New coffee shop brings the taste of Hawaii to Kirkland

Published 9:29 am Wednesday, February 18, 2015

A new Kirkland coffee store offers residents the taste of imported coffee from Hawaii, the only state in the union to grow it.

Kameha’s Coffee, which opened in December and is located at 11451 98th Avenue NE, offers people chance to get roasted beans imported from coffee farms on the Hawaiian islands. The store is a family-run operation, owned by Mark and Veronica ColÕn, who live in Hawaii, while their adult children Jessica, Monica and Michael work at the store.

Separating Kameha’s from other coffee shops is the obvious Hawaiian decor that reflects the family’s affection for the islands. A painted mural of Hawaii covers the ceiling, while surfing videos and documentaries about the islands run on the two TVs for customers who have never visited the islands. But the real attraction is the selection of pure Kona coffee, which even tourist sites in Hawaii don’t offer, opting for mixed beans instead. Among the flavors Kameha’s offers are Yellow Caturrai, Kona Oahu and Maui Mokka. In addition to coffee, they also offer Seattle-based Macrina Bakery products and bags of different coffee beans.

The diverse selection also varies in the islands they originated from, including Maui, Kona and Kauai. Each of the islands offers a variation on the same coffee bean due to the distinct soil the beans are grown in as a result of the local volcanic activity.

Jessica ColÕn said they first visited Hawaii in 2000 with their extended family, and after returning numerous times discovered the coffee farms. While people can ship Kona from the islands themselves, she said, it is usually expensive to do so.

The family purchases the coffee directly from the farmers and then it is roasted in Seattle, another way their coffee differs from coffee where the beans are burned in keeping with the traditional Italian-style. Jessica ColÕn said roasting it preserves the coffee’s flavor.

When the ColÕns finally found the right place for their shop they settled on a vacated building formerly occupied by Jack-in-the-Box across from Michael’s near Juanita Village. Mark Colon, a contractor, remodeled the interior.

Coffee orders can be made online at squareup.com/market/kamehas-cup#map. Visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/KamahasCupCoffee.