No Kona Coffee In Kona

I mentioned earlier this week how much I enjoyed touring one of the coffee plantations in Kona during our recent trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. Prior to this trip, I had visions of dropping by local coffee houses around Kailua each morning and slowly sipping rich Kona brew as the waves gently crashed against the rocks. It would be a week of island coffee bliss. Well, FAT CHANCE.

Other than Lava Java (right on the beach with an incredible view), there just wasn't much to crow about in the way of Kona coffee houses. There are very few coffee shops around the town and the ones that are located along the main tourist strip, really don't do the best job brewing the beans that these hardworking farmers spend years trying to perfect. I found it rather odd and a little disappointing.  As a result, we drank Nespresso cappuccinos  most mornings (thank goodness I packed that machine with us. See previous blog post) and only drank Kona coffee in Kona a few occasions.

I guess it's like anything else, you send your good stuff elsewhere.

 Lava Java in Kailua

 View from Lanai at Lava Java

Surrounded by White/Talking Flat White

Now that the great Christmas snowstorm has passed us by here in the Northeast, I finally have a moment to write. The past few days have mainly been about shoveling, shoveling and then shoveling. Oh, and it's possible that I made a killer sled run for tiny roast and "others" to use.

All this flat white got me to thinking about a new coffee that appears to be all the rage in the United Kingdom right now. It's called the flat white. I first read about it on the jimseven blog. In the comments on the blog, it was described as a strong small latte. It was originally created in New Zealand and involves pouring the steamed milk from the bottom of the container to create a velvety smooth drink.

Even though I have yet to find this in the states, I believe that it is similar to the micro-steam systems used at shops like Bourbon Coffee and other small independents. Here is another explanation I found for the differences in your standard mainline coffee drinks and the flat white.

latte 4:1 textured milk to espresso
cappuccino 3:1 frothed milk to espresso
flat white 2:1 (minimally) textured milk to espresso
macchiato 1:1 milk to espresso

Sounds like an intriguing drink and I would like to find out how to make it at home. So now I have flat white in my back yard and flat white on my mind. I am going to make me a Nespresso as I ponder this.