Kohala Coffee Mill

Big Island coffee, roasted on site

The counter in Hawi works the way it always has: Big Island coffee roasted a few steps from where it is poured, pastries out of the oven that morning, and most of the seating outside. The historic Kohala Coffee Mill is now run by Hawi Coffee Company, which took the place on and kept roasting there.

The coffee is 100% Big Island, with a 100% Kona nitro cold brew and certified organic tea beside it. Espresso does the rest of the work, and the cortado is the drink the counter is known for, whether straight or as the salted caramel version. The rest of the drinks are broader than a purist roastery: Americano, cold brew, dirty chai, ube latte and a shaken tea lemonade that comes back as a regular special. Oat, soy and coconut milk can all go into a drink, and takeaway drinks go out in compostable cups and lids, which matters in a town this size.

A patio, a couch and a lot of conversation

The room is a gathering place more than a coffee stop. Locals use it as a meeting point, the staff know most of them, waits are short, and there is merchandise to browse and a couch to sit and read on while you wait.

Seating is mostly outdoors, with tables and a patio taking the overflow, which is where the conversations happen. That mix makes it work for both ends of a visit: a quick cup before the drive along the north Kohala coast, or an hour with a book and a second refill.

Start with the cortado, then eat something

Start with the cortado if coffee is the point, since both the plain and the salted caramel version are what regulars order. For something darker and simpler, the Americano is the robust choice. Cold brew and the Kona nitro cover the chilled side, and dirty chai, ube latte, organic tea and the shaken tea lemonade take the order away from straight espresso.

The food is more substantial than the pastry case suggests. Fresh baked pastries are the core, but the counter also does a breakfast burrito melt, chicken pot pie soup, an acai bowl with homemade granola, date bars, brownies and smoothies, with gelato and ice cream for the walk afterwards.