Hawaii is a great place to relax, chill and forget about all of your worries. Aside from visits to your favorite beach to soak under the sun and swim in the sea, you can also enjoy the bounties of nature on Kona coffee farm tours. This article is a thorough review of eight of the best Kona coffee farm tours and it presents salient points on why they are hotspots for your proposed vacation.
It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for family fun, adventure, or even a place to have a romantic interlude, there’s something for everyone at Kona coffee farm tours. Kona is gourmet coffee that is cultivated in the North and South districts of Kona, on the Island of Hawaii. It is made of 100% pure Kona beans and only a small number of Kona coffee farms exist.
With that, let’s move into the main deal of this article today.
List of Best Kona Coffee Farm Tours
From my research and findings, the following are some of the best Kona coffee farm tours on the Big Islands that’s what taking:
- Kona Coffee Living History Farm
- Greenwell Farm Tour & Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
- Kona Coffee & Chocolate Plantation Tour
- Kona Joe Coffee Tour
- Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary
- Heavenly Hawaiian Kona Coffee Farm Tour
- Green World Coffee Farms
- Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation
- Royal Kona Coffee Center
- Hala Tree Coffee
- Mauka Meadows
- Greenwell Coffee Farm & Kealakekua Bay Tour
- Sunshower Farms
Each coffee farm tour is unique in its own way and as a visitor to the Big Islands, there’s probably something on your mind as you navigate through this review, you will discover the best Kona coffee farm tour that befits your choice. Want to know what each coffee farm tour offers? Continue reading.
Kona Coffee Living History Farm
The Kona Coffee Living History Farm is one of the oldest Kona coffee farms in Hawaii. It has preserved the rich history of Kona coffee pioneers from the 20th century. One of the exceptional features of the Kona Coffee Living History Farm tours is that visitors are allowed to enjoy a self-guided experience. At the farm, you are free to walk through the coffee plantations without supervision, just exploring whatever you like.
Additionally, you can meet a Kona Nightingale, which is truly a lovely sight, or watch farmers as they use kuriba and hoshidana to mill and dry the coffee Living History is famous for. If you want a coffee farm tour with an immense dose of history dating as far back as the 1920s, then the Kona Coffee Living History Farm tours is one for you.
Greenwell Farm Tour & Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Greenwell Farm gives visitors a unique treat when they come to tour its coffee farm. When you book a tour at Greenwell Farm, the package comes with a treat at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. A park is a unique place, extending from sea level to 13,681 feet with intriguing scenery that is worth viewing. It encompasses the summits of two of the world’s most active volcanoes—Kīlauea and Mauna Loa—and is a designated International Biosphere Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
You can see a live volcanic eruption when you visit the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park which is only an addition to the packages in the Greenwell Farm coffee tour.
Other parts of the Greenwell farm coffee tour include treats for lunch and dinner, some water, and snacks to go with. On the tour, you will also have access to the black sand beach of Hawaii with the potential of seeing green sea turtles.
If you need motivation on why Greenwell Farm tour is one of the best things you can do when you visit the Big Islands, then it will interest you to know that the farm was voted Hawaii’s Best Farm Tour in 2021 by Hawaii Magazine and won a TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Award in 2021. Greenwell Farm offers guided tours of its coffee farm and processing facilities every day from Mondays to Sundays from 9 A.M to 3 P.M.
Kona Coffee & Chocolate Plantation Tour
One of the most popular Kona Coffee and Chocolate plantation tours. During the tour, guests will be shown how coffee is grown and produced and what goes on in the chocolate-making journey from bean to bar. They will also get the chance to have a taste of some of the finest samples of both delicacies.
During the tour, visitors can spend as much time as they like in the gift shop, where they can purchase handmade soaps and other items. You can also get personalized tours for groups of 15 people or more.
Kona Joe Coffee Tour
Kona Joe is responsible for the production of the award-winning Kona Joe Trellised Coffee and their tours are truly outstanding. The coffee farm is owned by Joseph & Deepa-Tiare Alban who established it in 1994 to make one of the best Kona coffees in the Hawaii region. You will be astonished at the stunning views of the Kona Coast and the Pacific Ocean which you will get when you go on tour at Kona Joe.
When you go on tour to Kona Joe Coffee farm, you can either go on a general tour around the farm or enjoy a combined guided roasting tour, or visit the farm’s coffee processing plant to see how they make coffee ready for consumption.
Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary
If you want to go on a Kona coffee tour for educational and research purposes, the Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary is the best option for you. They have a more educational approach to Kona coffee tours than other coffee farms in this review. Since 1982, the Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary has hosted botanical tours and educational programs that showcase the Sanctuary’s plants and ecosystem.
While you’re benefiting from the educational approach to tours, Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary also ensures you enjoy maximum relaxation. Their tour package includes a six-hour luxury Kona Coffee and Brewery tour, a visit to Ola Brew which is one of Hawaii’s finest breweries, seeing the green sea turtles at the Kaloko-Honokohau National Park, and much more.
Heavenly Hawaiian Kona Coffee Farm Tour
Heavenly Hawaiian Kona Coffee farm grows and roasts 100% Kona coffee in the hills of Holualoa. The farm was founded by Dave & Trudy Bateman in 1994 and they have since been producing truly heavenly coffee. If I had to conduct a repeat coffee tour after my recent tour, I’d choose the Heavenly Hawaiian Kona Coffee farm.
I particularly like Heavenly Hawaiian Kona Coffee farm because of its range of coffee products. They have a wide variety of processed Kona coffee products that are simply amazing. I love their branding too. The aesthetics of the coffee product is inviting enough to make you crave them. If you visit the coffee farm, you will realize it is not called Heavenly Hawaiian Kona Coffee farm for nothing.
Green World Coffee Farm Tour
Green World Coffee farm is another incredible location offering one of the best Kona coffee farm tour experiences. The farm is probably the smallest among this list of coffee farms in Hawaii and it is situated on the famous North Shore of Oahu Hawaii. Green World coffee farm consists of 7 acres of land that spans approximately +3,000 arabica coffee trees.
There is so much to see when you visit the Green World Coffee farm. They offer free tours of their farm daily from 9 A.M to 5 P.M. The only days in the year when Green World coffee farm is not open are Christmas and Thanksgiving. You can waltz into the farm even without bookings and enjoy a tour of the farm. Side attractions at the farm include an outstanding espresso bar, a retail shop that offers a wide variety of freshly roasted coffee as well as local products that make great gifts.
Green World Coffee farm is located at 71-101 Kamehameha Hwy Wahiawa, HI 96786. From Mondays to Fridays, the farm is open from 7 A.M to 5 P.M while on Sundays and Saturdays closing times are extended by an hour to 6 P.M. To learn more, please visit https://www.greenworldcoffeefarm.com/pages/about-us.
Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation
Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation is another coffee farm in Hawaii offering premium Kona coffee tours. They’re exceptional for their award-winning Kona coffee grown and processed in their plantation. The farm calls its coffee tours a 100% Kona Coffee tasting and conducts ‘coffee talks’. During these ‘talks,’ visitors get to understand how the Mountain Thunder grows, processes, grades, and roasts coffee.
Nestled on the lush, volcanic slopes of the Hualalai volcano, visitors to the Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation are treated to free samples of coffee as they walk through the overwhelming and breathtaking scenery of the coffee plantation. Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation is located at 73-1944 Hao St, Kailua-Kona, Island of Hawaii, HI 96740-8689.
Royal Kona Coffee Center
Royal Kona Coffee Center offers tourists a wide variety of coffee and tea samples. When I visited the Royal Kona Coffee Center, I was astonished at its stunning atmosphere and beautiful views. You will enjoy walking through the lava tube, seeing how a coffee mill works and climbing into a mango tree house. The center also provides locally crafted gifts for everyone as they take visitors on an educational and entertaining tour of how coffee is grown and processed.
Hala Tree Coffee
Imagine touring through a coffee plantation and the air around you swept through by the gentle ocean breeze. This is the sort of experience you get at the Hala Tree Coffee farm tour. If you are looking for a great place to rewind and relax, then you should visit the Hala Tree Coffee farm. They offer personalized tours where visitors walk through the farm’s fields and learn about the entire coffee process from its growth, processing, and distribution.
A visit to the Hala Tree Coffee promises to be a lovely experience. The farm provides you with a roaster guide who will teach you how coffee is processed and roasted and its impacts on flavors. Visitors take part in two production roast processes and will be allowed to run the second one alone. During my visit, I was wowed by the unique coffee flight experience the farm offers. You get served three coffees of your choice in a French Press – absolutely awesome.
A Kona coffee farm tour at Hala Tree is free. However, the coffee roasting and brewing tours cost $20 per person. The farm is located at 82-5966 Mamalahoa Hwy, Captain Cook, HI 96704. To book a tour, please visit https://halatreecoffee.com/farm-tour/.
Mauka Meadows
Mauka Meadows boasts of a beautiful coffee plantation which is naturally inviting. They are one of the top producers of fine-tasting Kona coffee and their tours are usually an exhilarating experience from the many reviews I have read about them.
The farm is located at 75-5476 Mamalahoa Hwy, Holualoa, HI 96725. Currently, you have to call and place a reservation before you will be allowed to visit and tour Mauka Meadows. To book a reservation, call (808) 323-3636.
Greenwell Coffee Farm & Kealakekua Bay Tour
Greenwell Coffee farm offers a tour of its farm and the Kealakekua Bay. The bay is located on the Kona coast of the island of Hawaiʻi about 19 km south of Kailua-Kona. It is a hotspot for kayaking, scuba diving, and snorkeling. If you would like to mix seeing a coffee farm and some scuba diving or snorkeling, then you are welcome to the Greenwell Coffee Farm and Kealakekua Bay tour.
Sunshower Farms
Sunshower Farms is one of the most exceptional coffee farms on this list of Kona coffee plantations. They are the only farm that offers light roast coffee. This coffee variety is lovely and if you’ve not tasted it before, it is a good reason to visit Sunshower Farms. Their tours and tasting program is exceptional too. The farm has a pretty good atmosphere and landscape that is alluring and accommodating.
Tour Sunshower Farms today to see how they grow and process their coffee with a light roast. The farm is located at 76-1297 Waiono Ranch Rd. Holualoa, HI 96725. For details about tour reservation, directions, and operational hours, please visit Sunshowercoffee.
History of Kona Coffee
Coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world after water. Kona coffee is a brand of coffee that is cultivated on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the North and South Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii. The name Kona is used to distinguish the coffee produced in the Kona districts which offer a fine weather mix for the cultivation of coffee.
The first time coffee came to the Kona district was in 1828 when Samuel Reverend Ruggles brought some Brazilian cuttings. Henry Nicholas Greenwell, an English merchant then moved to the area and his contributions made Kona coffee an established brand by the end of the 19th century. Today, Kona coffee has become the trademark product of the Kona district in Hawaii.
Kona Coffee Farm for Sale
Owning a coffee farm can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Knowing that you produce one of the finest coffees produced anywhere on the planet and probably in outer space—and that it’s always fresh, too! There are several listings where you can find a Kona coffee farm for sale.
If you have made up your mind on buying a Kona coffee farm, it is quintessential to note that there are two types of ownership in Hawaii. It includes Fee Simple and LeaseHold. The former is the typical way of owning properties in the United States while the latter is a little bit different. This guide on How to Buy a Kona Coffee Farm is an incredible resource to consult.
How Many Coffee Farms on the Big Island?
There are now more than 900 coffee farms on the Big Island. Although some of these farms are not certified coffee farms, they are still operational and all offer tours to people who would like to learn the coffee cultivation and production process or simply relax by walking through nature.
Where Can I Go Coffee Tasting on the Big Island?
There are several coffee farms where you can go for coffee tasting. Some of the farms to go to for coffee tasting on the Big Islands. See our list of best kona coffee farms, you might make your decision after reading about different locations.
Best Time to Visit Kona Farms
Timing is quintessential to enjoying your trip to Kona farms. The best time to visit Kona farms is between April to June and between September to December. During these months, the weather is cooler and more inviting and would add to the overall experience you will get visiting these farms.
FAQs
The following questions have been answered to provide perspective on the best Kona coffee tours in Hawaii. These are some of the frequently asked questions as regards the subject matter of this article.
Conclusion
Kona coffee tours are a great avenue to relax, enjoy nature, and have some coffee tasting. Some of the best Kona coffee farm tours include Kona Coffee Living History Farm, Greenwell Farm Tour & Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Kona Coffee & Chocolate Plantation Tour, Kona Joe Coffee Tour, Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary, Heavenly Hawaiian Kona Coffee Farm Tour, and Green World Coffee Farms.
