Insightful tour of the tea farm by Taka, and we even got to try out in-season fruit growing on the farm as we walked through the fields! Such a lovely family run farm and reflective tea ceremony. Highly recommend as an authentic view of a slice of life on Hawaii.
Kelli Johnson
Tea ceremony. Education. Protocol. All Covered. My kids loved their experience.
Vivek Shimpi
We had wanted to do a tour but had not made a reservation in time - be sure to make a reservation! However Kimberly was kind enough to let us into her space to purchase some tea on short notice. I am no stranger to delicious tea and this is some of the best I have tried. Treat yourself to some delicious, single source, small batch, handpicked tea!
Black Tea (in pictures): Absolutely delicious. I’ve been trying to pace myself, but I can already tell I’ll be ordering more soon. Brewed shorter, it’s a light, fruity black with notes of peach, banana (surprisingly!), and hazelnut. Brewed longer, it develops a deeper nuttiness while still holding onto those honeyed, fruit-forward notes. The fruity sweetness lingers as a really pleasant aftertaste.
First-Flush Green Tea: Easily among the best green teas I’ve had. I’ve long loved certain Chinese dragonwell varieties, but yours stands out for its smoothness and rich, sweet honeyed character. I brew at a lower temperature — around 70°C — for about four steeps of 150 ml with 3 grams in a gaiwan, each steep around 30 seconds. At this temperature, the tea stays wonderfully sweet, and it’s a joy to taste the leaves unfold. Early steeps bring a rich almond nuttiness with honey overtones and a soft, lingering astringency. As the steeps progress, the nuttiness gives way to an even more pronounced honey note, and the final infusion is clean, light, and bright.
Margarette
We've fallen in love with Mauna Kea Tea. I've purchased many of their teas, and each one has been exceptional. We just finished enjoying the mild, fruity Orthodox Black Tea-it was absolutely lovely. Our love for Mauna Kea's teas inspired us to create a tea room in our home. Now, hosting tea parties with our son and daughter-in-law has become a cherished tradition. What began as a cup of tea has grown into a whole experience. Thank you, Mauna Kea, for producing such wonderfully clean, flavorful tea.
chigirl2028
Wonderful tea tour! Very educational and the ceremony at the end was reverent and peaceful. The tea I purchased here was also excellent.
Karisa Blasco
Amazing experience with Kimberley and Taka. Learned so much about tea growing and Taka did a beautiful tea ceremony after we did a full tour of the property.
Mark Mayer
This is one of my favorite farm tours that I have ever taken. It is a family operation. The farm is very walkable. The guide provides both a Botanical and historical context for the cultivation of tea, infused with a philosophy toward farming and life. If you like tea and want to know more about it, this tour is worth your time.
Evan Liddell
We had such a wonderful time here. Our tour was a Monday and we arrived a little early, this was nice because we got some time to rest in the car before walking and meeting Kimberly with whom we got to share some stories back and forth. We even got to meet their cats!The tour itself was wonderful, we got lucky with a low amount of rain as we walked through the various tea fields. It was so fascinating to learn so much about tea from Taka, who was as knowledgeable as he was humble.There were such a wonderful variety of plants on their property, we particularly enjoyed the mandarin orange tree and the plum tree, and were a little saddened that the avocado tree was taking a year off.The tea ceremony was a truly special experience that we were not necessarily prepared for, we tried to do our best and the whole process really gave me a lot to think on about how I treat my day to day life.At the end I purchased some bancha, coconut green tea and a nice premium bag of green tea. I have already enjoyed some of the bancha and coconut green tea which as a new tea lover really broadened my perspective on how teas could taste. The premium tea I am saving until I can really treat it properly.I would definitely recommend visiting Mauna Kea Tea for a unique and memorable experience.
Jason Ogasian
Terrific tour and experience. I can highly recommend it.
Christie
Our family of three had the pleasure of touring the Muana Kea Tea farm, nestled at a serene 2000 ft. elevation on the slope of the Muana Kea. We were greeted with a warm welcome by Kimberly and Naomi. We were then introduced to the adorable 7-day old Dolly the lamb, and even got to feed her a bottle of milk (Oh how I miss holding little Dolly!) The farm, with its rows of tea plants and various fruit trees, created a picturesque and tranquil setting. Our guide, Taka, shared with us a wealth of knowledge about the art of cultivating tea. The Japanese tea ceremony in a wooden tea house was a graceful finale that we thoroughly enjoyed. At the end of the tour, we had the opportunity to purchase some tea from their shop to bring home. My favorite was the Orchid Dew green tea. Meeting the owners, Taka and Kimberly, and their welcoming family, who exuded genuine hospitality, really enhanced our visit. Thank you Taka, Kimberly, and Naomi for providing such a splendid tour—undeniably one of the highlights of our trip to the Big Island of Hawaii.
This tea experience was fantastic, hosted beautifully and highly recommended.As an extra treat we picked delicious juicy citrus fruits as we ambled through the plantation. The owner, our tea guide for the afternoon was knowledgeable and so kind, made us feel very welcome. The tea is excellent ?
Sean
A tranquil and beautiful location, with a truly unique and amazing experience. Definitely a must!
Woojin Park
World No. 1 tea!!!
Evan Jacoby
Taka and Kimberly have a real gem here. Some of the best tea I've ever had, and so special to drink it in their beautiful tea house overlooking the farm. This is a must-see for anyone interested in tea ceremony or natural farming.
Acsa Buening
My daughter and I had a wonderful experience. So glad we booked it. The property is beautiful and you can feel the love with which Taka and his family care for this land. The tea ceremony at the end was lovely and left us with a serene feeling and appreciation for the land. Highly recommend
Insightful tour of the tea farm by Taka, and we even got to try out in-season fruit growing on the farm as we walked through the fields! Such a lovely family run farm and reflective tea ceremony. Highly recommend as an authentic view of a slice of life on Hawaii.
Tea ceremony. Education. Protocol. All
Covered. My kids loved their experience.
We had wanted to do a tour but had not made a reservation in time - be sure to make a reservation! However Kimberly was kind enough to let us into her space to purchase some tea on short notice. I am no stranger to delicious tea and this is some of the best I have tried. Treat yourself to some delicious, single source, small batch, handpicked tea!
Black Tea (in pictures): Absolutely delicious. I’ve been trying to pace myself, but I can already tell I’ll be ordering more soon. Brewed shorter, it’s a light, fruity black with notes of peach, banana (surprisingly!), and hazelnut. Brewed longer, it develops a deeper nuttiness while still holding onto those honeyed, fruit-forward notes. The fruity sweetness lingers as a really pleasant aftertaste.
First-Flush Green Tea: Easily among the best green teas I’ve had. I’ve long loved certain Chinese dragonwell varieties, but yours stands out for its smoothness and rich, sweet honeyed character. I brew at a lower temperature — around 70°C — for about four steeps of 150 ml with 3 grams in a gaiwan, each steep around 30 seconds. At this temperature, the tea stays wonderfully sweet, and it’s a joy to taste the leaves unfold. Early steeps bring a rich almond nuttiness with honey overtones and a soft, lingering astringency. As the steeps progress, the nuttiness gives way to an even more pronounced honey note, and the final infusion is clean, light, and bright.
We've fallen in love with Mauna Kea Tea. I've purchased many of their teas, and each one has been exceptional. We just finished enjoying the mild, fruity Orthodox Black Tea-it was absolutely lovely. Our love for Mauna Kea's teas inspired us to create a tea room in our home. Now, hosting tea parties with our son and daughter-in-law has become a cherished tradition. What began as a cup of tea has grown into a whole experience. Thank you, Mauna Kea, for producing such wonderfully clean, flavorful tea.
Wonderful tea tour! Very educational and the ceremony at the end was reverent and peaceful. The tea I purchased here was also excellent.
Amazing experience with Kimberley and Taka. Learned so much about tea growing and Taka did a beautiful tea ceremony after we did a full tour of the property.
This is one of my favorite farm tours that I have ever taken. It is a family operation. The farm is very walkable. The guide provides both a Botanical and historical context for the cultivation of tea, infused with a philosophy toward farming and life. If you like tea and want to know more about it, this tour is worth your time.
We had such a wonderful time here. Our tour was a Monday and we arrived a little early, this was nice because we got some time to rest in the car before walking and meeting Kimberly with whom we got to share some stories back and forth. We even got to meet their cats!The tour itself was wonderful, we got lucky with a low amount of rain as we walked through the various tea fields. It was so fascinating to learn so much about tea from Taka, who was as knowledgeable as he was humble.There were such a wonderful variety of plants on their property, we particularly enjoyed the mandarin orange tree and the plum tree, and were a little saddened that the avocado tree was taking a year off.The tea ceremony was a truly special experience that we were not necessarily prepared for, we tried to do our best and the whole process really gave me a lot to think on about how I treat my day to day life.At the end I purchased some bancha, coconut green tea and a nice premium bag of green tea. I have already enjoyed some of the bancha and coconut green tea which as a new tea lover really broadened my perspective on how teas could taste. The premium tea I am saving until I can really treat it properly.I would definitely recommend visiting Mauna Kea Tea for a unique and memorable experience.
Terrific tour and experience. I can highly recommend it.
Our family of three had the pleasure of touring the Muana Kea Tea farm, nestled at a serene 2000 ft. elevation on the slope of the Muana Kea. We were greeted with a warm welcome by Kimberly and Naomi. We were then introduced to the adorable 7-day old Dolly the lamb, and even got to feed her a bottle of milk (Oh how I miss holding little Dolly!) The farm, with its rows of tea plants and various fruit trees, created a picturesque and tranquil setting. Our guide, Taka, shared with us a wealth of knowledge about the art of cultivating tea. The Japanese tea ceremony in a wooden tea house was a graceful finale that we thoroughly enjoyed. At the end of the tour, we had the opportunity to purchase some tea from their shop to bring home. My favorite was the Orchid Dew green tea. Meeting the owners, Taka and Kimberly, and their welcoming family, who exuded genuine hospitality, really enhanced our visit. Thank you Taka, Kimberly, and Naomi for providing such a splendid tour—undeniably one of the highlights of our trip to the Big Island of Hawaii.
Restaurantji Recommends
This tea experience was fantastic, hosted beautifully and highly recommended.As an extra treat we picked delicious juicy citrus fruits as we ambled through the plantation. The owner, our tea guide for the afternoon was knowledgeable and so kind, made us feel very welcome. The tea is excellent ?
A tranquil and beautiful location, with a truly unique and amazing experience. Definitely a must!
World No. 1 tea!!!
Taka and Kimberly have a real gem here. Some of the best tea I've ever had, and so special to drink it in their beautiful tea house overlooking the farm. This is a must-see for anyone interested in tea ceremony or natural farming.
My daughter and I had a wonderful experience. So glad we booked it. The property is beautiful and you can feel the love with which Taka and his family care for this land. The tea ceremony at the end was lovely and left us with a serene feeling and appreciation for the land. Highly recommend
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