We are newly (last few months) converted coffee lovers. I think it became apparent when two family members, on different sides, gifted us a fancy coffee maker and rare beans. I can’t say we know our bean roasts or recommend a good brand of coffee, yet, but I can say that the locally grown Lion Coffee brand – toasted coconut blend – is our first choice for jump-starting the day.

In honor of National Coffee Day, and our newly found addiction, here’s a little history of Coffee in Hawaii and some places we recommend visiting if you are a coffee connoisseur:

DID YOU KNOW?
THE STATE OF HAWAII IS THE ONLY STATE IN THE UNITED STATES TO GROW COFFEE COMMERCIALLY.

(not to be mistaken with US territories such as Puerto Rico which also farms coffee. Additionally, at the time of writing this, California and Georgia are now running experimental coffee farms to see the potential of a (U.S) continental farm).

The state of Hawaii consists of eight main islands: Big Island (aka Hawaii Island), Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Kauai, and Niihau. Although we are the most isolated population on earth, the islands are world suppliers of ambrosial coffee. Out of the eight islands, five grow coffee commercially. Cultivation of the Coffee bean, primarily the Arabica bean,  began alongside the Sugarcane industry in 1800’s. The first introduction to the crop started around 1828 on the Big Island which would later birth its familiar name “Kona-Coffee.”

Coffee is grown and exported year round in Hawaii. For a time, industrial Hawaii had two primary money crops, sugar, and coffee. Seeing that our largest sugar factories shut down, I think it’s safe to say that, with over 8,000 acres on 790+ farms, coffee won that debacle. However, in global sales, Hawaii is a drop in the bucket that is the coffee industry.

Other than Lion Coffee – Coconut Blend, throughout our travels our favorites would have to be:
Mary: Santorini Coffee (Santorini, Greece)
Reid: Columbian Coffee (Key West, Florida)

Click here and here for more info on coffee and specifically, the facts about coffee in Hawaii.

In honor of Coffee Day, this post was created to fill you in on some info you may not have known and if you’re a coffee loving tourist, hopefully, we pointed you in the right direction. This post was not sponsored. Thank you for reading, have a beautiful moment!