Each November on the Big Island, the Kona Coffee Festival kicks off with a jolt -- hee hee. The festival is all about the world class Joe that the sunny side of the Big Island puts out. Big Island Kona is about the mellowest brew in the world, with much more smooth and creamy overtones than sharper, more acidic European-style coffees. The festival is a kick with a whole spate of events spanning the gamut of coffee culture. There are lectures on crafting and cupping coffee, tours of coffee farms, a historical tour of the Greenwell store, which served coffee farmers in the 19th century, a coffee tasting and art stroll in the hip mountain village of Holualoa, and, of course, coffee contests to determine the best beans on the Big Island. Additionally, the festival trots out many other cultural offerings including traditional Hawaiian wood carving stylists, a lantern parade, a beauty pageant, and even a bowling tournament. If you are total coffee zealot, this fest may be worth making a trip as its the best way to easily sample the most righteous Kona beans all in one place (going to all the farms in a car would take weeks if not months). A hui hou!

2007 Kona Coffee Festival

November 2-11 in various locations in the Kona-Kohala District

—Alex, 11/04/07