The 5 Souvenirs You Must Bring Back From Hawaii
I recently came back from vacation and as hilarious as it may seem, we don’t have a Trader Joe’s in Hawaii so whenever we travel, everyone wants us to bring back something from Trader Joe’s. Nuts, cookies, chocolate, re-usable shopping bags, it doesn’t matter, it seems a rare and special souvenir.
For our family we always like to get something special from the location as well. Something you can only get in that place. That brings us to today’s topic which is the absolute “Must Get” souvenirs when you are in Hawaii.
As a quick side note, there will be lots of impulse buys, stickers, t-shirts, tumblers etc, but I am focusing on a few items that are exceptional in Hawaii and rise to the level of best of the best.
1) 100% Kona Coffee
Let’s start with the obvious one, some of the highest quality coffee in the world grows in the Terroir we call the Kona Coffee Belt. It comes in many roasts and many tree varieties, and a half dozen or so fermentation methods.
Now because my goal is to educate and not sell, I won’t mention that Greenwell Farms has some of the most awarded coffee in the islands, if you are reading this you most likely already know that, but let me give you a couple of pointers to hone in on the coffee best suited to your needs.
Rule #1 is “try” before you “buy”. Anywhere that Kona Coffee is sold and you can’t taste it first, you are stepping into a situation of possible disappointment. Saying 100% Kona Coffee is like saying Napa Wine, it is not a single taste, it is a region well suited to growing coffee with wide variation of taste and aroma within.
When you can taste, rule #2 is the best coffee on the table is the one you like. No higher authority on your preference than you, and please have no shame or qualms about liking what you like.
Farm direct is the way, and while you are there, ask about their roasts profiles, fermentation methods and tree varieties.
2) Hawaiian Sea Salt
The ancient Hawaiians had a long and important spiritual connection to the ocean and salt was its sacred representative. (Pa’akai=Salt= direct translation-solid ocean) Salt was used in rituals, blessings, for cleansing and protection (amulets).
Powerful Chiefs controlled important Salt Ponds which could be used as a commodity for trade, for medicine, and to cure meat and fish for preservation.
Being isolated in the center of the Pacific Ocean also meant Hawaiian salt had a purity like no other. Even today Hawaiian sea salt is considered some of the best in the world, and each island has regions well known for salt production.
Some companies keep it pure (desalinization plants), some mix with Hawaiian red clay for increased mineral content, and some blend it with other flavors to create colorful and delicious cooking salts. You can actually visit a Salt farm on the Big Island (Kona Sea Salt) and hear their story in depth.
So as basic as it may seem, Hawaiian Sea Salt if definitely a great gift upon your return home, hopefully with some cool stories about where it comes from.
3) Macadamia Nuts
I wasn’t going to include Mac Nuts as the industry has been struggling and there has been a lot of controversy about bigger companies using cheaper foreign nuts and implying they are local.
However, there are still some operations out there (Hamakua Macadamia Nuts, Ka’u Coffee Mill, Paradise Meadows) and many more small operators that still focus on Hawaiian grown Macadamia Nuts.
Mac nuts originate in Australia, and were brought to the Big Island in 1881. As the trees tend to have a large side profile, their purpose originally was as wind breaks. By 1910 Hawaii’s reliance on sugar was considered a bad thing and government programs to encourage crop diversity included experimenting with Mac Nut varieties. In the 1940s, successful grafting of higher quality and more productive nut varieties onto existing root systems began a global industry.
Today Mac Nuts come in a variety of exciting flavors from simple sea salt to chocolate covered, to glazed, to toasted coconut and beyond. They are large, delicious and in moderation, contain healthy fats, antioxidants, and minerals that support heart health, manage inflammation, and improve metabolic balance.
Your family back home will love them but buy farm direct!
Also, don’t forget all of the auxiliary products sold with mac nuts. Granola, Tarts, protein bars, chocolate bars, mac nut butter, brittle, popcorn mixes, dressings.
4) Beef Jerky
I am aware that many places in our country have long traditions of ranching and beef jerky, and pride themselves on quality, taste and sustainability.
I must remind my readers that Hawaii had cowboys before the American West. The longhorn steer were introduced here in 1793 and in the early 1800s Hawaii invited Mexican-Spanish Vaqueros to teach the Native Hawaiians how to cowboy. By 1908 our cowboys were so skilled that three Hawaiian paniolos (Hawaiian Cowboy)—Ikua Purdy, Archie Kaʻauā, and Jack Low—traveled to Wyoming and dominated the steer-roping and roping competitions, astonishing mainland spectators.
So, to say we take our cowboy culture seriously is a bit of an understatement. Beef Jerky and dried beef were staples of ranch life (called pipikaula-beef rope). Salted and sun-dried, some grilled over fire before consuming, then during the sugar plantation days with the arrival of Asian immigrants new flavors like soy sauce, and various spices for marinades and the flavor spectrum for our beef jerky was rich and varied.
Today, look for local beef, and companies that do everything here in the islands. You can find super thin cut jerky, thicker cuts, and flavors that range from spicy to simple.
5) Vanilla
Madagascar, Indonesia, and China are the top global producers of Vanilla bean on the planet Earth, with Mexico and China see-sawing back and forth for the last decade.
Not all vanilla is created equally and as such gourmet vanilla markets have also emerged. Madagasgar and Tahiti have risen in this space with some top quality Grade A vanilla beans.
While Hawaii’s Vanilla industry is young and still small scale, the quality of vanilla coming out of Hawaii has been incredible according to local media articles.
Since the 1990s we have seen exponential growth in vanilla production every 5 years. Our island is nicknamed the “Orchid Island” and vanilla is an orchid that has to be hand pollinated and meticulously cared for here, so it is appropriate that Hawaiian grown vanilla beans are on the rise.
If you are not sure how to use vanilla, we recommend making extract (Vanilla in vodka-wait 8 months) but you can also split and scrape seeds for baking and ice cream, and many use the scent in neutral lotions and homemade shampoos.
If you have a kitchen adventurer in your life, Hawaiian grown vanilla bean is awesome. You can also visit a couple of cool vanilla farms here at The Hawaiian Vanilla Company and The Vanillerie.
Honorable mentions are many, and depending on your tastes these may rise to the top, but local honey, Hawaiian grown chocolate, Liliko’I Butter, Local Tea, local art, Mrs. Barry’s Kona Cookies and Hawaiian Rum are all excellent quality offerings!
If you couldn’t make it to the islands this summer, remember you can find all of these incredible things online! Aloha!
