The two-passport coffee guide
The best cafés in Hawaii and Colombia, rated cup by cup — by someone who takes his coffee in two time zones. Plus a fresh shot of coffee humor, every single day.
“Be happy. Drink coffee. Repeat until pleasant.”
Chapter 01 · Aloha in a cup
Kona is the headline, but Oʻahu's café bench runs deep — from a Mānoa neighborhood counter to a Waikiki roastery pouring single-origin like it's sacred. Here's where I actually spend my island mornings, ranked and rated.
The neighborhood cup worth crossing the island for.
Tucked into leafy Mānoa, this is the local's local — an impeccable cortado, pastries gone by ten, and zero pretense. If I get one cup on Oʻahu, it's here.
Kona treated like the treasure it is.
Single-origin Kona brewed with real care, sitting beside the best kouign-amann in the Pacific. Touristy address, deadly serious cup.
Post-beach espresso with a crater view.
A sunny stroll from the sand, ARS pulls a clean shot and scoops gelato that has no business being this good. My standard reward after a Diamond Head hike.
Where Honolulu's coffee nerds actually drink.
A small bar with a big obsession — rotating guest roasters, dialed espresso, and baristas who genuinely want to talk beans. Come curious, leave wired.
Touristy — but that Kona latte earns the line.
Yes there's a line, and yes it's worth it for the Kona latte and an açaí bowl the size of your head. Unapologetic beach fuel, sorted.
A proper roastery cup — order the flight.
Watch the roaster work, then taste your way through a Kona flight. A touch corporate, but the coffee is honest and the education is free.
Chapter 02 · Straight from the source
The country grows the world's coffee and, finally, keeps the best of it at home. Between Bogotá and Medellín, these are the cafés treating Colombian beans with the respect they've always deserved — ranked and rated.
Colombia's best beans, brewed like they mean it.
Cultor treats Colombian coffee the way Colombia deserves — traceable, roasted bright, poured with intent. This is the cup that quietly reset my standards.
The bag you smuggle home; the cup you fly back for.
Pergamino's own farms, roasted beautifully, in a café that's always full for good reason. I've packed more than one suitcase around their beans.
Bright, floral, and quietly changing the trade.
Delicate, aromatic pours backed by a real commitment to the farmers behind them. It feels good, and somehow it tastes even better.
Laureles' finest pour-over, no pretense.
A calm little bar doing precise, thoughtful coffee away from the Poblado crowds. Order the filter, take the window seat, slow all the way down.
The OG of Colombian specialty, still pouring proud.
The house that helped put Colombian specialty on the map. Reliable, roast-forward, and rightfully proud of every cup it sends out.
A velvet-smooth flat white and a place to linger.
Cozy, unhurried, and built for a long morning. The flat white lives up to the name, and nobody will rush you out the door.
I split my life between Waikiki and Bogotá, which means I split my caffeine between two of the best coffee places on earth. Photographer, food critic, professional over-caffeinator.
These ratings are just that — mine. One person's honest cups, poured without sponsorship, ranked because ranking things is fun and coffee is worth arguing about. Found a café I've missed? Good. Tell me.
Be happy. Drink coffee.