The 10 Best Chocolate Tastings in the USA

1.Maui Ku’ia Estate Guided Cacao Farm Tour and Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,103 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $99Our pick

At Ku’ia Estate, your guide takes you from the Lahaina factory to a 20-acre cacao farm in the West Maui foothills. Learn how pods are grown and harvested, then sample nine chocolates in a treehouse. Guides such as Mandy, Steph, Brandy, and Shawn are known for lively, detailed explanations.

“Informative tour on farming cacao trees on Maui and the making of chocolate. Chocolate tasting included. Our tour guide, Steph was very knowledgeable.”

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2.Princeville Botanical Gardens Tour and Chocolate Tasting Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 774 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $126

Walk Princeville Botanical Gardens with a guide such as Troy, Lauren, Zoe, or Heidi, tasting tropical fruit, honey, cacao nibs, and at least five single-origin chocolates. Expect terraces, creek beds, stairs, hills, loose gravel, shade, and rain-or-shine conditions. Walking sticks, umbrellas, and bug spray are provided.

“The guides are fantastic! I loved the interactive experience of walking through the Botanical Gardens (walking sticks and umbrellas provided), being able to sample the fruits and chocolate, as well as learning about the history of the gardens.”

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3.Kauai Chocolate Farm Tasting Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 666 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $145

Spend about three hours at Lydgate Farms with guides such as Sheri, Mason, Jess, and Jenna. Walk through cacao and botanical gardens, taste rare cacao fruit, tropical produce, honey, vanilla, macadamia nuts, and dark chocolate, and learn how Hawaiian cacao becomes chocolate.

“It is three hours long and that is 3 hours of facts and lectures about chocolate. Which is great but sometimes the facts were incorrect and I found the comment of poor farmers using rudimentary tools to be offensive. There’s no need to discuss economic status of people who work the fields. Moreover last I checked Aztecs are from mesoamerica, modern day Mexico extending down to Guatemala. So the origins of chocolate should be fact checked. Otherwise the tour was accessible. Limited walking and lots of sitting down. Lots of chocolate to eat. And some fruits. Chatty tour guide. Unique products Ultimately this tour was not for us. But it…”

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4.Nashville’s Goo Goo Chocolate Tasting & Candy Making Class

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 247 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $55

At Goo Goo Chocolate Co. in downtown Nashville, you’ll taste classic candies, learn how the 1912 Goo Goo Cluster became an American original, and create your own premium cluster from included ingredients. The one-hour class welcomes families and adults, with lively instructors such as Rayna, RK, Brenna, and Sophia.

“This was a great one hour activity that all 7 of us enjoyed. We made our own Goo Goo cluster and got to pick out the ingredients we wanted. The leader of the activity was fun, informative and happy to take group and individual pictures.”

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5.Maui Ku’ia Estate Guided Cacao Farm Tour & Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 137 reviews · 1h 30m · from $99

Spend 90 minutes touring Maui Ku’ia Estate’s private cacao farm and chocolate factory. Ride 10 minutes from Lahaina to the 20-acre grove, learn how cacao is grown and harvested, then taste nine award-winning chocolates with a cocoa drink in a scenic treehouse.

“Excellent tour! Fascinating history, it's really only just getting started. Tours are a new thing they are doing, and so every tourist who comes through and sees their magnificent farm and operation contributes to the growth of the business and their conservation minded mission.”

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6.Craft Chocolate Tasting and Farm Experience on the Big Island

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 95 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $135

Spend 3.5 hours at Honolii Orchards near Hilo with Wrenn, Colin, and Jude, touring cacao trees, tasting fresh cacao fruit, juice, tea, and 10 to 12 Hawaiian craft chocolates, then learning how farm conditions shape flavor.

“Did the Cacao tour. Guides were super friendly, knowledgeable, and clearly very passionate. It was also great to hear the good relationships they have with other cacao farmers in Hawaii. We sampled 10 different chocolates, which were all fantastic. Cacao tea, fresh cacao pulp right out of the pod, cacao pulp juice, apple bananas, and fresh lychee. This experience was so much more than I imagined. Definitely worth it and highly recommend. Went with my 10yo and she absolutely loved it as well! We learned everything from seedling planting, grafting, lifespan, dealing with disease or low production, learning different varieties, life cycle of pods, harvesting, fermenting, drying, roasting, and g...”

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7.Seattle: Chocolate Tour with Tastings

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 76 reviews · 2h 15m · from $85

Spend 135 minutes tasting chocolate, pastries, ice cream, cheesecake, and other treats around Pike Place Market. Guides such as Ivy, Will, Woody, and Jade explain Seattle’s food culture and chocolate traditions. The route covers less than a mile and works well for curious eaters, with advance notice for dietary needs.

“This was wonderful and delicious!! Ivy was knowledgeable and very friendly. Loved it!!”

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8.Whiskey or Wine and Chocolate Pairing Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 22 reviews · 45 min · from $40Best value

At Nashville Barrel Co., choose a spirits flight of Bourbon, Rye, and Agave or four wines, two reds and two whites, each paired with chocolate. A host such as Justin guides the 45-minute tasting, explains production, and answers questions in English.

“Justin was echt een aardige kerel. Het was heel gezellig en interessant.”

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9.Chocolate and Wine Pairing in Chantilly

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 21 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $65

At River-Sea Chocolates in Chantilly, you’ll taste five house-made chocolate bars with three wines from local vineyards. A guide such as Eli explains bean-to-bar chocolate, leads the tasting, and shows the machines used to make each small batch. The one-hour visit is limited to 10 people.

“The difference between just the wine and the wine with the chocolate was amazing! Everything about this experience was fantastic, from the wines to the chocolate to our hostess! Will go again for sure!”

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10.2-Hour Chocolate Tasting Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 21 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $90

Meet at Washington Square Arch at 2:00 pm for a two-hour Greenwich Village walk built around chocolate. Your guide leads you to about six tasting stops, including See's Candies, with samples ranging from hot chocolate and ice cream to Japanese and Mexican sweets. Private groups can set the pace.

“Vince was the BEST tour guide! His enthusiasm and ability to tell history via storytelling is phenomenal! His interactions with not only is, but others in the community demonstrated his genuine love for people and this city. He is a true gem. THANK YOU VINCE!”

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