Island Coffees - ? for Emi,Suebee or Spleen

[CrazyCruiseCanuck]

Aloha.

Will be in Hawaii on October aboard the Serenade of the Seas. We depart form Honolulu, stop in Kauai, Hilo, Kona, and Lahaina, Maui, then sail to Ensenada.

 

My husband and are coffee drinkers, and are planning to bring some Kona coffee back with us. We would also like to bring any other coffees that are 'native' to the islands.

 

Do the other islands on our trip have a special coffee? And where would be the best place to purchase fresh coffee to bring home?

 

(We're Canadian, and regularly drink Tim Horton's , but we love to sample other types, especially strong, rich coffees.)

 

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[Suebee]

I would say to be very careful when looking at the coffees here. Some bags that say "Kona" are only 10% Kona. This will be reflected in the price. This is the perfect example of 'you get what you pay for'. You will be able to find a huge price range on the coffee but you will not be able to find premium Kona for under $20 a pound. You will find coffee called 100% Kona for $10 but I seriously question the quality of those. Besides, if youre coming all this way, get the good stuff!

 

There are plenty of shops selling the premium coffees. A good shop will allow you to sample several varieties before buying.

 

In Lahaina (Maui), you will find a place called "Bad A$$ Coffee" which I really like. Their coffee is around $27 a pound. We dont get it often...usually for holidays and birthdays.

 

There are a couple of coffee plantations on the islands that would be nice stops too. Of course, I cant remember their name but they are prominant on tourist maps.

 

On Oahu, in Halaiwa on the North Shore is another shop whose name is elluding me. But it was in a plaza...maybe Aloha Coffee or something like that. They have a good variety of strong to light coffees.

 

And of course, you will find everything blended with macadamia nuts here. After the 100% Kona, we like to get the occasional Vanilla Macadamia Nut blend.

[CrazyCruiseCanuck]

..For the prompt reply.

 

We knew that real Kona would be fairly pricey. I'll take your advice and beware of cheap imitations.

 

Sounds like the place in Lahaina will also be stop for us. We have 2 days on Maui, so I hope to be able to take my time and do some serious shopping!

 

The coffees blended with macadamia nuts are out, unfortunately. Hubby has a severe allergy to nuts.

 

(This usually prompts a reply of "But he married YOU, didn't he? LOL)

 

But maybe I'll try a cup here and there.

 

Thanks again. I can hardly wait to get there!

 

Cindy

[spleen93]

The best places to buy are going to be off the farms themselves, especially in the Kona region. I personally like Langenstein Kona coffee (http://www.kona-coffee.com/konastore/) and you could tour their farm when you get to Kona.

 

One thing to remember about Kona coffee though - it's a medium bodied very smooth coffee (similar to Jamaican Blue Mountain). If you like your coffee STRONG and full flavored (as in French roast), you may find Kona to be too mild for your tastes.

 

Spleen

[SweetEmi]

All I have to offer to the excellent advice above is that we also have Bad A$$ here in Kona...

 

Have a wonderful time!!

Emi

[seabreezer]

We toured the Holualoa Coffee Company in Holualoa in the hills above Kona. The tour was great, it's very homey and the staff were very nice. They even gave us some apple bananas to take with us - delicious! Their coffee is organic and 100% pure Kona. They have several roasts including French roast and it's about $23 per pound there but a little cheaper in the grocery stores. It's also easy to call their 800 number to order refills when you get home. It arrives in 2 days and it's only $27 per pound with shipping. Go to www.konalea.com for more info.

[SweetEmi]

The Holualoa area is actually a very nice place to visit...small town, coffee lands, lots of art galleries...a fellow CC went there on my "recommendation" had spend some enjoyable hours there. It is one of those 'non-ship tour' very laid back-type of things. I used to live in an old Buddhist Temple just outside of "town" The walk from the road to the temple itself was designed to be "humbling" I believe - but if I lived there now - I'd probably sleep in my car at least half the time. Long and steep. I mention it because if you look closely on the way to/from town - those are the types of things you might see.

 

Emi