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Kona Coffee is infamous for its unique flavor, and rarity. Only a small amount of Kona Coffee is grown each year, and it must be grown in the specific Kona region of Hawaii to be marketed as Kona Coffee. The region offers perfect coffee growing conditions with rich volcanic soil, and a favorable climate. While in Kona we wanted to visit a coffee farm to see what the hype was about! We had never tried Kona Coffee before and figured what better place to get it than straight from the source. We visited Heavenly Hawaiian Coffee Farm in Kona Hawaii, and paid $25 per person for a farm tour. Included in the price was an hour long guided tour of the farm, and multiple free samples.
Our Experience at Heavenly Hawaiian Coffee Farm, Kona Coffee Farm Tour:
While we were in Kona Hawaii we wanted to try the infamous Kona Coffee. To make sure we got legitimate Kona Coffee (there are many frauds out there), we went straight to the source, a local coffee farm. We visited Heavenly Hawaiian Coffee Farm and paid $25 per person for an hour-long farm tour.
The tour does not offer pick-up, and we had to drive ourselves. There was plenty of parking at the farm, and although the road was a little narrow, the drive was not bad. We drove by a few other small farms on the way, and many had honor system farm stands! We did not have any cash, and I wish we did!! We missed many fresh fruits, nuts, and even local honey! Bring cash if you want to grab some fresh produce!
The farm has a small cafe, a gift shop, and a patio area overlooking the ocean. While waiting for the official tour time we sat on the patio and took in the views. The waiting area had lush tropical plants, and even a friendly cat roaming around the property to keep us entertained. Once it was time for the tour to start we met up with the guide and the rest of the group. Our guide was great and shared a lot of information about the growing process and significance of Kona Coffee as we started our tour.
We explored the vineyard areas where the coffee beans grow and saw the different stages of growth in the beans. They start as a dark green and shift to a more red color when ripe. Our guide explained the picking process and showed us how they do it. Every Kona Coffee bean is picked by hand, and is an extremely time-consuming process! The beans are so expensive and rare that they are picked by hand to ensure they are not damaged! This is a hard job and people work long hours in the sun.
From here we went to see where the coffee beans are processed for sale and consumption. Our guide explained the roasting and drying process and showed us the tools they use. It was interesting to see how much work went into preparing the coffee beans from growing to consumption!
After we learned the whole process of growing, roasting, and processing the Kona Coffee beans we finally got to try some! We went to the cafe and gift shop where they had unlimited free samples of their 4 different coffee roasts. It was nice to sit on the patio, look out at the ocean, and sip our 100% Kona Coffee.
As the tour ended, we were told we could hang out and enjoy the coffee and views as long as we wanted. They had additional drinks for purchase at the cafe, and we opted to try one of their award-winning coffees. The Geisha Champagne Pour Over was $20 for an 8oz cup. It took a few minutes to prepare but was made to order and with great care. The Coffee was very earthy, sort of like mocha, but offered a great sense of the different fruits and minerals used to create the brew. Since I am not a huge coffee drinker, Elijah was the only one to try the Geisha Champagne Pour Over. He really enjoyed it, and said it was like nothing he had ever tried!
There were bags of Kona Coffee for sale in the gift shop, with multiple different roasts and flavors. We wanted to buy some of the Kona Geisha beans, but they had already sold out for the year! We bought a few bags of the other roasts, and brought them home for friends and family! These coffee beans were a huge hit with all of the coffee lovers in our lives!
The most important thing we learned from this tour is that much of the Kona Coffee you can buy online is not one hundred percent Kona Coffee. Some places will mix regular coffee with a small amount of Kona Coffee and market it as Kona Coffee. However, if you want authentic Kona Coffee, you have to look for coffee marked as 100% Kona Coffee. If it is not marked as such, it is not legitimate! So do not overpay for anything not marked as 100% Kona Coffee! Before our visit, we had bought some “Kona Coffee” online and got ripped off! We did not know the rule, but now we know what to look for when buying it online!
What to bring:
Appetite
Comfortable shoes
Umbrella
Sunscreen
Money for the gift shop
Summary:
To tour the Heavenly Hawaiian Farm and sample 100% Kona Coffee we paid $25 per person.
Overall the tour was fun and informative! We learned about the entire Kona Coffee growing and roasting process and even got to try the famous coffee at the end of the tour. We would recommend this tour to coffee lovers, or anyone with an interest in horticulture! It was a fun and unique experience, and the coffee was amazing! If you are a coffee lover we highly recommend taking this tour!
Would you try the $20 Geisha Champaign Pour Over coffee? Let us know below!