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Retro-blogging part 2: Kona Coffee!
Toby had to work nearly every day while we were in Hawaii but on Friday he pulled himself away from the job site and took us to a coffee plantation! If you know me, you know what a happy caffeine addict I am and you know that visiting the source has got to be top on my list of things I want to do before I die.
When I was a kid, my parents used to take us on all kinds of tours of factories and facilities where things are made as a fun thing to do for vacations. Usually tours are free and it’s a great way to learn things hands on. I love tours. I’ve seen how apple juice is made, how paper is made, how tequila is made, how money is made… I am not really a science geek (I wish I were) but I love that show How It’s Made.
So naturally visiting The Mountain Thunder Plantation was a dream come true for me. Not to mention Baby Bug and I had strollered almost every last nook of Kona so anything new was very exciting.
It wasn’t what I imagined it would be with fields and fields of misty coffee bean trees growing in concentric rows around the side of a mountain. In fact, we didn’t even get to see the fields. I asked about them and a ranch hand told me it was a trek into jungle and not open to the public. Too bad though because I totally had my heart set on taking that picture of those misty rows of trees. It was not to be.
I did however get to sample the best of the best organically-grown Peaberry Kona Coffee and yes, it was good. I’m usually a cream and sugar sort of gal and this coffee was so good I drank it black. Mostly because they only offered powdered creamer and I’m just a snob about powdered stuff but it really didn’t need it. It was yummy!
While you enjoy your free cup of coffee, they show you a video of Mike Rowe (the guy from Dirty Jobs) visiting the plantation. It was a pretty funny show and sort of made me thankful that they weren’t going to allow us to see the whole complete coffee process where they ferment the beans with goat manure! Ew! I had no idea that that was how coffee was made.
Why is it that I love this stuff again? Oh, right. Because I am ADDICTED.
Then we got to know the local cat. Baby Bug LOVED the local cat.
I think she was missing her cats back home because she got right down on the ground and rolled around with him. He really was a nice kitty. Maybe the coffee plantation was worth visiting just for him. I never did get his name though.
After we socialized with the cat for quite a while we took a tour of their dry mill and learned all about what is good coffee and what is not-so-good coffee. You know how I’m so addicted to Starbucks? It turns out I’m not such a snob after all and I do not have good taste at all. Mountain Thunders sends their REJECT beans to Starbucks. Hah!
It’s all about the roast. You can pretty much hide any defect in coffee beans by roasting it darker and darker. Who knew! I love dark roast coffee so I guess they are pulling a fast one on me.
The “good stuff” is very very expensive. Forty-five bucks for a little bag! So I guess that is why I’m not that big of a fan of Kona coffee. It’s not that it isn’t good, it’s just that all the hotels and restaurants that serve 100% Kona coffee are probably serving what they can afford and that is probably the lowest grade.
I really do not know what I’m talking about when it comes to being a coffee connoisseur. I’m only a self-proclaimed coffee expert because I drink it so much. I don’t know squat about the subtle hints and textures of coffee BUT I’ve noticed a very smokey ashtray flavor to the Kona coffee we had at the hotel. It could have been the pot it was brewed in or even maybe a disgruntled waiter ashed in my cup. Who knows.
But after visiting the plantation, I do see why Kona coffee has such a great reputation. It is very carefully grown in the best location possible by really nice people who care deeply about the quality of their product. So if you can afford it, I recommend sipping a cup of that $45 stuff. It’s probably worth every penny. If you can’t afford it, then just drink the dark roast and your tongue will never know the difference.
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Retro-blogging: The Royal Kona
I hate retro-blogging or blogging too long after the fact. It’s just not as fun as the real thing. But if I don’t blog about all the fun we had, there will be someone out there wondering why I never wrote about Akaka falls or the neat little coffee shop where we had Kona coffee ice cream or what about that hidden beach we found under the highway bridge? Will those memories fade as I become more and more immersed in silly things like laundry and when my library books are due?
Sadly the memories are already fading.
In order to make this as quick and painless as possible, I’m just going to peruse through my flickr pictures and mention things here and there. If it’s as boring as forcing you to sit and look at my vacation slideshow, I totally understand. We’ll get back to our regularly scheduled daily ramblings asap.
Now that I am back home and safely away from any scary stalkers that might want to steal Baby Bug from me, I can tell you all that we stayed at the Royal Kona Resort. It’s a funny sort of hotel right out of the 70’s. The architecture is magnificent with funny arches that are so Hawaiian and so Hollywood at the same time. The whole place makes you just want to lounge around at the pool and pretend you are James Bond. Even the music.
Well, except the service perhaps. I don’t want this to be a negative rant because we really did have a wonderful time but why is it that Hawaiians are so pissed off that they have to put on an ugly uniform and work at a hotel serving tourists? Actually, I know the answer. I’d be pissed off too.
What was amazing to me was how the employees at the Royal Kona really don’t make much of an effort to hide their disdain for the common tourist. I know everyone says that Hawaiians stereotypically are a happy laid-back people and I am inclined to believe them. I just think they are much happier when they are at home cracking open a beer and watching football or a hula tournament or something on tv.
The hostess at the restaurant where we ate breakfast every day was the worst. So many times I just wanted to say something like, “I know you hate tourists. I hate being a tourist and you make me hate being a tourist even more.” I’m sure she had a reason for scowling at us. It could have been us, it could have been a million things. But man, it was a drag.
So anyway, the Royal Kona. Yes, stay there! It was great. Great views! The bar and the pool and the lobby are by far the coolest thing ever. There are no doors. Just open breeziness. If it typhoons I guess everyone takes cover and hopes for the best. You can tell this hotel was really something in it’s day and even though the service was a little disgruntled, I think with a bit of imagination you could have a splendid time there. We did.
Wow. All that on two photos out of 233. This retro-blogging could take a while. I’ll have to really make an effort to speed things up from here on out.
