Mānoa Monthly’s Chocolate Subscription Has Us Drooling Over Exclusive Seasonal Flavors
Send Hawai‘i-grown chocolate to your loved ones—or yourself—so they’re never without a bar.
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
I’ve recently decided that I deserve to have at least one bar of good-quality chocolate in the house at all times, in case of emergencies. The problem, however, lies in my inability to save it for when I need it—along with the impossible task of eating just one small piece at a time. Last time someone brought me a bar from Mānoa Chocolate, I felt (and probably looked) like Augustus Gloop, having devoured it the first day.
It was a hazelnut cream bar, one of Mānoa’s special flavors that was only available through its chocolate subscription program called Mānoa Monthly. The following month’s flavor, chai latte, sounded just as amazing. Every month, the team at Mānoa comes up with new experiments or seasonal specials such as pineapple mint, ginger lime, and liliko‘i and ghost pepper, but they’re only ever available to subscribers. Well, almost: Last year’s pumpkin crunch flavor reappeared this fall at the shop for anyone to buy, and sometimes extra bars go up for sale at the end of the month.
The good news for chocolate lovers in your life (like me, hint hint) is that a subscription is super reasonable at $25 and includes a new exclusive flavor every month, along with two other bars selected by the shop, so you never have to miss out. Bars are normally $12 each, so even if you choose to have your subscription shipped for an additional $10—$35 total—it’s still a deal.
Here’s how it works: Flavors are announced at the beginning of the month (see more of the past flavors here). You have until the 15th to order, which is when they’re shipped out. If you choose in-store pickup, your subscription will be available in the Kailua store starting on the 15th, with no rush to pick it up—the staff will hold on to it for up to three months. December’s flavor is a festive dark chocolate peppermint crunch bar, so be sure to order by Dec. 15 to get that one.
The subscription is pretty flexible: You can send one month at a time as a gift for $35 to anywhere in the U.S., or choose six months for $200 or a year for $400 (all of these prices include shipping).
$25 a month plus shipping for a subscription, 333 Uluniu St., Kailua, (808) 263-6292, manoachocolate.com, @manoachocolate
