Original Hawaiian Chocolate
If you’re vacationing on Hawaii (which I highly recommend), you might think you’re already having a hell of a good time. But there’s always room for chocolate, and the Original Hawaiian Chocolate factory is there to make life a little more complete.
Before I go on I have to get this out of the way: “Original Hawaiian Chocolate” is really more of a subtitle or slogan than a company name. It’s kind of generic, makes for a clumsy URL, and is doesn’t produce the best Google results. But I assume these folks have only so much energy to devote to online marketing.
The factory is tucked away halfway up the volcano, off a narrow little country road (to be fair, this describes about 60% of the addresses on the island). There was a sign at some point suggesting there was a chocolate factory somewhere in the vicinity. By the time we found the place we were half an hour late and worried we’d missed the start of our tour. As it turned out we were only the second to arrive, and we took in the sights while a handful of other tourists rolled in.
The big draw for me is that OHC has their own cacao trees. Given the tree’s propensity for tropical climate, the Hawaiian Islands are the only place in the U.S. where cacao can be grown. I’d had the opportunity to play with some fresh pods before (despite the customs restrictions on bringing them into the country), but now for the first time I got up close and personal with them in their natural habitat. The tour began with a stroll into the grove, where owner Bob Cooper expounded on the nature of theobroma cacao. The trees at OHC are a forastero strain and originally come from a cacao-growing project abandoned years ago by Hershey. Rather than the twice-a-year harvest schedule often in place in the tropics, they harvest cacao pods every two weeks, as they have so few trees that they can’t afford to miss any ripe pods. When I heard this I cringed in sympathy. Every other week.
Next Bob cut open a ripe pod to give us a taste of the pulp inside. Within seconds a gecko appeared, advanced on the pod, and began to lick the pulp. Moments later it was joined by another. We all pretty much missed what was said after that, because geckos licking cacao beans are adorable.
We were led through the back of the factory, then; a workshop divided into small rooms. The winnower looked especially funky; it’s custom built and is more modern and sophisticated than the winnowers I’ve used in the past (one of which, admittedly, employed a hair dryer). The conche was compact, the conditioning tank unobtrusive. Everything was clean and modern-looking, but definitely small. It’s hard to imagine OHC ramping up production without building a new factory.
The dark chocolate bar is unmarked but clocks in around 60%, if memory serves. The texture is somewhat brittle, suggesting the sugar particles are still large or that they have not been well coated with cocoa butter (a factor of conching). The flavor is heavy on vanilla, particularly after the first taste has passed. Underneath is a robust, simple cocoa flavor that leaves a little bitterness at the end. All in all, the chocolate is pleasant but bland.
To their credit, however, OHC does not present their chocolate as high-end, nor do they even present themselves as chocolate experts. They put the emphasis on the chocolate’s unique Hawaiian pedigree and its artisanal nature. Bob and Pam Cooper were genuine, friendly, and unpretentious, and the same can be said for their product.
Tags: bar, bean to bar, industry, origin