You never hear anyone say, about coffee, “meh I could take it or leave it. In fact, for many fully functioning human beings on the planet – this is literally the only thing that will drag you bleary eyed from bed in the morning. Prior to coffee, it’s easy to think that the zombie apocalypse has happened and we are all groaning our way into the next dimension.
Yet, once that sweet sweet dark and bitingly bitter liquid has seeped down our throat, we suddenly transform into a species that knows how to get shit done – like land on the moon, make fully grown people chase make believe fantasy animals (I’m looking at you, Pokémon Go) and find cures for terrible diseases. If you need any more reasons to justify your caffeine habit, then this link has all the excuses…ahem answers you need; Ah we heart you, science!
Coffee lovers talk about the stuff like it is a kiss from God, a religion of splendor and a secret that the aliens sent us. In an early AM trance, you can hear people croaking out the single word that will save their soul…’coffee’. So, those off on tours of Hawaii will be ECSTATIC to know that this is the home of some of the world’s best caffeine.
Hawaiian coffee is something else; we are talking about coffee beans so ripe and beautiful that they glisten like rubies. Sea breezes, rich volcanic soil and lashings of glorious sunlight – this seems to be the weather that coffee loves.
From the infamous Kona Coffee (hailed as the best in the world), to dark and delirious brews – these are the Hawaii tours focused on coffee that will knock your socks off.
Mountain Thunder Coffee Tour
We aren’t talking about that Disney ride, that’s Thunder Mountain – but swill enough coffee and you are sure to feel like your body and brain are undertaking several loop de loops all at once. Set in the heights of the dizzying cloud forest of Hualalai, this place is the largest coffee plantation in America (You remember that Hawaii is a state, right?).
Leave your Manalo Blaniks at home, as this place is a real life farm, complete with clucking chickens, sleeping cats and a bounding dog. You will touch the berries, wander the plantation fields, see the beans being ground at the mill and have an obligatory cup of the good stuff.
If you vamp it up a bit and go for the VIP tour, then you will even get to roast your own future brew and choose a custom label to stick on your bag of beans. This is one of those Hawaiian tours that will turn even the Nestle instant junkies into true coffee connoisseurs.
Uchida Farms Coffee Museum
Over on the Big Island, you can take a big bite out of history at the Uchida Farms Coffee Museum. Whereas many of the plantations present perfect tours based around sipping and swilling coffee, this is a place that fills in the gaps of the story.
Blending (no pun intended) living history with the pioneering spirit of growing and selling coffee and macadamia nuts, you will walk away taking a chunk of Hawaii’s legacy with you.
The historic farm has an aura of romance, with its tin shack rooftop, its shady coffee trees, its open fire and its costumed staff who buzz around the property transporting you back in time with their cultural Big Island tours.
At over five acres, you can certainly work up a sweat exploring the estate. The place also pays homage to the life of the Japanese immigrants who farmed the land and helped the industry thrive. If you are looking for a cup of coffee that comes with a dollop of history, then this is the right place to be. Take a look at the link for more info.
Hula Daddy’s Coffee Farm
The slogan “because life is too short for bad coffee,” certainly strikes a chord on your first sip of Hula Daddy’s. Sure, the name may feel uncomfortable rolling around your tongue, but the velvet bite of beautiful Kona coffee certainly washes that away.
Spend your day devouring the dark-as-night nectar in the tasting room, daydreaming in the orchard, breathing deep in the roasting room and jotting down tips on how to keep your coffee fresh and fabulous, even after you leave the island of Hawaii.
Hula Daddy’s is a smaller, finely tuned operation, when compared to some of the bigger plantations. But, for those who love “sticking it to the man,” and avoiding capitalism, then this may be how you get the best of both worlds. You get to feed your inner caffeine addict with the good stuff while supporting a local independent business and having fun on your Hawaiian island tour.
Mauka Meadows
If you care less about drinking coffee then you do wandering through gorgeous gardens, immersing yourself in Eden like verandahs and counting every shade of green possible – then Mauka Meadows is the coffee tour for you.
The coffee may be a little more meh than the other booming brand names, but it is still Kona coffee and you still get to taste it in a real life Eden-like setting. As you walk around the property, you can pick out tropical flowers, admire exotic trees, see nuts hanging low on the branch and let the scent of flowers, coffee beans and wild fruits seep into your soul.
One of the highlights of the tour has to be the shimmering infinity pool fountain that glows luminously against the green cloaked backdrop. Mauka Meadows serves a Peaberry coffee, one of the rarer bean types that is worth tasting, just to tick it off the bucket list.
It’s just a great place to walk and to stop and to get a good cup of joe. These are the simple things in life that are worth living for.
Coffee Tasting Tour
If you are an indecisive person and can’t even figure out whether you want a glass of red or white wine on the best of days, let alone decide which coffee farm is the best to visit -then simply do them all!
There are places that offer day-long driving tours of Hawaii around the different plantations strung across Kailua town and south to Honaunau. Or, if you are feeling peachy behind the wheel, you can just hit the road all on your own.
Along the route, you will find the Ferrari Coffee Visitor Center, the Kona Blue Sky Coffee Company and a bunch of adorable kiosks selling all kinds of beautiful brews. Suffice it to say that by time you reach the other end, you are sure to have developed a nervous tick in each and every limb.
Want even more tour options?? Check out our top Oahu tours, or some of our favorite tours in Maui.
Fueled by caffeine, that’s what I am. Thanks for giving me an idea. It was a good thing I made some research. Happy to bumped into this post. Really helpful! 😉
Mahalo for reading Robert! Glad we could help!