On Big Island, in Kailua-Kona, we went to check out a cafe that is in a slightly depressing strip mall, but regardless very promising: Kona Coffee Lounge.

Google maps:

The first thing we noticed was absolute silence inside. No music, no conversation, no noise. Not sure why, but we definitely walked more quietly. A large space inside and a few tables outside make for a great setup.

Overall, the place appears a bit xxl. The nice thing about that is privacy for each group.

The menu is extensive on the food side, and for coffee there was not much to choose from other than ‘Kona Coffee’.

Preparation was very basic. None of the parts were rinsed with hot water to heat them up and get rid of the paper taste of the filter. No scale or timer during the pour. But most sadly, no blooming at all: generally it helps to let the CO2 escape (degas) by adding a small amount of water first and waiting for about half a minute.

Here, half the total amount of water went in right away, then as soon as the water level went down the rest went in. Probably not ideal to ensure even extraction.

The food was very tasty though; we liked the waffle with fruits most.