I am sitting in my dungeon of an office, and outside, I know it is drizzling cold rain... but I don't despair... why? Because I am sipping on a wonderful cup of Kona Coffee... but even that is not the whole story!

In August, I travelled to Kona with my son, Chris, who is a cofee roaster, to do some deep sea fishing. While we were there, we went up to Kaloko mauka, and visited the Mountain Thunder coffee plantation ( you may have seen them on Mike Roe's Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel). We got to meet the owner, Trent Bateman, and his family, who raise, process and roast coffee, right there on site.

Trent was kind enough to sell us some green bean, which we brought back to the Pacific Northwest. I also got to spend some time with Trent and his wife down at the Kona Inn, gazing at a priceless Kona sunset!

My son, Chris, roasted the beans for me, and I grind it and brew it daily. Now, while I drink it, I bask in the memories of touring the coffee plantation, Kona Sunsets, slack key Hawaiian guitar music, and deep sea fishing.

Now THAT is a coffee break!

If this sort of thing appeals to you, I highly encourage you to plan a vacation around it!


Tours and tasting are available daily at Mountain Thunder plantation. Here is their website:
http://www.mountainthunder.com

Air travel and hotels are most expensive during the peak tourist season, which is during summer vacation and at Christmas. IF you can travel during the shoulder season (after Labor Day, but before Christmas), you can get a round-trip ticket to Honolulu for only about $350. This also corresponds with the coffee picking season in Kona.

Aloha,

Tim