Honolulu Coffee, Hawaii

First off, I'm not talking about coffee in Honolulu in general, but an actual place called Honolulu Coffee. They've got several locations on the islands, plus Guam, Japan, and Canada.

The flagship location is in the old Hard Rock Cafe location at 1800 Kalakaua Avenue in Honolulu. This is where they do the roasting of their coffee, including the beans grown on their farm on the Big Island of Hawaii. 

Karen got chocolate covered espresso beans with her coffee

Let me say from the outset that I usually don't drink a lot of coffee. That's not because I don't like it, but instead because there is so much bad coffee out there. 

Chocolate bars and chocolate covered espresso beans

Because of this proliferation of substandard java, I normally only have coffee (espresso, actually) when I'm in Italy and France. Which means 98% of the time, no bean based jolt for me.

What I didn't realize when we moved to Hawaii is that islanders are pretty serious about the bean. That's because Hawaii is the only place in the first world where coffee is grown. And they grow fantastic coffee on the Big Island because of the volcanic soil.

At Honolulu Coffee, they have lots of displays about how and where coffee is grown along with some of the tools used in coffee cultivation and harvest. They also have a coffee lab and a big kitchen with windows where you can watch them make the sweets and desserts they sell. And in the middle of the room is the roasting operation. Bags and bags of beans are stacked nearby waiting to be toasted.

So, even though I usually order espresso, I got a coffee with coconut milk and macadamia nut syrup instead. And Karen and I shared a tiramisu that was served in an edible chocolate cup!

Beans ready for roasting

It was all very good, but I have to say that I miss my espresso at the corner shop in Italy. Slam down a quick espresso for one Euro, maybe get a Sfogliatelle, and Karen and I are good til lunch for under five Euro. At Honolulu Coffee, two cups and dessert? $20.

Roaster

***
If you enjoyed this post, you might enjoy my new collection of short 
stories. "That Bird and other (very) short stories" is available on 
Amazon for just $3.99.