United States
Hawaii (HI)
Island of Hawaii
Kailua-Kona
Things to Do in Kailua-Kona
Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation
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Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation

See all things to do
See all things to do
Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation
4.5
1,211
#2 of 82 Shopping in Kailua-Kona
Speciality & Gift Shops • Farms
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9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
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About
Welcome to Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation, where visitors of all ages are invited to experience how our award-winning Kona coffee is grown and processed. We offer free 100% Kona Coffee tasting and conduct "coffee talks" to describe growing, processing, grading and roasting our coffees. Located less than 20 minutes above the town of Kailua-Kona at 3,200 ft above sea level, our organic farm is nestled on the lush, volcanic slopes of the Hualalai volcano. The mild climate, rich soil, and perfect balance of sunshine and rainfall allow us to grow truly exceptional coffee, which slowly ripens to perfection before being hand-picked, processed, and roasted. Enjoy free samples of our finest coffees, be inspired by the breathtaking scenery of our cloud forest location, and gain an appreciation for the journey coffee makes from the farm to your cup.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
1,211 reviews
Excellent
738
Very good
354
Average
77
Poor
19
Terrible
23
Rebeccatheornurse
San Francisco, CA43 contributions
A great tour and delicious coffee samples!
Nov 2021 • Couples
Free tour of a working coffee farm. My husband and I went up for a visit because neither one of us had ever been to a working coffee farm and really didn’t know much about it. There are two different tours to choose from, and we opted to see and learn about the roasting process. Our tour guide was very informative; we were the only two people she accompanied, as it was almost closing time, but she gave us (what I suspect to be) the same in-depth information she would give a large group, in the same style of delivery she would for a large group. It wasn’t a long tour, and definitely not exhaustive for someone that may have trouble walking or standing. Free samples of coffee were available outside of the gift shop, and that coffee sold me. After our tour, we hit that gift shop and brought home delicious coffees and coffee berry tea (that stuff is a trip—smells like coffee, drinks like a sweeter tea!), and other souvenirs. I signed up for email notifications, which gave a small discount at the counter, but also in Black Friday got an email for discounts on that delicious coffee! We are fans of the Black & Tan and the Brown & Tan. The drive up is pretty easy from the highway, with signs to help guide the way, and scenic. Overall, a good experience that can be easily worked into a day trip without cutting into too much of your day.
Written December 22, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Bean-Buggles
Plumsteadville, PA380 contributions
Location in the cloud forest is amazing
Aug 2021 • Friends
The drive to this plantation is thru tropical vegetation at 3200ft elevation. We arrived at opening to avoid the crowds and rain that usually start around 11am. We were warmly greeted by the staff and Margie the cat. They had three coffee samples out to try. A brief tour was given every 30 minutes explaining the coffee growing, harvesting, and roasting processes. The equipment is right at the entrance so the tour does not venture into the farm, which was a disappointment. There is a short self guided Nature Trail that you can pay for at the gift shop for $10, which we enjoyed. The viewing deck at the end of the trail is nice. They also have a lava tube you can view from the walk but you cannot enter. The gift shop is nice with lots of items available. Even though the tour wasn’t thru the farm and only 3 varieties were available for tasting, we really liked the location in the cloud forest, the taste of the coffee, the gift shop, and the nature trail. If it weren’t Covid-times, the UTV tour would have been great to do. If you only have time to visit one coffee farm during your visit, carefully research the different farms, their tour options, and hours as some are closed certain days of the week. Use Trip Advisor to get an idea of what the tour is like during Covid as many farms have cut back significantly. While we were at Mountain Thunder we were surprised that people were taking cabs to get to the plantation because they didn’t have a rental car. It’s a very short visit since the tour is brief and only three varieties were available for tasting. We stayed about 45 minutes really taking our time. At Greenwell’s we stayed two hours. Again, just weigh your options and fo your research. The location at Mountain Thunder is beautiful and we were happy to visit and spend time here.
Written August 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
tropical_art
San Diego, CA118 contributions
Beautiful farm and view
Nov 2021
It was an easy drive to get up to 3200 feet where Mountain Thunder is located. We arrived right when they opened at 9am. I'm glad that we did because the parking filled up fast. When we arrived it was unclear at first which tour to sign up with. We then received clarification that the next coffee tour was in 30 minutes. We didn't feel like waiting that long so we just did the self-guided tour thru the cloud forest and lava tubes. There was a "sale" that day so we only paid $8 each for the tour. It was a very short tour. If you go at a leisurely pace, you can do it in 10-15 minutes. It's a great view of the city below when you look down from the patio area.

The shop is really cute with lots of interesting things to buy. The coffee was good too although I'll admit that I liked the coffee better at another farm we stopped at the other day. Still worth a visit to compare and contrast various coffee farms in the area. Also, it isn't every day that you get to visit a cloud forest.
Written December 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Stephanie K.
Campbell, CA14 contributions
Tourist trap-not worth your time!
Dec 2021 • Couples
Do not go here unless you want a tourist trap
that takes twice as long to get here as you need to spend there.

We came here because the coffee plantation we wanted to visit wasn’t open, after the hours weren’t published correctly on another review website, so we searched for what was opened and went here. We arrived at 3:15 with 45 minutes until closing and we’re greeted upon entering and told there was a free tour at 3:30 or we could do the self-walking tour through the coffee fields and see the lava tubes for $10 each. We decided to try the coffee samples while we discussed what to do since we were told we didn’t have time to do both before closing. My husband grabbed a cup of sample coffee (which is set up outside) and the woman in the gift shop came out and yelled at him to put his mask on. He explained he had just taken his mask off to drink a sample, but was taken aback.
We decided it would be more worth our while to do the walking tour to see the coffee plants and lava tubes (basically small caves and caverns created by lava), so we paid our $20, signed the waiver and went to go do the walking tour. 8 minutes later, we were done, and that was probably 3 minutes longer than we needed. To call that a “walking tour” and charge $10 a person is a complete con. We walked down the path, which was basically like walking down the driveway into someone’s garden. We saw two lava tube caverns, from the path, and a handful of small coffee plants with no berries. That’s it. There is a nice view and a deck with some picnic tables, but to call that a walking tour is a gross misrepresentation and they should be ashamed charging people $10 for that. A complete tourist trap. And my husband wanted me to add that the coffee wasn’t even that great.
Written December 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Ron M
Sunriver, OR11 contributions
Great Coffee from a Great Organization
Nov 2021
Recently during a visit to the Big Island I wanted to visit one of the better coffee farms and tasteTRUE Kona coffee. Our Family decided to try Mountain Thunder…we were very impressed…but what we weren’t expecting is to find a business that believes in relationships along with their premier coffee and products!
We made a purchase of a couple different coffees to take home…wonderful coffee…which has resulted in re orders.
It is more expensive than coffee you buy at your local supermarket BUT…IF you enjoy “top-shelf” coffee…and want to do business with a “top-shelf “ company look no further…Mountain Thunder Coffee!
I’m blessed we have discover them…and we REALLY enjoy their coffees!
Written January 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
blair b
1 contribution
Disappointed in the owner
Feb 2022 • Friends
The coffee was good, but the owner was one of the rudest individuals I have ever met. A group of teenage girls all bought his coffee and he kicked them out and told them to never come back because their group was too large. None of the other workers said anything and the group leader called the owner multiple times to confirm the tour. We would have left much sooner if we had known the group was too large but no one said anything. Not to mention the tour was all outdoors and everyone was wearing a mask. Sad to see someone so angry with the world they have to take it out on teenage girls who are paying his salary.
Written February 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
wine_travels0690
Harrow, Canada45 contributions
Well worth a visit
Oct 2022
We did this tour on the morning we were leaving the Big Island and I am so glad we did. The tour and guide were very informative and the tour was just long enough without being boring. We also did the short hike ($10 fee for the group) and enjoyed seeing the vegetation and lava tubes. The coffee tastings were nice and we bought coffee to bring home. We loved Margie the cat!
Written October 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Robin W
14 contributions
Coffee Tour
Sep 2022 • Family
The tour was very informative & FREE It rains in the early afternoon, but umbrellas are provided. The walking tour is $10, but it was not doable for walkers & canes when asphalt was slick from the rain. The coffee is marvelous! The cat is pretty cool too! The flowers ate gorgeous.
Written October 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
NewsByScott
Phoenix, AZ214 contributions
Bean there done that
Jul 2022 • Couples
We are not coffee drinkers but wanted to be educated on the process since we were here in Hawaii (Kona )which is really only one of two places in the USA that grows coffee— we learned that on the free tour ! The drive to the place was stunning and the 20 min tour was the perfect amount of time to learn a bit about the industry. We tried the sample but alas.. we still don’t like the taste of coffee. Whether or not you drink coffee this was a great way to spend a bit of time and it was FREE
Written July 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
csb808
Knoxville, TN41 contributions
tour just okay. Condescending tour guide!
Jan 2020
There are over 200 coffee plantations on the Big Island. We chose this particular one because it was within about 15 minutes to the airport and we had plenty of time to kill. Lovely drive up to the plantation with fabulous views of the ocean. We took the 30-minute free tour. The tour guide started out by explaining exactly what a coffee seed is what it looks like on a bush etc. Then the history of the coffee seed etc. All of which was fascinating. She would ask open-ended questions to see what our group knew. When anyone answered she responded with kind of snotty answer calling people "Sweetie". Kind of slapping people down when they were wrong. We all basically stopped answering her question because she just made us feel stupid. She talked really fast. If you just listened to her info, it was quite informative. When one of the people noted that she always called it a coffee "seed", not a 'bean" she looked at him with disgust and said "why would I call it a bean, it's not a legume." I thought that was an interesting fact but she could have said it without the attitude. We did buy some coffee but chose not to do the ATV tour.
Written February 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Aon
Aloha csb808, Thank you for taking the time to review our farm. We really strive to make every visitor's experience at Mountain Thunder the best. The only way we can continuously improve is understand how people feel about their experiences here. We will incorporate your review into our training manual .... in the category of what NOT to do. Thanks again for your input. Please consider visiting again on your next trip to Kona. Mahalo, John
Written February 5, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation (Kailua-Kona) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation
Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation is open:
  • Sun - Sat 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
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