Kauai Coffee Company

After years of meditation and mindfulness, I’ve trained myself to see annoyance as signs of opportunities to discover something new. Yes, I will get annoyed in the moment. But, if I stay patient and ground my own energy – there is a very high change that the seemingly annoying situation has a gift for me.

Such was the situation I found myself, as I stood in the car rental line at Budget rental car in Kauai. The first sign that what seemed like a delay was actually holding a gift was when my Fastbreak number wasn’t displayed – even though I’d attached it to my reservation when I made my reservation. So, I turned the inconvenience of standing in line turned into receiving a complimentary upgrade from the car I’d reserved into to a convertible.

The second situation was overhearing a conversation that I desperately did not want to hear. However, Certain People enjoy passive aggressively bragging – loudly – about how much they know of the area. It’s a very specific energy of people, in a situation outside of their main home area, trying to find a sense of  social stratification in a unique situation. Henceforth, passing time waiting for a turn at the rental check out counter, to get a vehicle to get on with your day.

Such is how I found myself listening to a random guy’s conversation, discussing the great time he’d had at Kauai Coffee Company to another guy.

Immediately, I heard it, searched it, saw where it was and filed it away in my mental cabinet.

Funny enough, when the concierge at 1Hotel Hanalei Bay suggested I drive to Waimea Canyon State Park, I knew that I wanted to stop by Kauai Coffee Company along the way.

Unlimited Coffee Tastings? Yes!

So, on a rainy day in Kauai, I found myself driving into the Kauai Coffee Company parking lot.

When I enter the main building, it felt cozy – and filled with stuff to buy. The museum and the tastings are in the outdoor area, past the gift shop. After a look around, that is exactly where I found myself.

Now, they stress in various signage that you can have unlimited coffee tastings. However, I just wanted three.

First, I tried the KAUAI COFFEE RUM BARREL AGED COFFEE. The coffee beans are aged in charred oak barrels used to create Koloa Rum, which is a rum distillery on Kauai. Loved it.

Next, I had a taste of the KAUAI COFFEE SALTED CARAMEL COFFEE. It felt cozy and delicious.

My final taste was of the KAUAI COFFEE VANILLA MACADAMIA NUT COFFEE, a decaffeinated coffee using the Swiss Water Process. Again, great flavor profile.

My three tastes of the Kauai Coffee Company’s coffees were really solid and provided a great opportunity to taste the island’s bounty – in coffee form. I enjoyed the distinct flavor profiles of the medium roasts.

Each sip of each tasting cup simply made me happy.

Plus, I loved walking around the self guided area of the coffee tour.

 

Turns out, overhearing a rambling guy pontificating about bullshit inadvertently benefited me. Love it when that happens.

My New Hat!

A special treat for myself is that the only thing I’d personally wanted from Hawaii was a hat.

That’s it. Just a hat.

At Kauaʻi Coffee Company, I saw a hat that I’d absolutely LOVED. However, I didn’t want to wear something that was more neutral in tone, vs advertising Kauaʻi Coffee Company on the patch.

When I returned back home, I found myself still wanting the hat. So, one thing led to another and I actually found the PERFECT version of the hat from using Google Image Search – at Whirled Planet.  I love the hat even better than I thought I would.

My trip to Kauai Coffee Company was a testimony to allowing life to lead you to unexpected places – with surprise happiness as a result.

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