Cacao Bar from Madre Chocolate is one of my favourites. Looking forward to tasting it and what’s new during our visit to Oahu.

3) Hawaii is beautiful and romantic and I can think of no better place to be during Valentine Week 2018 than to be on the islands of Oahu and Hawaii. All it takes to claim your spot on the tour is a down payment of $450 Canadian (or the equivalent in your currency.) It will be a small group of chocolate loving enthusiasts who just want to experience Hawaii in a completely different way together. Please join us! It will be amazing.

chocolate-tour-hawaii

The Big Island of Hawaii is one of the most beautiful places on earth with its incredible vistas, black sand beaches and rugged terrain.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments about the contents of the tour. Or where you might like to go on a chocolate tour.

Please note the 2018 Chocolate Tour to Hawaii has been postponed as my husband is ill and I am unable to be away from home for that period of time. We will reschedule at a future date, so be sure to subscribe to the site to receive updates! Mahalo.

 

 

 

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Doreen Pendgracs

Known throughout the Web as the "Wizard of Words", I've been a freelance writer since 1993. I'm currently researching and writing volume II of "Chocolatour: A Quest for the World's Best Chocolate". Volume I was published in September, 2013.

60 Responses

  1. Susan cooper
    Twitter:
    says:
    April 28, 2017 at 2:50 pm

    Hi Doreen. Wow does this sound fabulous! Wish I was free to attend. I’m sure you’ll all have tons of fun and lots of scrumptious chocolate.

    Reply
  2. Catarina says:
    May 7, 2017 at 1:57 pm

    Would love to because it looks like a fantastic trip. Instead I’m writing a major essay for university. It’s really interesting but a chocolate tour would be much more relaxing.

    Reply
  3. lenie
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 8, 2017 at 6:45 am

    Congratulations Doreen. You just keep moving on up in the chocolate world. But this has to be one of the best – Hawaii and chocolate. Pretty hard to beat that combination. Hope you have the ‘bestest’ of times.

    Reply
    • Doreen Pendgracs
      Twitter:
      says:
      May 8, 2017 at 8:01 am

      Many thanks, Lenie. It is only with the support of friends and supporters like you that I have been able to make it this far. May the journey never end, as I’m certainly enjoying it! Wish you could join us to Hawaii. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Chris
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 8, 2017 at 8:30 am

    Looks a great opportunity for the chocolate lovers out there.

    I was intrigued by the National Geographic link, and now have set my sights on trying that almost local chocolate from Cicada when next in Sydney!

    Reply
    • Doreen Pendgracs
      Twitter:
      says:
      May 8, 2017 at 11:11 am

      Chris, Cicada is definitely a delicious brand of chocolate to try. You have some excellent there in Australia. I hope to immerse myself in it within the next two years, as it will be a featured country in Volume III of Chocolatour. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Phoenicia
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 8, 2017 at 10:47 am

    Your opening statement made me smile “join me on a chocolate tour”. I am right behind you Doreen!

    Ever since a child, I have wanted to visit Hawaii. I had visions of beaches, palm trees, exotic food and drink – not forgetting tutus and flowers on the head. It is still on my “go to” list after all these years.

    Reply
  6. Billie
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 8, 2017 at 11:43 am

    Hawaii and chocolate- what a winning combo. Wish it was in my budget!

    Reply
  7. Linda
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 9, 2017 at 3:39 am

    Wow! Sounds like its going to be a trip full of Aloha’s and Ahhhhhhhh’s as all those sumptuous delights are sucked and savoured – what a brilliant combination and such a treat all round 🙂

    Reply
  8. Carol Colborn
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 9, 2017 at 3:42 am

    As I said before, I love the niche you have chosen. Chocolate tours in Hawaii would be the tops!

    Reply
  9. Marquita Herald
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 9, 2017 at 9:49 am

    Doreen I am so happy for you … and for anyone lucky enough to join you! I’ve been to both of the locations you mentioned (many times!) and everyone is in for a real treat.

    Reply
  10. Donna Janke
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 9, 2017 at 10:00 am

    This sounds like a fantastic tour. I’m sure it was fun to arrange and will be even more fun to lead and will be lots of fun for the participants.

    Reply
  11. Sandy N Vyjay
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 9, 2017 at 11:23 am

    This is every chocolate lover’s dream tour. And yes, Doreen just tell me when and where and you can count me in. I can imagine a trip to this kind of place will be fun and memorable. Would simply love it. 🙂

    Reply
  12. Karen Warren
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 9, 2017 at 11:44 am

    That looks fabulous! Good luck with the trip to Hawaii (and hopefully more to come…)

    Reply
  13. jane
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 9, 2017 at 2:41 pm

    You know, if you have to write about something and become an expert in it, I think chocolate is an excellent place to start! I’m sure there will be plenty of grownups who would be delighted to indulge in this tour!

    Reply
  14. Carole Terwilliger Meyers
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 9, 2017 at 6:50 pm

    Chocolate + Hawaii = yum in the sun. Good luck with guiding this intriguing chocolate tour of the islands!

    Reply
  15. Suzanne Stavert
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 10, 2017 at 9:53 am

    You are the perfect person for this tour! What a delicious idea! I will spread the word!

    Reply
  16. Jeannette Paladino
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 10, 2017 at 10:25 am

    I would love to join the tour — for the chocolate and because I’ve never been to Hawaii. Have a great trip!

    Reply
  17. Judy Freedman
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 10, 2017 at 1:54 pm

    Wow-o-wow, what a tour and what a place to go to experience chocolate. Sounds like a dream come true.

    Reply
    • Doreen Pendgracs
      Twitter:
      says:
      May 10, 2017 at 3:02 pm

      It truly will be a “dream-come-true” trip for chocolate lovers, Judy. I really dow feel that Hawaii is noteworthy because it is part of the USA, yet it’s growing amazing cocoa. In the old days, all the chocolate sold in Hawaii was made with imported chocolate couverture (that came from various origins.) Now, Hawaiian-made chocolate has to also disclose whether it is made from Hawaiian-grown cocoa.

      Reply
  18. RoseMary Griffith
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 10, 2017 at 2:31 pm

    Oh boy! How fun to get this pulled together, Doreen! Am so excited for you. Hawaii in February–with chocolate!

    Reply
  19. Grace Duke
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 10, 2017 at 2:36 pm

    Hi Doreen. This tour sounds wonderful. Unfortunately I can’t participate, but I will share the info on my social media and I wish you the best!!

    Reply
  20. Irene S. Levine
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 10, 2017 at 7:12 pm

    How lucky chocoholics will be to follow you in Hawaii! What exciting news!

    Reply
  21. Tania Mukherjee
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 11, 2017 at 6:00 am

    Oh how I wish something like this would be available here in India! Hawaii is already one of the best destination in Earth thanks to it’s rich bounty of nature, now the sound of chocolate is making it even more desirable! I wish you all the best and keep us posted about the adventures you have had in the tour!

    Reply
  22. The Travel Ninjas
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 11, 2017 at 9:55 pm

    This is a great idea and a great way to visit Hawaii. We didn’t even associate chocolate with Hawaii, but it’s not surprising because it is paradise after all. And what’s paradise without chocolate. We loved you Nat Geo article too.

    Reply
  23. Sue Reddel
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 12, 2017 at 10:43 am

    Congrats Doreen! Sounds like it will be a wonderful chocolate adventure. I’ll certainly be sharing this with our food travel friends!

    Reply
  24. Juergen | dare2go
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 12, 2017 at 12:09 pm

    Good luck with the tour! Hawaii sounds like an out-of-the-way place in terms of chocolate.
    We have just sampled some excellent Peruvian chocolate, and, in the Amazon lowlands, we have driven past many farms cultivating the cacao pods. Normal buyers in a supermarket probably never imagine how much manual labor is involved before the cacao is turned into sweet delights.

    Reply
    • Doreen Pendgracs
      Twitter:
      says:
      May 12, 2017 at 1:19 pm

      Absolutely, Juergen. That’s why I write this blog and my books. I want people to realize that producing artisanal chocolate is a very labour-intensive job, especially for those who grow their own cacao. And yes, Hawaii is an unexpected delight when it comes to chocolate. When I was there in 2014, there still wasn’t enough locally grown cacao to satisfy all the needs of the local chocolate makers. But that is changing. Cocoa production is up, and the quality of the Hawaiian-made chocolate has sky-rocketed!

      Reply
  25. Marilyn Jones
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 12, 2017 at 11:58 pm

    What a wonderful tour; I wish I could join you! What could be better — chocolate and Hawaii!?!!

    Reply
  26. Sushmita
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 13, 2017 at 6:00 am

    Wow that’s amazing wish I would have my work set bit more to join you however I am going to share this with my friends who know they may join

    Reply
  27. Patti Morrow
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 14, 2017 at 6:53 pm

    Chocolate and Hawaii combined? What could be better? Sounds like a wonderful tour!

    Reply
  28. neha
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 14, 2017 at 9:59 pm

    Sounds wonderful. I would love to join you 🙂 we recently went to Switzerland and we had an awesome cookie tour and a cheese tasting tour. But I missed a chocolate tour.

    Reply
  29. Global Girl Travels
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 18, 2017 at 7:32 am

    I am the world’s biggest sweet tooth! I would love to try this tour myself. And of course, I would take home some of those sweets myself!

    Reply

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