Trip Report: Waimea Coffee Company (Waimea, HI)
Posted by TheShot on 24 Mar 2008 | Tagged as: Beans, Foreign Brew
In a red-painted colonial village center, Parker Square, next to the Waimea General Store, this café offers coffee and lunch items with an exceedingly laid-back, friendly staff. They have a few outdoor café tables for two in front and several indoor tables. And like any good coffee place on the Big Island, they offer French press specials of some of the island’s finest Kona and other coffees — plus some rather amazing coconut macaroons.
The Waimea Coffee Company gets their coffee from local estates who roast — or from Hilo Coffee Mill on the east side of the island (who themselves aggregate from local estates). But for their espresso, they offered a Hawaiian-only blend from nearby boutique roaster, Cass Coffee of Hilo.
This is typical of the coffee conundrum the Big Island represents: it grows some excellent (and highly priced) coffees, but much of it isn’t suitable for making a decent espresso. Island coffees often do not shine under the darker roasts that typically round out the body and the rest of the flavor profile of a solid espresso. But the stuff can be excellent in a French press or, in particular, as vacuum brewed (i.e., vac pot) coffee.
Using a two-group La Cimbali M30 Classic, the barista steps through some deliberately good tamping and thorough flushing with hot water. They pull espresso shots with a pale, even, slightly textured crema of a modest thickness. (The barista will drink the other half of a double shot if you order a single.)
The result is what you’d expect from an espresso made exclusively with Hawaiian beans: very bright and little body, heavy on the high notes, but no bass. Flavorwise, it is pungent with a flavor of some tobacco and a not unpleasant touch of ash. Served in classic brown Nuova Point generic knock-off cups.
Chatting it up with the local, friendly barista, we apparently learned of a local Hawaiian who travels the Big Island “tasting espresso like a sommelier”. We obviously need to hook up with this guy, but never encountered him in our travels.
Read the review of Waimea Coffee Company.
4 Comments »
Ciao-Aloha!
I’m glad you found a decent espresso on the Big Island. After my first disappointing attempt at Kona espresso, I decided to French-press it henceforth. Your observations re Hawaiian coffee seem on the mark. Great stuff, given the right preparation. And let’s not forget the coconut macaroons! Yummers!
Thanks, Wayne. More to come in the coming days on the Big Island…
It’s been a while since your post, “Trip Report: Waimea Coffee Company (Waimea, HI)”, but I noticed your brief reference to a La Cimbali M30 Classic.
Do you have any/much experience with that machine? I’m looking into getting one for commercial use and am wanting some advice.
Thanks!
~ Devin
Wish I had something useful to offer on the machine, but unfortunately we don’t.