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All 52 Kapaa Attractions »

Steelgrass Chocolate Farm Tour

5730 Olohena Rd, Kapaa, Kauai, HI
808-821-1857
Ranked #15 of 22 tours in Kapaa
4.0 of 5 stars 64 Reviews
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Type: Tours
Owner description: Chocolate From Branch to Bar begins with a stroll through the Steelgrass gardens, winding among groves of rare black bamboo, tropical flowers, and...... more » Owner description: Chocolate From Branch to Bar begins with a stroll through the Steelgrass gardens, winding among groves of rare black bamboo, tropical flowers, and exotic fruit trees. The focus of the three-hour tour is on chocolate, but you will also experience dozens of exotic plants and flowers, and taste the tropical fruits that are in season as your guides share our family's vision for creating sustainable diversified agriculture on Kauai.Soon we reach the chocolate orchard, where you'll see chocolate trees at all stages of growth, often bearing tiny blossoms that will develop into seed-filled cacao pods. We then move into our chocolate tasting tent, and you sit comfortably in the shade while we demonstrate the many steps involved in processing raw cacao into nibs and then finished chocolate. Cacao is recognized as a powerful health food; as you taste the way fermentation and sun-drying transform the seed's flavor precursors into the rich chocolate we all love, your guide will explain chocolate's antioxidant and other health benefits. Best of all, you’ll enjoy an eleven-course dark chocolate tasting, where you sample rare and delicious chocolates grown and made in Hawaii and all over the world, including Kallari and Republica del Cacao from Ecuador, Valrhona from Madagascar and Trinidad, Guittard from Peru, Santander from Colombia, Felchlin and Taza from the Dominican Republic. You’ll also learn chocolate’s history, from its first discovery by early Meso-American tribes, to its revered status as a divine plant in the Olmec, Mayan and Aztec cultures, to its introduction to Europe in the 1600’s, and finally how an American inventor, Milton Snavely Hershey, made the nickel Hershey bar (1905) and the Hershey’s kiss (1907) enduring American institutions. Our Chocolate from Branch to Bar tour runs from 9AM to noon, and is offered Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Advance reservations are required. Cost for the tour is $60 per person, and children 12 years and under attend free of charge. Steelgrass Farm is located on Kauai's East Side, in the foothills above the town of Kapaa. Once your reservation is confirmed, we will send you written driving directions to the Farm. The Tour is handicapped accessible, and since chocolate trees love moisture, we operate rain or shine. « less
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64 reviews from our community

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Date Rating
Half Moon Bay, California
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 25, 2012 NEW

We just visited Steelgrass Farm in May of 2012 and it greatly exceeded our expectations! Our two tour guides were incredibly knowledgable, helpful and entertaining. Our 5 year old daughter stayed engaged and entertained through the whole three hours (though I can definitely see some issues with short-attention-span kids)! They tought us all about the farm, Kauai's vegitation, chocolate, fruits,... More

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Columbia
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed April 24, 2012

We went on this tour today and the name was very misleading. As previous contributors listed, it is a tour about the plants on this 9 acre property that claims to be about---well, a chocolate farm. It does not seem that the tour guides really know a lot about chocolate history, brands, or even that the tour is supposed to... More

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San Francisco, California, United States
1 review
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
1 of 5 stars Reviewed April 20, 2012
1
person found this review helpful

It is a rip off !!!!!!!!!!! >:( if you have a money tree growing in your back yard then be our guest and pay a bunch of money for something that is not worth it. Firstly, the chocolate that they give us to taste is not produced on the farm; you can simply find it in almost any store that... More

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Winona, Minnesota
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed March 15, 2012

Tony, Michelle and Janelle do a wonderful job in their presentations of the plant life, fruits and chocolates they present! Wonderful way to wile away a relaxing day on the island! Mahalo! More

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Ellensburg, Washington
1 review
5 of 5 stars Reviewed March 12, 2012

Fascinating tour with really interesting info about chocolate. That alone was great. But what was amazing happened when a biblical size downpour caught us. They tried to carry on but when our safety was in question they had to cut the tour short. Because they had to cut it short Tony Lydgate offered us $60 dollars of his chocolate free,... More

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Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed March 5, 2012

This tour was certainly something different for this multi time visitor to Kauia! I don't usually write reviews but this tour needed my kudos, as it was a great combination of humor, information and deliciousness. The Farm itself is off the beaten path and not easy to find, it s a self sustaining farm that grows many crops- not just... More

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Minneapolis
Contributor
19 reviews 19 reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
17 helpful votes 17 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed March 5, 2012

I am a chocolate lover and the idea of touring a farm which grows the cocoa bean on Hawaii sounded like a great idea. The drive to the farm took us away from the tourist areas of the island into the hills above Li-hue. We got very clear driving instructions upon making our reservation. The tour gave us a good... More

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Chicago, Illinois
Senior Contributor
21 reviews 21 reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed March 2, 2012

We spent a week on Kauai in Feb 2012, exploring and searching for local favorites with our two kids. Steelgrass was hands-down the favorite for all four of us. The 3-hour tour was kid-friendly (maybe bring some toys/crayons for very little ones; ours are 6 and 9) and fascinating!! The first half of the tour is devoted to exploring other... More

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Seattle
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
1 of 5 stars Reviewed February 26, 2012

A real tourist trap to catch your dollars! The marketing is catchy and has a "hook" no one else on the island of Kaui'i is growing cacao. (I LOVE dark chocolate and was excited by the chance to learn about the growing and curing process so I bit and...) Here's what I experienced: And we were the touristas that were... More

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Kapaa, Hawaii
Senior Contributor
26 reviews 26 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 18, 2012

I took the tour of the farm with a coworker/friend this last week. the bamboo sculptures are the first thing I noticed. They host artists to stay at the farm to work with 'steelgrass' and transform it to art. The grounds are very pretty, there are vanilla orchid vines everywhere. The chocolate tasting was alot of fun,; REALLY fun, informative,... More

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See 12 more reviews by foodieonkauai for Kapaa

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