Drive-Thru Java Joints

Modern culture has attached us to our vehicles.  You have drive-thru fast food, drive-thru liquor stores, and even drive-in movie theaters.  I really enjoy a satisfying cup of Joe, and for some reason, I have always gone to brick and mortar coffee shops.  Enter the drive-thru coffee stand.

I found two of these in Kahului today.  I know I drive past these stands all the time, but I never actually stop to pay any heed.  Well, no longer my friends.

Big Wave Espresso

A fairly recent venture, Big Wave Espresso rests on Dairy Road across from the Shell station.

Letty (not pictured) explained that her husband built the entire structure himself.  I naively asked if the shop is built upon some kind of wooden platform and she said it's actually a trailer.  Duh!  So, the shops are now mobile too!

I ordered a small drip blend to-go and noticed they had a full selection of coffee drinks, sorbets, and smoothies.














Akamai Coffee Co.

Recently celebrating 3 years in business, Akamai Coffee Co. - akamai means "smart" in Hawaiian - also sits right off of Dairy Road.  You can't miss this Caribbean-blue box that calls like an oasis in the vast gray mass that is the Home Depot parking lot.  Chatting with Kimberly, I discover she had the idea to open a drive-thru coffee shop due to the fact that in her native Seattle, these kinds of establishments apparently abound, yet there weren't any on Maui.

I ordered a small mocha and the cups even have a red Akamai Coffee logo on them, and yes, the lady on the sign and the cups is Kimberly.

Please note that I am not affiliated with either Big Wave Espresso or Akamai Coffee Co. in any way, nor did I receive any kind of compensation or endorsement for this post.