Royal Aloha Coffee Mill and Museum

Visit a working coffee mill and sample some of the world’s most coveted coffee.

Kona (on the Big Island) is to coffee like Havana is to cigars: it established a standard that connoisseurs demand but rarely find. Fortunately for coffee drinkers, Kona coffee is perfectly legal in the United States, although the high prices you will pay for this extremely rare commodity make it elusive in other ways. These high prices are a function of the fact that true Kona coffee is grown in a very small 1800 acre region on the Big Island that has ideal soil and climate for coffee growing. When supply is low, and demand is high, well, you know what that does to the prices of things.

These are just a few of the fun facts that you will learn if you visit The Royal Aloha Coffee Mill, Hawaii’s oldest coffee processor. If you tour the mill, you will also learn that coffee processing is a relatively simple process in which the beans are hand-picked, mechanically shelled, roasted, cooled and then bagged. The real magic is not in the processing, but in the growing of perfect beans. For that, you need optimal soil and climate, which can be found in Kona. This is why coffee growers attempt to put the Kona name on their coffee, but if you read the fine print, you will see that their so-called "Kona" coffee is almost always 10% Kona coffee, not 100%.

The 100% Kona Coffee you will find in the Royal Aloha company store is no bargain: a pound of their premium roast will set you back at least $24. A bad harvest can drive this price over $30 per pound. Most of the coffee in the store is sold under the Royal Aloha brand name, although you can also find some coffee sold under the label of their up-and-coming affiliate, The Bad Ass Coffee Company. This name is not a reference to the taste of the coffee but instead refers to the loyal army of donkeys that were once used to move the coffee beans off the Hawaiian mountains. Likely story, but it makes sense! T-shirts and other paraphernalia with the Bad Ass logo are sold in the company store.

Good Value?
So, is the coffee really worth in excess of $24 per pound? It is outstanding coffee, and our personal favorite. Plus, whenever we have a cup, it brings back fond memories of the warm and sunny days we had every day on the Big Island. If you don’t drink it too often, you can afford to have Kona coffee on special occasions (especially weekends and days off!).

Details
The Royal Aloha Coffee Mill and Museum is located in Kealekekua, The Big Island. It is open daily from 9 am to 6 pm. You can place orders over the phone by calling 800-566-2269.

Getting There
You can reach the coffee mill via a four mile long, narrow, and winding road off Route 11 on the windward side of The Big Island. The road is somewhat difficult to find: it is a right turn off route 11 just south of the Kealekekua town center. If you pass the Kona Civic Center on route 11 (while traveling southbound), you have gone too far. Located nearby the mill is Kealakekua Bay, which offers some of the finest snorkeling on the Big Island.

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