Wanderlust

We had time to kill. Our flight out of Big Island (sob! sob!) was some eight hours away. We decided to drive along the cliff-hugging road that goes from Kona to South Point on Big Island.

And, then, quite accidentally, we found Kona Joe.

Glad we did. It definitely was one of the most beautiful coffee estates I have ever seen. What a view from the verandah of the coffee tasting room.

A view of 'Kona Joe's coffee estate

The tasting room was, well, tastefully decorated. I tried the ‘100% Kona’ blend, and it was quite nice and light, with a faint hint of aged oak ( I made the last part up, to sound like a coffee aficionado ). We met up with a Brazilian boy, who was interning at the coffee estate as part of his Agricultural studies. He wanted to know if I was Brazilian, because I had a cap with ‘Brasil’ written on it, a souvenir from my visit to Rio couple of years back. ‘Obrigado’, I said, but no, I am not a Brazilian.

Back to the coffee. It was real nice coffee. I heard that they grow coffee on trellis, just like grapes are grown. In fact, they use a lot of wine growing techniques in coffee growing. May be that explains the taste?

Another interesting thing there was the ‘Barack O’ blend of coffee, honoring the Big O.

We hung around the coffee estate for an hour, enjoying the nice sea breeze, and soaking in the great view down to the ocean.

Passing the time in 'Kona Joe's coffe estate

I was wondering whether they had a position open for a farm hand! Or, may be, I could redesign their software system, or, perhaps, their webpage? Kona Joe’s would be a great place to spend some time. May be I will even begin to love coffee!

Kona Joe's new farm hand!

While leaving, I saw a great painting outside the tasting room. Learned that Deepa Alban, “Kona” Joe Alban’s wife is a painter, and these were her paintings. A great place to live and paint, for sure. Inspiration must be brewing, and on tap, all the time!

A painting at 'Kona Joe's