Kauai Coffee Company

It’s a great idea that falls very short of its potential. It’s not «bad», hence getting 3*, but I was disappointed as a «coffee snob» and those in my group that were «indifferent about coffee» were also disappointed. It’s very quick to do everything here so you might want to consider it before/​after the Na Pali cruises departing from Port Allen down the hill.
The plantation is in a great location, facing the ocean. You drive through an alley of coffee fields and then turn into a flowery car park, which has plenty of space for you. The plantation building itself is small but clean, including the restrooms.
The «tour» takes you around a few of the fields and shows you a bit of the equipment used to grow, pick, dry and roast the coffee. It’s less than 5 minutes to get around the whole thing. No ocean views, though, unless you count a thin band of blue above the coffee trees. Plenty of little funny notes if you look carefully. And the staff is really nice.
The tasting is haphazard and was crowded even at 11am on a Monday. The various varietals are brewed using what appears to be a filter method and stored in the same thermos pump containers you see at conferences and meeting rooms. You get a paper cup and go wild, it’s entirely free.
Here are my suggestions for improvement, if someone from the shop is reading this.
Bear in mind that three nearby regions of the world that send a large volume of tourists to Hawaii are Australia, which virtually invented global coffee culture (there’s flat whites at Starbucks now); the West Coast of the US, which is the other big coffee hub and where most of the «action» happens in the scene (and where Starbucks is from); and Japan, which takes the artisan mindset of roasting and coffee consumption to whole new levels of insanity as with everything else they get into (more than 20 bespoke shoe makers in Tokyo alone). All of these tourists will be disappointed and you can see it in their 1* reviews for this place. Here are my thoughts, which probably reflect the Australian mindset the most:
ROASTING: the place offers two roasts: medium and dark. Both are WAY too dark for my tastes! The Dark is a Vienna roast, almost Starbucks-​level of charring. I could barely taste any of the flavours. This, unfortunately, is the only roast level offered for the tasting for Blue Mountain beans, which I was most excited about. The Medium roast is still a very dark roast, although you can discern some of the notes of the varietal at least. I’ll upload a photo of both that were on display so you can get an idea. it appears that «medium» is dark, but more uneven with about 10% of the beans much less roasted and the rest appearing just as dark and oily.
I had a whiff of something that was roasting, probably just before the second crack, and it smelt really good — the beans have a lot of potential. But I’m not getting it from the cup. I’m transiting through Australia on the way home, so can’t buy green beans — tasting the coffee actually caused me to drop my plan to bring back a couple kg roasted beans! Instead, I’m going to grab some Kona from one of the Honolulu roasters, which is a shame because I really wanted to support Kauai. Roasting is hard — maybe send someone to learn from a skilled master?
INFORMATION: it’s a mess! What is the hierarchy of varietals? Which is which? Some are branded with funny names — what’s in them? What is the top product, is it «Estate Reserve»? What is rare? What are the roast dates (let alone times)? If I want roasted-​2-​months-​ago beans, I can go to Big Save… Prices are displayed on some of the packets, not so much on others, and I could not find a price list, nor make sense of the existing ones. A pound of green Estate Reserve beans is $ 14, $ 15 for the peaberry, and there was yesterday-​roasted Java for $ 20 per pound. The Blue Mountain packet cost? No idea. Half the coffees on tasting could not be found on the meagre two shelves in the shop which mostly sells souvenirs and is very crowded. How about international shipping fees?
PRESENTATION: this is a tree-​to-​cup operation, you could do SO MUCH MORE with it. Example: stick the roast machine at the front of house and maybe have staff explain what stage it’s at and what is going on. Let people buy fresh-​roasted coffee. Hell, have someone with a flame and a pan show how to pan-​roast every half hour, that’s sure to draw a crowd and increase your green beans business. You could even have a «roast to order» so that those like me who prefer a lighter roast, particularly with your subtle varietals, can have it (and yes, I would pay a premium).
I still think it’s worth a visit on a rainy day if you need a quiet day, as there’s not much to do in Kauai that’s not outdoors related in some way, not that I found anyway. But don’t have too high expectations. I suspect their primary activity is, well, growing coffee, and the tourist side is kind of packed and popular as it is, so no incentive to up the game.

I actually prefer coffee from Kauai to much of that from Kona. The quality is still very high, weather you are getting the regular beans or the peaberry, and the costs seem to be lower. This is especially true when comparing Kauai Coffee Company beans to those of larger producers. I’m always impressed with the coffee I get from Kauai Coffee, and I usually bring a big bag of it with me to the mainland.
A short while ago, I was finally able to visit the Kauai Coffee Company’s plantation on (obviously) Kauai. The premises is gorgeous, offering a self-​guided tour through some of the greenery. Samples of their many coffees are set out in insulated containers for self-​service tastings. Trust me: you do NOT want to consume any coffee before coming here for samples.
I usually stick to traditional roasts, as I don’t care for flavored blends. That said, Kauai Coffee Company uses no artificial ingredients for flavoring, something that can’t be said with many other coffee producers.
Really enjoyed my time here. Thanks for the buzz!

Kostenloser Rundgang durch die Kaffeeplantage mit wissenswertem rund um Kaffeeanbau.
Im Farmhaus kann man zahlreiche Kaffeesorten gratis verkosten.
Im angrenzenden Shop kann man den Kaffee in Bohnenform kaufen — ist aber nur was für extreme Liebhaber. Der Kaffee wird hier anscheinend mit Gold aufgewogen! Für meine Begriffe total überteuert.

As a vacation site to visit, there are better coffee company stores to check out based on the surrounding scenery and the store itself.
It’s a decent location to binge-​purchase coffee for your relatives and friends, and the taste of coffee is acceptable. You can sample as much coffee as your body can handle, and the washroom is conveniently located within reach so that you can go do your business (which is a higher possibility considering the amount of coffee simmering in your stomach).
Comparing it to Kona coffee, Kauai’s coffee is a little cheaper because you get a free Peaberry coffee if you purchase four of their special bags. I do prefer the location at Kona more however– it’s gorgeous!