T R AV E L
Taste Your Vacation Get hands-on with regional specialties through these edible, immersive experiences. BY N AO M I TOM KY
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WINDERMERE LIVING FALL 2019
Take a break from coffee blending to meet Sunshower Farms’ resident goats.
Visitors to the Sunshower Farms coffee orchard get the full farm-tomug experience.
WILDE SPARROW PHOTOGRAPHY (2)
CREATE A COFFEE From the lanai of Sunshower Farms on Hawai‘i, seemingly endless shades of green intermingle, while on the table, it’s a variety of shimmering browns: each of the five cups of coffee in front of you are an almost imperceptibly different color—at least for now. In a short while, though, you’ll be an expert in distinguishing the difference between each cup, which beans were used, and how they were roasted. And then you’ll roast your own coffee. A day at Sunshower starts with a walk through the orchard to learn just how the same things that make the Kona coast ideal for vacationing—long, sunny mornings and mild weather—make the lush green hills above it perfect for growing coffee. Once you’ve pet all the resident dogs, fed all the goats, and sampled the cherry (fruit) of the coffee tree, you’ll head to the porch to learn to cup (that’s pro speak for tasting coffee). A spread of multicolored cups holds a diverse array of coffees—differences in bean type, processing, and roasting—all grown on the farm stretching out below as you soak in sunshine, coffee, and knowledge. Owner Kate Hickey walks you through the process of cupping like a professional—smelling and slurping to tease out the tiny nuances and hidden flavors of everybody’s favorite aromatic alarm clock. Once you’ve teased out scents of ripe plums and finishes of lingering cherry, understood chocolatey complexity and full-bodied smokiness, it’s time to make your own: Hickey teaches the basics of turning raw green beans into the dark, no longer mysterious, brown gems you usually buy at the store. But not this time; you’ll take home two pounds of your own special blend. sunshowercoffee.com
