I Love The Java Jive And It Loves Me.

Every morning without fail; at 6:30AM the grinder kicks in… the sound is music to my ears, and I wake from my slumber with a smile on my face…

…then the dribble of the coffee as it goes through the fresh grinds and into the pot, and the aroma makes it’s way down the stairs and into my room, takes me by the hand, and guides me to the kitchen where I grab my mug and pour…

The thing is, coffee is the ying to wine’s yang.  Okay, maybe that’s not the right way to say it, but the parallels are striking.   The wine comes out at the end of my day; after a long day of work and stress and madness.  Once the sun goes down, I can count on that big ol’ glass of grape juice to bring me back down to earth… calm me down… ease me out of the day.  It brings a smile to my face with subtle aromas and flavors.

Then, when the sun comes up again, coffee eases me into the new day.  It wakes me up and gets me going.  It brings a smile to my face with subtle aromas and flavors.  Some might think it sad, but I find comfort in knowing that these two liquids are the guiding forces in my life; (come to think of it maybe that is sad, but what the heck- ignorance is bliss).

Earlier this year, I was shown just how similar coffee and wine can be when I was on a little Hawaiian vacation with my wife, and we visited the Kaui Coffee Company and estate on the beautiful island of Kauai.

The GPS guided us to the estate via a winding 2-lane road with rows of coffee plants on either side (much like many-a-vineyard I’ve been to).  Upon arrival, the aromas of coffee were all around us, and we were immediately directed to the tasting area.

Tasting area?

Yes, at the Kauai Coffee Company, behind the gift shop, there is a tasting area with no less than two dozen stations for coffee tasting.  I couldn’t believe it.  They grow several varieties of coffee beans on the estate, and different areas of the property are better suited for certain types of beans, (again, sounds a lot like wine, doesn’t it?)  Their varieties include Kauai Sunrise, Blue Mountain, Peaberry, Poipu Estate and Koloa Estate.  On top of that, they have different roast options:  light, medium and dark (sounds like the oak toasting options of wine barrels!)

Needless to say I took my little complimentary paper coffee cup and had a field day, tasting just about every option they had.  The funny thing was, I found myself sniffing my paper cup, and swirling the coffee before each taste, like I was at a wine tasting.   Each of the coffees that I sampled had distinct flavors and aromas, and comparing and contrasting was fun.  Like at a wine tasting, I eventually fried my palate and they all tasted the same.  That was about the time the buzzing in my ears wouldn’t go away and the nervous twitch on the left side of my face became noticeable.  Thanks to the two dozen plus coffee samples and the Hawaiian cane sugar that I liberally applied to them, my eyes were wide open for the duration of the day.

And guess what… Just like a winery, I picked up a card on the way out which had all of the information I needed to sign up for the Estate Coffee Club, which provided convenient shipments shipped to my home once a month.  While I didn’t join the club, I ordered some coffee for the house.  My favorites?  Poipu Estate and Blue Mountain.

Of course I had my morning cup earlier today.  But I digress…  I need to figure out what bottle of wine I’m going to open tonight…