1. Visit a Famous Coffee Farm

Hawaii

Hawaii is the only state in the United States where coffee plantations can exist. There are two areas in Hawaii that are famous for growing coffee, the island of Kauai and the district of Kona on the Big Island.

Kauai Island

The Kauai Coffee Estate is the largest coffee farm in the U.S. Here you will be guided on an open-air tram ride through the coffee orchard with a Kauai Coffee staff member. There are stunning views, rich history and an opportunity to plant your own coffee tree in the orchard. This tour goes into the orchard and then past the processing facility. You will get to see the journey coffee takes before it’s poured into your cup. At the end there will be a private sampling of select coffees including a sample of the variety you just planted.

Kona District

Kona coffee on the Big Island is very popular in the coffee scene in Hawaii. The 100% pure Kona coffee is grown only in the higher elevation land of the north and south Kona District. The environment in Kona is perfect for growing coffee because of the constant cloud coverage and rich volcanic soil.

Some of the many small coffee farms in the Kona District:

Kona Coffee Living History Farm

Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation

Greenwell Farms

Hula Daddy Coffee

What a great vacation or honeymoon adventure. I am so excited to check these farms out!

2. Visit a Famous Coffee City

Coffee in Rome sounds amazing. Coffee is a huge part of Italian culture, you almost never encounter a native who doesn’t enjoy it. However, finding a decent espresso in Italy is hard. This is partly because of their old fashioned and traditional barista techniques.

The very best of the nation’s baristas call Rome their home. So, Rome is your best bet for a quality cup.

There are mysterious laws to drinking coffee in Rome. Custom dictates that milky coffees can only be consumed at breakfast. That means a cappuccino for breakfast and a macchiato in the afternoon and espresso for after dinner.

The Most Famous Cafes:

Rosati in Piazza del Popolo,

Bar Rosati, located in the heart of Piazza del Popolo has been a favorite place for coffee, drinks, and snacks, since it opened in 1922.

Sant’ Eustachio by the Pantheon

The Sant’ Eustachio Il Caffe, located in the heart of Rome, is one of the premiere coffee shops in the entire world. Here the 100% Arabica beans are slowly roasted over wood and prepared in the café with great skill. They have customers from all over the world. From the menu, The Gran Caffe is a large cup of their coffee. It is said to be one of the most exquisite coffee experiences in the world.

3. Perfect Latte Art

Since working with FareStart, I’ve been on an exciting journey to better my coffee skills and knowledge of the industry. I know how to make an excellent pour-over and rich espresso. But what about my journey with latte art? It’s an individual art and always a great way to impress your customers and friends. I am a little bit above a novice latte artist, and I hope to master it one day.

With practice anything is possible. There will be more latte art adventures to come!

4. Coffee Soda

There is an innumerable amount of ways to get your coffee fix these day going from regular old drip to nitro but there’s one more method of consumption to add to your caffeine rotation: coffee soda. Coffee soda is really just coffee mixed with soda water; much like a sparkling, iced Americano.

Since I can easily make this interesting beverage from my own kitchen, I will be trying this soon. I will let you know how it goes!

5. The Birthplace of Coffee

Ethiopia is best known birthplace of coffee and home to popular Arabica varieties of coffee. In the 17th century, traders brought the secret of coffee to Arabic countries and Europe, where caused it to become one of the most popular drinks. There are at least two travel companies who specialize in tours of the Ethiopian cities Addis Ababa and Lalibela. Both of these places are famous for their rich heritage from coffee.

Now this sounds like an exciting trip!

6. The Annual World Latte Art Competition

As I have said in my earlier posts the competitiveness of latte art is very intense. This may be difficult for me but there is a whole world full of Baristas ready to compete with each other in a variety of coffee focused competitions. These competitions are managed by World Coffee Events including the World Latte Art Championship, World Barista Championship, World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship and more. Each year these events are hosted at rotating locations all around the world.

I would love to be an audience member of these coffee crazed competitive baristas demonstrating their incredible skills with latte art.

7. The India Monsooned Malabar

I heard of these somewhat rare beans grown as the title says in monsoon season on the Malabar Coast of Karnataka and Kerala in India.

The coffee beans are exposed to blustery monsoon winds for three to four months, causing them to expand in size due to all the moisture in the air.

Growing in monsoon season gives them large, golden coffee beans packed with flavor.

These beans are characterized by their bold and pungent aroma, accompanied with spicy or nutty notes. They have a thick chocolatey flavor great for espresso. This is due to their low acidity.

I can’t wait to try some!

There you have it. This is my coffee bucket list. Thanks for reading!