Hala Tree Cafe is opening in Honolulu. Its original Kaʻaʻawa store, which opened about two years ago, is now closed, and the Waikīkī location — within Lilia Waikīkī — will celebrate its grand opening on July 1.
The cafe will soft open to the public starting today, June 19 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (starting on June 21, it will be open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.). After its July grand opening, the cafe will be open daily from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The business is known for its farm-to-cup 100% Kona coffee experience. The cafe produces and solely serves 100% Kona coffee sourced directly from its family owned farms on Hawaiʻi Island.
“Kona coffee is known all around the world, so it’s very important to us to showcase a true Hawaiian product,” says Jean Orlowski, who founded Hala Tree Cafe with his wife, Danielle. “Everything is coming from our farm — we manage the farm, we are processing and roasting, and now we are selling the cups of coffee. We only sell the coffee that we are producing; it’s 100% Kona coffee in every cup.”
Customers can find classic coffee drinks — like mochas, lattes, drip coffee and more — that are made exclusively with 100% Kona coffee. The cafe also features new signature beverages, including the hibiscus fizz ($9) — sparkling lemon and hibiscus topped with espresso and cold foam) — Cascara Cola ($7), and summer spritzer ($7). The latter features sparkling citrus, fresh turmeric and spices.
“The Cascara Cola is made with macadamia nuts, vanilla, citrus peel and a bunch of spices, and it’s mixed with sparkling water,” says general manager Brian Webb. “It tastes just like Coca-Cola, but it’s made with cascara, which is the fruit of the coffee tree. The hibiscus fizz is probably going to be our signature drink; it’s a layered sparkling drink with hibiscus syrup, lemon-flavored seltzer water, hibiscus cold foam and a shot of espresso.”
The cafe still has an ube latte, but it’s now called the ‘Uala latte. It features espresso layered with milk and purple sweet potato syrup.
Other drink options include matcha lattes, mango matcha and honey lavender matcha, which is a new option. Customers can also look forward to seasonal offerings in the upcoming months.
“We have a team of six very highly experienced baristas working to create a curated menu,” Webb says.
The Waikīkī location also features an on-site bakery led by in-house pastry chef Abigail Langlas, whose previous culinary experiences include working at Alan Wong’s Restaurant and Neiman Marcus. Customers can look forward to fresh pastries baked daily using locally sourced ingredients, along with a rotating selection of specials.
“The pastry menu here is highly elevated compared to what we were doing in Kaʻaʻawa,” Webb says. “Pastries will be $5 to $9 — some of the more elaborate pastries will be around $9; croissants and smaller scones will be around $5.”
On the cafe’s first day of soft opening, the pastry selection included croissants, almond croissants, cruffins, chocolate croissants, financiers, creme brulee danishes, and quiche Lorraine. Other treats included basque cheesecakes, banana bread, coffee shortbread and toffee brown butter chocolate chip cookies, according to pastry chef Abigail Langlas.
“The coffee shortbread uses our Kona coffee,” Langlas says. “We’ll plan to have a quiche every day, but it’ll (the flavor) probably change.”
While opening a Honolulu location was always part of the plan, Orlowski explains that it was essential to find the right fit.
“We wanted a location that had good exposure, but we are also a little bit on a side road (in Waikīkī), and that’s on purpose,” he says. “We wanted to have enough space (for our customers) to sit.
“Our vision has always been to bring people closer to the source and share the story behind every cup,” he states. “Opening in Waikīkī allows us to welcome even more guests into that experience — whether they’re discovering our Kona coffee for the first time or already love what makes it so special.”
CONTACT
Hala Tree Café
Lilia Waikīkī
2380 Kūhiō Ave., Honolulu
halatreecoffee.com
Instagram: @halatreecoffee
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Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
