Hello All:

My wife and I are in Maui and would love any recommendations for gourmet coffee, whether cafes, roasters growers or other?

Short of that coffee here may be a stimulant but not a pleasure!

I'll keep my eyes open for any finds of course.

Gary

Hi
I'm also going to Maui, but not until August.

In preparation, I did a little research a while ago, and found this at CG
https://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/world ... est/440442

Have a good trip

Randy

I'd suggest sticking to tea.

I have tried both the Red Catuai medium roast and Yellow Caturra dark roast sent directly from a roaster/farm as samples. (sorry, no names) I found both coffees best suited for Vac pots. I would like to try the revered Mokka variety, and would recommend you take advantage of your fresh local stock.

I haven't tried their espresso blends, nor have I visited Maui. I have, however, visited both the Big Island for the Kona Coffee Fest and Oahu for fun and have mainly stuck to non-espresso. Since there are a number of farms on Maui, I believe you will enjoy the coffee culture, and you may even have arrived just at the beginning of harvest, depending on the side of the island. If you enjoy gardening, some farms will let you take part in a little picking if you ask. And I would recommend taking a tour of the green bean processing.

Other than that, I would recommend you enjoy the island more than anything else. Into fish? There is an abundance of fresh fish on most islands. Find some sushi, get more than one Ahi Tuna sandwich, have some Mahi Mahi. Rent a jeep and violate the terms of the rental agreement (go off the paved road). Snorkel (or dive if you're certified).

Eeeww! Cupping as necropsy...

First, thank you all for your great suggestions. We've been enjoying the island and attending the many celebrations of an Indian wedding with a great variety of Indian food.

I've yet to try the place in Lahaina suggested in the attached thread, but until then the Lipton tea bags in our hotel condiments are tempting after this morning's corruption of my AeroPress ...

Imagine the results of dumping a dark grind into a Mylar bag and letting it sit infused with humid Hawaiian air for at least months. Now I truly know how "stale" tastes! Artificial cinnamon and chicory with a hint of instant coffee flavor. The acid bite of rancid oil with a sour sweet hint of landfill .... At least I had a few laughs thinking of this review! I've survived for now. You need to remove the air to grow botulism.

Now that's more like it!

Two days ago I visited MauiGrown Coffee Company in Lahaina and was treated to a tasting of five different coffees by Tom. Trouble was my tastebuds had been completely blown away by taking bee propolis extract earlier that morning, a favorite home remedy to hold off a sore throat (I'm not an M.D. & this isn't a medical recommendation). But I could sense what they were giving me was drinkable and I asked their suggestions to tide me over while traveling with AeroPress sans grinder (bad Gary!).

At Jeff's suggestion I bought four 1.7 oz packs of pre-ground coffees (Typica, Lahaina Beach medium roast, Maui Mokka medium roast, and Lava Flow dark roast -- baadd Gary!!), and three half pound bags of beans, all of these medium roast (red catual, yellow caturra and Maui Mokka) plus a nice, big mug sufficient for AeroPress.

The typica seemed to be overwhelmed with molasses flavor, but the Lahaina blend took me by surprise. I brewed about half the packet and was hit by an intensely floral, mild cup that this amateur would describe as light bodied, with initial sweetness and flavor of tobacco, then an effervescent floral orange marmalade, honeydew and watermelon and milk chocolate. The floral intensity and light body chimed for one of those coffees that tastes more like something other than coffee; not a criticism but a description of a complex cup. Finally I had something I didn't have to sweeten. to ensure I wasn't making this up, I had my wife taste it while describing my impressions and she agreed -- AND WOULD TELL ME OTHERWISE!

I'll check back with them about approx roast dates as these aren't printed on their coffees and look forward to seeing their farms within the next couple of days.

This morning I tried their Lava Flow dark roast, which yielded a very mild cup in the AeroPress, far better than supermarket coffee but lacking some of the subtleties of the Lahaina Beach blend, probably because of the dark roast process. My impressions: a mild stevia sweetness and gentle bitter dark chocolate initially, then as it coats the tongue and sits there, a very delicate and mild perfume of lilac emerges, then a chocolate aftertaste. Sweetening with honey really mellows it out, so this would be my preferred blend of theirs so far for iced coffee.

For descriptions of their coffees, see http://www.mauigrowncoffee.com

On our last afternoon in Maui we had the opportunity to return to MauiGrown Coffee in Lahaina. Jeff graciously explained their methods of processing coffee from growing to the pot and I also had a chance to talk about their coffees with Tom.

I asked about the Lahaina Beach Blend that I liked so much. I was told by Tom that it consists of entirely Red Catual and is three quarters medium roast and one quarter dark roast.

Jeff explained their processing from the raw bean to green beans. He said that beans that reach normal ripeness are washed and then dried. Over-ripe beans are dried in the natural process with the fruit on. He says that this is their preferred method. He says that the overripe beans processed with the natural method retain more sweetness and have a slightly musty taste. He contrasts their method with many other sources where it is less controlled, for instance, where beans may be picked up off the ground, something they don't do.

I asked about the Kaanapali development where 4 acre plots are being offered with coffee trees on them and one of those acres is devoted to a house. In this development, the coffee is still being harvested by their company and the owner of the land gets some benefit from that. This is one of their ways of preserving the agricultural nature of that land.

Kimo, (James "Kimo" Falconer), the owner of their company, apparently bought the property after the coffee farm had been closed down. He then subdivided it, leaving some entirely to coffee production and another portion that is being offered as the development mentioned above.

Unfortunately, due to struggles with a rental car that would not start, we were only able to get to the company store and not able to visit the coffee growing farm itself for a self-guided tour.

I'll update this thread as I'm able to share my impressions of their medium roast Red Catual, Yellow Caturra, and Maui Mokka (tm), which I bought as whole beans and have stored in the freezer for safe-keeping.

drgary wrote:I asked about the Kaanapali development where 4 acre plots are being offered with coffee trees on them and one of those acres is devoted to a house ... Kimo, (James "Kimo" Falconer), the owner of their company, apparently bought the property after the coffee farm had been closed down. He then subdivided it, leaving some entirely to coffee production and another portion that is being offered as the development mentioned above.

This plot is famous among hobbyists as being the source of Maui Mocha. When it was a working farm, it had a stand of the same Yemen cultivar found in St Helena coffee (which sells at around $50 per pound green). Maui Mocha was a tiny bean, 11 to 12 screen, and the espresso tasted like a hot choclate made with cream and a good ganache. Nothing complex or brilliant, but totally charming.

When the coffee farm went out of business, the trees died and were not replanted, despite Kimo's best efforts at the time. Past crop Maui mocha sold at high prices for several years until it became undrinkable.

It'll be interesting to see if this story has a happy ending.

malachi wrote:I'd suggest sticking to tea.

+1

I lived there for 4 months last year, never could find a good coffee for espresso, so I had my Pavoni shipped over and mail ordered Hairbender for the rest of the stay.