Waikiki Coffee is characterized by a distinctly Hawaiian sweetness and aroma.
Customers often ask us, “How should I brew it to make it taste best?”
We try many different extraction methods every day, and among them we have a few recipes that we think, “This is delicious!” For this article, we’ll introduce a particularly recommended, simple hand-drip method that anyone can do.
In fact, it’s about 80% the same as the world champion’s recipe, so we think other coffees will taste great with this method as well (laughs).
We hope you enjoy Waikiki Coffee brewed deliciously at home!
Waikiki Coffee Recommended Recipe (Hot Coffee)
Although this recipe is very simple, it really tastes great, so please give it a try.
This recipe is characterized by stability and a clear, crisp flavor.
Given Waikiki Coffee’s bean characteristics and roast level, we feel this recipe suits it best.
Recipe Details
Waikiki Coffee tastes best when its sweetness and aroma are well expressed while off-flavors and bitterness are minimized, so we adjust the recipe to make the most of those traits.
The temperature is set to 91°C, but anywhere between 90–92°C is acceptable.
- Amount of Waikiki Coffee beans: 16g
- Grind: medium (if you buy whole beans, medium-coarse is recommended)
- Water temperature: 91°C
- Water amount: 250ml (brew ratio 1:15.6)
- Extraction time: 2 minutes 45 seconds
How to Pour the Water
Just remember to pour 50ml every 30 seconds.
Aim to pour at a speed of about 6–7ml per second, moving in circles from the center so the water reaches the whole bed; each pour should take around 7–8 seconds in total.
- 1st pour (0:00): If you pour a little less, you’ll emphasize sweetness; if you pour more, acidity will be stronger.
- 2nd pour (0:30): Use the same pouring style to draw out aroma and acidity.
- 3rd pour (1:00): Same pouring style; this forms the core of sweetness and body.
- 4th pour (1:30): Same pouring style; this brings out bitterness and depth.
- 5th pour (2:00): Same pouring style; this finishes and keeps the aftertaste clean.
Aim to finish the dripping within about 3 minutes.
Waikiki Coffee Recommended Recipe (Iced Coffee)
The iced coffee method is basically the same as the hot coffee method.
To keep it simple, we use a quick-chill method that cools the hot brew with ice.
Recipe Details
Because it’s iced coffee, we use less water to concentrate the coffee components.
The temperature is again 91°C, but 90–92°C is acceptable.
- Amount of Waikiki Coffee beans: 17.5g
- Grind: medium (if you buy whole beans, medium-coarse is recommended)
- Water temperature: 91°C
- Water amount: 175ml (brew ratio 1:10)
- Extraction time: 2 minutes 45 seconds
How to Pour the Water
For iced coffee, prepare a cup with about 100g of ice (or roughly 40% of the expected yield).
Then simply remember to pour 35ml every 30 seconds.
Again, pour at about 6–7ml per second, moving in circles from the center so the water covers the whole bed; each pour should take around 7–8 seconds total.
- 1st pour (0:00): If you pour a little less, you’ll emphasize sweetness; if you pour more, acidity will be stronger.
- 2nd pour (0:30): Use the same pouring style to draw out aroma and acidity.
- 3rd pour (1:00): Same pouring style; this forms the core of sweetness and body.
- 4th pour (1:30): Same pouring style; this brings out bitterness and depth.
- 5th pour (2:00): Same pouring style; this finishes and keeps the aftertaste clean.
Aim to finish the dripping within about 3 minutes.
The Same Recipe Is Used in Waikiki Coffee Cafés
The recipe introduced here is actually the one we use in Waikiki Coffee cafés.
We sometimes make slight adjustments depending on the seasonal beans, but basically we serve using this five-pour method (bloom + 4 pours).
There are small extras like rinsing the drip filter, but our philosophy is that the home method should reproduce the cafe taste as closely as possible to be meaningful.
This coffee was developed and refined so it would taste great anywhere—not because a barista brewed it or because a machine is expensive, but because the method itself produces delicious coffee.
With the recipes shown, both hot and iced coffees are adjusted so that about 220ml of brewed coffee is the ideal final amount; as long as you keep the same ratios, changing the total volume is no problem.
This method isn’t the only answer—we hope you enjoy it and tweak it to suit your own taste.