We found the Wild Ass Coffee at the Donkey Balls store in Kainaliu. Donkeys were used extensively in Kona Coffee farming before the advent of the coffee jeeps and there are still wild herds of donkeys running around the island. Hence the donkey and ass theme. These beans are really thoroughly graded – uniform in size. Really nice medium roast that brings out some minerality  There is nothing on the bag to indicate where this coffee comes from. I expect it is not an estate product and comes from a variety of farms from the South of Keauhou to Kealakekua, … Continue reading →

Ka’u is the District just South of South Kona. The climate an terrain are noticeably different, as is the coffee. We found the Ka’u Farms coffee at the Donkey Balls store in Kainaliu.  We wanted to give this coffee a real try after the disaster at Daylight Mind. This coffee was nicely graded and roasted. I could taste the brown sugar people told us about but it was overwhelmed by a sour, unpleasant finish. With all the great coffees in Kona I wouldn’t go back south.

Found at the Kona Green Market in Captain Cook. The farm is 7 acres above Captain Cook. These beautiful, well graded beans were roasted to a very dark, french roast which ruined the flavor for us. There was nothing on the bag indicating the roast and there was no choice of a lighter roast available at the market when we met them. This is another coffee from Captain Cook but the dark roast masks the mineralogy we expect from this appellation. 808-345-5589 www.princessradhafarm.com

When we made our Costco run there was a woman up on the road selling pounds of coffee for $20. We stopped and took a look. It looked good so we bought a pound. Looking around online for more information we found reviews on Amazon and a reference to her selling in the same location in 2005. This coffee is from Captain Cook but we couldn’t find out much more than that. The beans are really nicely graded and a beautiful medium roast. This was a pleasant brew and after purchasing it many times it is one of our go-to … Continue reading →

Found at the Art Walk, second Sunday in Kailua. They have a storefront on Ali’i Drive, Belcastro’s Kona Coffee Outlet. Cherry Hill Estates is located in Captain Cook, Hawaii at the 2400 foot elevation. The 30 acre farm is located in an area known for abundant rain and deep, rich soil. This coffee is absolutely beautiful but it is roasted a little darker than we would like. There is a hint of sour fruit but any other nuance is masked by the burnt bean flavor. To contact us please phone 808-345-2489 or mail us at Cherry Hill Estate PO Box … Continue reading →

We found this coffee at the Keauhou Wednesday Farmers Market. We had a nice chat with the grower about many things coffee and sampled his cold brew. This is another Keauhou Mauka Coffee. The beans weren’t sorted as well as we’d like – and for some reason this coffee is not as rich tasting as other Keauhou coffee we have tried. Find him at the Market and try for yourself. www.3keikifarms.com 3keikifarms@gmail.com 808-333-1421   SaveSave SaveSave

We found this one at the Keauhou Farmer’s Market – the Wednesday Market at the Southern end of Ali’i Drive. This coffee is grown in Keauhou Mauka appellation. Nice Roast, good looking beans,

A friend recommended Komo Estate Coffee to us. This is available at Komo Store in the north of Holualoa on the Belt Road. I’m not sure of the store hours. When we were there everyone’s Auntie was minding the store. The coffee looks and smells really good. This is a really good coffee and very true to what we have come to expect from the Holualoa appellation, with a very pleasant minerality and very little fruit.  

Tucked in the back just south of Lava Java on Ali’i Drive is Kona Haven Coffee. It might look like you should just go on by but that could be a mistake for coffee adventurists. Inside they have a nice cold brew setup as well as a nitrogen charger. We stopped in mid-day specifically for a Nitro Cloud. It was delicious – creamy and cold. What a treat. We also went home with a bag of their Kona de Pele coffee. There is a big sign in the store that says “12.5 miles from our farm.” So of course, I … Continue reading →

We had the opportunity to visit the new Lava Java. Great place! Friendly and open at 6:30 am this is the place to go for your morning brew in Kailua town. They are able to offer a great menu of edibles as well in the new location. We had a fairly traditional Eggs Benedict – it was n a croissant – and one with the fresh catch of the day, Ono. The coffee was a 16 ounce mug of well roasted deliciousness. They refilled it for no extra charge as well. Lava Java offers Espresso drinks as well and the … Continue reading →

We found Kona Mountain Coffee online and ordered some. The online purchase experience was excellent and our coffee arrived tightly vacuum packed in a resealable bag – all good points. The medium roast is light enough to let the coffee sing with a unique minerality of the Kainaliu Mauka appellation. Kainaliu is between Holualoa and Captain Cook, where the land masses of Hualalai and Mauna Loa merge and this coffee has a distinct taste of terrior  – a sleek minerality with none of the fruit of coffee grown farther south. Kona Mountain Coffee is a very enjoyable brew. The 90 … Continue reading →

We ordered the Koa Coffee online and had a good experience with the process and delivery. The coffee was roasted darker than we would prefer for a medium roast and the result was a somewhat bitter brew that masked the minerakity we have come to expect from coffees grown in the Captain Cook appellation. The beans were of decent quality and evenly roasted. We felt that a lighter roast would have allowed this coffee tom shine a bit more. Pricing at $36 to $43 per pound, this is a reasonable buy – and it’s a plus that the online ordering … Continue reading →

Last time we were at Daylight Mind – and had a good food experience – they had Kona, Ka’u, Maui and Oahu coffees on their menu so we wanted to go again and do a side by side taste comparison.  They did have Ka’u, Maui and Oahu coffees in addition to a selection of Kona so we forged ahead. Oh so sorry we are out of the Maui and Oahu. All we have are Big Island coffees. Our taste comparison wound up being between the Ka’u Coffee and the Kona Llanes Farms coffee. For those who don’t know, Ka’u is … Continue reading →

We found Black Rooster Farm at the Ali’i Marketplace. This is an interesting coffee, roasted just a slight bit darker than most of the medium roasts we have run into. We really enjoyed the flavor of this coffee, forward minerality with a fuller body and a bit of chocolate. We can’t find much information online about this farm but from the taste we are guessing it is grown on Hualalai Mauka somewhere. These are nice looking beans. You can see the roast is a bit uneven, with some beans darker than medium. The end result is a very pleasant cup … Continue reading →

Before the advent of boutique coffee farms the big mills bought almost all the coffee cherry and processed it under a blanket name. Hawaii Kona Farms is a relic of those days with tours of the big mill and coffee from multiple farms. This is a nice product that aggregates many of the flavors of South Kona coffee. Hawaii Kona Farms is owned and operated by the 32 members of the Kona Pacific Farmers Cooperative, the oldest Kona coffee co-op. They have been producing coffee since 1910. The minerality is smooth and reminds us somewhat of Szechuan Peppercorns. We didn’t … Continue reading →

We found Dr Paola at the South Kona Green Market in Captain Cook.Without a doubt this is the best Farmer’s Market on the Kona side. We try to plan Sunday near the beginning of our trip so we can stock up on fruit from the market. This coffee is proudly non-GMO. Dr Paolo does a coffee and Mac Nut business that is non-GMO just above the town of Captain Cook. This medium roast has characteristics of coffee grown on Mauna Loa, with less mineralogy and a hint of sour fruit. There were some chips and chunks in the bag but … Continue reading →

We found Ferrari Coffee at Ali’i Gardens Marketplace about a mile south of Kailua on Ali’i Drive. Apparently they used to have a mobile coffee stand across from Hoggo’s in Kailua and recently moved to a more permanent location. We didn’t really see a choice in roast at the store and bought some to try at home. This is a darker roast than we normally drink but it was enjoyable. This coffee has the minerality of Holualoa Mauka coffees and indeed that is where it is grown. The darker roast brings that out in an interesting way, making it more … Continue reading →

Doutor Coffee/Mauka Meadows. Holualoa Mauka appellation Maura Meadows is without a doubt the most beautiful coffee farm we have visited. Doctor Coffee is a Japanese company with coffee shops throughout Eastern Asia. The Mauka Meadows farm provides their Kona beans. They have created a beautiful tropical garden for visitors to experience. For a $5 per person suggested fee, using the honor system, you can walk down through a beautiful estate featuring rolling meadows, tropical plants and flowers, fruit and coffee trees, to a gazebo with an infinity pool that appears to flow off the edge of the earth. The walk … Continue reading →

Daylight Mind Update May, 2017 – We gave Daylight Mind another opportunity to impress on our way to the airport.  The experience was much better than our previous attempt. They were pretty busy and, since we didn’t have a reservation we had a short wait for a table. We let our waitress know we were short on time and she accommodated us really well. The food was delicious and we had a cup of the Arianna coffee which was good. The roast was a little darker than we prefer but all in all a good cup and a nice experience. … Continue reading →

Hula Daddy Kona Coffee With a prime location just after you turn from Palani Road onto the Mamalahoa Highway heading toward Holualoa, Hula Daddy preys on tourists with high prices and substandard coffee. We experienced a very sour fruit flavor with the medium roast and never got a satisfactory answer as to why. We were told the trees below the tasting room were Guatemalan Coffee trees, that they have three different processes for processing their coffees, and that the coffee we tasted was grown elsewhere and we were probably tasting minerals from that soil. None of these answers quite explained … Continue reading →

Lava Java Coffee Located in the heart of Kailua town, Lava Java is one of the few coffee houses serving 100% Kona Coffee. We were directed here by several local farmers as a company that makes their own coffee using sustainable methods. We were delighted to see live Hawaiian music at this coffeehouse on a Tuesday morning. They have bags of coffee available at both their Kailua and Waikoloa stores as well as mail order. We were quite pleased to notice a new shop on the way for Island Lava Java just a few doors down from their current location. … Continue reading →

Kona Living History Coffee Farm A worthwhile stop in South Kona is the Living History Coffee Farm. This farm has been restored to recreate the life of a coffee farmer from the era of 1920 to around 1945. The old mill, drying shed, home and gardens are available for you to explore and it’s quite fascinating. The original drying sheds had a rolling roof that could be rolled away to expose the drying coffee to the sun, and then rolled back to cover it when it rained. Of course there is coffee to taste in addition to the tour. This … Continue reading →

Greenwell Farms Greenwell Farms is located between Kealakekua and Captain Cook on the Mamalahoa Highway, Hawaii’s Belt Road. This farm was started in 1850 by Henry Greenwell and has been kept up by the family ever since. The Greenwell Farm itself has trees stretching from the lower elevations to over 3000 feet. They are also one of the larger purchasers of Kona Coffee Cherry, buying from some 200 farms. As a result this coffee is a great middle of the road Kona Coffee with the minerality and rocky soil characteristics of various farms all blended together. Their tasting room has … Continue reading →

  Ueshima Coffee Company Ueshima Coffee Company was founded in 1935 and is one of the leading Japanese coffee companies. Their Kona farm was founded in 1989 near Holualoa on the Hawaii Belt Road. Their coffee is a great example of coffees from the Holualoa Mauka appellation with a sharp minerality reminiscent of the rocky, volcanic soils. They have a tasting room on the Belt Road that is open from 9:00 to 4:30 every day. No appointment necessary. The view is beautiful. It appears to be an extended family running the tasting room – friendly and informative. The display below … Continue reading →

Fire Island Coffee We spent some time with Sharon at Fire Island Coffee in the Honaunau Mauka appellation. Located high on Bruner Road, this is some of our favorite Kona coffee, expressing a round fruit and mild earthiness typical of coffees from this appellation. Some of this is due to a pocket of soil that blesses Honaunau, which is five feet deep at this farm. It is this soil that makes this area unique and informs the terroir of the brew. Walking through the farm we saw some very large fruit for the end of April, and lots of it. … Continue reading →

Kona Blue Sky Coffee in the Holualoa Mauka appellation When we first land in Kona and need to get coffee for the first morning we stop at Kona Blue Sky at the top of Holualoa Raod, just before it intersects the Belt Road. We first found this farm after spending the day stopping at all the tourist trap coffee outlets on the Belt Road between Palani Road and Kainaliu. It was refreshing to find an honest bean at a reasonable price. The medium roast here has the great earthy characteristics of Holualoa coffees without being the least bit pretentious. These … Continue reading →

Langenstein Farms Estate Grown Coffee from the Honaunau appellation. Our search for Kona Coffee authenticity took us to the farm of John Langenstein. Located at around the 1000 foot level in Honaunau, his coffee comes from several farms he owns in Honaunau, going all the way up to the top at 2000 feet plus. John was a warrior in the early days of winning back the 100% Kona Brand and making it meaningful. In his 40 years of Kona Coffee farming he has seen – and been responsible for – many changes in the way coffee is grown, roasted and … Continue reading →

Some of the fattest coffee beans we’ve seen in Kona come from the Holualoa Mauka appellation. The Kona Lea Plantation is a fine example of this. Pictured here is their dark roast product, but they also have a very nice medium. These are premium beans, big and uniform. The dark roast is a bit too dark for our taste, though we recognize that others prefer it. We find the burned flavor masks any fruit that was available and the real taste of the terroir. The medium roast carries the characteristics of Holualoa coffee very well with an understated fruit and a … Continue reading →

Something that really bothers us about the Kona coffee scene are the businesses that are preying on unknowledgeable tourists and giving them a less than satisfactory experience while charging way too much for it. Kona Joe is a perfect example. Located very visibly just north of Kainaliu on the Belt Road, this place draws lots of coffee tourists and delivers a less than satisfactory experience. As you can see, a lot of the beans are broken up chips and chunks. Just not a quality experience. Both the Medium and Dark are roasted well, and at $33.95 per pound the price point … Continue reading →

Rooster Farms is dear to our heart and is the foundation for our love of Kona coffee.  Started by Mike Craig in the 70’s, the Rooster has been active with growing, branding and marketing methods for Kona farmers. This farm is located in the Honaunau Mauka appellation and the medium roast has the characteristic bold fruit forward flavor. Mike sold Rooster Farms in 2015. The new owners are keeping the farm alive, though they have dispensed with the colorful label. We have not had an opportunity to meet the new owners and will update this page when that opportunity presents … Continue reading →

A trip to Mountain Thunder was  very interesting. They are located very far up Hualalai at 3200 feet in the Kaloko Cloud Forest which is a radically different elevation and climate than most of the Kona growing region. The climate and careful growing methods produce one of the largest coffee cherries in the region. Prices here range from the reasonable $31.00 per pound to  $70.00 for their Cloud Forest premium product. We will leave it up to the reader to decide whether it’s worth the price. Since we wrote this Mountain Thunder has closed. Questionable business practices, failing to pay local … Continue reading →