Ok, so I'm going to the Big Island of Hawaii in a couple of weeks for some R&R.

Any suggested "must visit" destinations for coffee in the fabled land of Kona?

I'm big on espresso, but flexible. Would love to bring something memorable back home with me.

nuketopia wrote:... the fabled land of Kona?

I'm big on espresso, but flexible. Would love to bring something memorable back home with me.

Will be difficult to grab a decent espresso. Konas don't have enough umph. Try Beach Bum Cafe. And don't bother with any of the other island coffees. With the exception of Maui Grown's Mokka, it is all worthy of a "not today thanks." I have roasted and cupped them all.

Lots of bad shops along the Kona strip. An exception, Hula Daddy has a decent pourover and tour.

Down in the Ka'u region, Miguel Meza is working with Lorie Obra and has a good Bourbon (marketed as Rusty's Hawaiian). I am not aware of shops on the Big Island who serve it. Pete Licata won national title with them -- he selected and hand picked his own beans. (http://rustyshawaiian.com/shop/espresso ... -espresso/).Take in the black sand beaches while down in Punalu'u State Park, near Pahala.

Best cup I had on the island? Waimea Coffee Company up on the NE corner of the island, near the Parker Ranch. They use a Hamakua coffee --- an underpublicized area because unlike Konas, the locals and tourists consume all their product. WCC gave me a pourover from Hamakua White Mountain Coffee. Excellent coffee and I tried to get my hands on some greens from the farmer. No luck three + years running, but you can get some roasted for the road.

While you are up there, make sure you have a meal at Merriam's. Difficult to get reservations so we settled for lunch. Phenomenal food and reasonably priced at lunch time with a less expansive menu than evening menu. I had the Mahi-Mahi and it was to die for. https://www.merrimanshawaii.com/kapalua/menus/

That will get you started. Enjoy. Visit Hilo as time permits. My favorite area. Cultures coming together in one place. Hilo Coffee Mill is a fun stop but not impressed with the coffee. I spent some time with the young roaster. Also, take in a farmer's market or two. Wonderful produce which we stocked up on.

Enough of my TripAdvisor <grins>.

nuketopia wrote:Ok, so I'm going to the Big Island of Hawaii in a couple of weeks for some R&R.

Any suggested "must visit" destinations for coffee in the fabled land of Kona?

I'm big on espresso, but flexible. Would love to bring something memorable back home with me.

Our favorite cafe to visit on the Big Island is Daylight Mind Coffee, check out the thread here

Daylight Mind Coffee Company (Hawaii)

Also, we loved visiting Hula Daddy - read about it and other coffee farms to visit here

Suggestions for Hawaii Coffee tours

I should add - Daylight Mind's main cafe/bakery/restaurant (we actually had a nice Thanksgiving dinner at Daylight Mind!) is in downtown Kailua-Kona, but they also just opened a new cafe in Waikoloa at the Queen's Marketplace

Greenwell Farm is another coffee farm worth visiting if you will be near Captain Cook and Pu'uhonua (south of Kailua-Kona).

Daylight Mind in the Queens Shops is quite good. Thanks for the tip!

As an aside, had a nice French Press after dinner at Ulu in the Four Seasons. They serve a variety of Kona locals. This one was Budhas Cup. Dinner was awesome.

nuketopia wrote:Daylight Mind in the Queens Shops is quite good. Thanks for the tip!

Awesome! We went out of our way every day to go there for coffee - loved their single origin Kona Waves espresso!

Went by Hula Daddy coffee farm yesterday. That was a great visit. Sampled some very good coffee and learned about their operations. The idea that Kona is mild with no character is just not true with this farm. They are all about quality from the tree to the roaster. I tried the amazing Kona sweet coffee among others. This one is dried in the fruit so it carries a tremendous flavor of the cherry all the way to the cup. They have a single 10lb roaster and everything they sell goes through it. They only sell what they grow. They grow a few varietals on two different plots of land. One at the main farm and another about 1000 feet higher that gets a different character of flavor. I left with entirely too much coffee, so some friends will be lucky recipients. They roast to order and ship it same day. It isn't cheap, but well worth it for the quality.

Just came back from 2 weeks in Hawaii, one week on the Big Island and one week on Maui.

1) Buying good, high quality coffee beans for your condo/hotel is expensive, generally about $22-25 for 7 or 8oz. I do not know why this is so.

2) There is a lot of Starbucks quality cafes everywhere, pouring dark roasted, tasteless espresso.

3) Daylight Mind in Kona made a very good cappuccino and their bakery items are tasty.

4) Hilo Shark in Hilo makes a decent cappuccino and they sell the absolute best carrot cake I have ever eaten and I am a serious fan. This one is off the beaten path.

5) The little Bad Ass coffee shop in Lahaina on Maui makes great cappuccino and sells some awesome t-shirts. The same woman was there each morning between 6:30 and 7:00 (which is a good time to go before they get crazy busy) and she knew what she was doing.

Boldjava wrote:Will be difficult to grab a decent espresso. Konas don't have enough umph. Try Beach Bum Cafe. And don't bother with any of the other island coffees. With the exception of Maui Grown's Mokka, it is all worthy of a "not today thanks." I have roasted and cupped them all.

Pete Licata might disagree with your sweeping generalization of Kona coffees as might the 2011 USBC and WBC judges where Pete won the USBC and placed 2nd WBC using 100% Kona. Plus I've had stellar shots of Daylight Minds melange roasted SO Kona on multiple trips to the Big Island.