So I know I was supposed to be reviewing Bad Ass Coffee Co with this next entry, and I AM...tomorrow. Today it's Maui Wowi (http://www.mauiwowi.com/) in Virginia Beach. It *just* opened here (I want to say less than a year ago),and from what i hear it's struggling a little. But basically I was driving past and had some time to kill so I stopped. The sign reads "Hawaiian Coffee and Smoothies" but after reading the menu a bunch of times, I think perhaps they should have taken off the "coffee" part.
It's warm out and close to summertime, so I'm all about the cold espresso drinks but I would like the OPTION of having my favorite drinks in hot. They DO have a hot drink menu,but you basically have to squint real hard and click your shoes three times to see it. So I resigned to the fact I was going to have to order a "smoothie" type drink. I still wanted my caffeine though! So i ordered a "smoothie cappuccino" ( I will NOT get into my frustration with coffee companies that abuse the "cappuccino", which is ACTUALLY a HOT espresso drink with an inch or more of milk foam..NOT in ANY way a cold or frozen drink) after some confusing talk with the barista...
Me: "so is there espresso in the smoothie cappuccinos?
Barista: there CAN be
Me: so..it's a mix?
Barista: *stares blankly*
Me: um...so is there caffeine??
Barista: *nods head while looking at me like I'M the idiot*
Me: ok, well I'll have the almond mocha one
Barista: do you *WANT* an espresso shot in it??
Me: sure...."
After forking over almost $4.50 for my SMALL drink I found a little table in the corner for my blog. I had no issues finding an outlet for my laptop since there are powerstrips at every outlet, which is nice because there isn't a LOT of outlets here. My drink is good, totally full of sugar and artificial unknown entities but good all the same. I can't taste my espresso which is kind of sucky but I can deal. And it came with a cute little umbrella that make me smile.
This place serves good smoothies from what i hear, but I am SO not the smoothie type girl. Give me something with caffeine or get the hell out of my face. It's really new so it smells nice and all the tables and decor are still shiny and sparkling. There are empty burlap sacs of Kona Coffee from the Hawaii Coffee co hanging on the walls, and a few framed advertisement posters.The floor is a brown concrete I think and there are some tacky little palm trees ( plastic blow up ones as well and just plain plastic ones) around the dining area and the sugar and cream area is almost non existent. They have a nice bakery case with cookies and brownies, but nothing I found too enticing.
Maybe one of the most disappointing things about this place is the small 'Coffee For Sale' rack that they have. It's just a few sparse shelves holding...LION coffees and teas. I'm sorry...WHAT??!! Yea, i could totally go to the freaking supermarket to get that shit if I wanted it. When you go to a smaller coffee "shop" ( I have that in quotations because I don't think I would classify this place as such) like this I want to see some nice freshly roasted coffee on display. I understand this place has a hawaiian theme so they're not going to sell the same type of coffees that other coffee shops sell, but isn't there a better Hawaiian Coffee co than Lion Coffee??? But while I AM on the hawaiian theme, I will say if this place is supposed to be a hawaiian type of smoothie place, wouldn't you think the music playing would be...oh I don't know....something 'island like'?? I mean come ON! I am listening to maroon 5 right now and it's NOT making me feel like I am back in Oahu. I think if you have a themed place, you should probably stick to that theme all the way around and not just have a few things here and there.
But all in all I can't say this place is sucky or warn people never to come here. But don't think of it as a coffee shop. If you're wanting a smoothie or a nice frozen sugary blended beverage, then this is the place for you. I can't come down on a business for trying to find their little niche in this market, just take the "coffee" part out and be honest with your public.
3 comments:
Stumbled across your coffee blog...very entertaining. Coffee is pretty personal to us....especially Hawaiian coffee. check us out at www.coffeesofhawaii.com . Let me send you a couple bags to review. send me a personal message via the "feedback button" of our website and I'll send you some if you are interested.
Mahalo,
Albert
I have to say, I came across your blog while I was RANDOMLY serching for reviews of Maui Wowi (I work at this specific location) and I have to say that there are many changes since you review. For one, we don't have a radio/stero system so there is no music playing however this is PRIMARILY a coffee shop. We have all sorts of coffees. Kona, Kauai, and Molokai which are our hawaiian blends. We also have 100% hawaiian. Maybe when they first started off it was LION coffee but now it's specific Maui Wowi Hawaiian blend. Also we have an assortment of beverages and snacks. Perhaps you should review this place again and give it a second chance.
I'd love to, next time I am in VA (probably this fall) I will make a point to stop by:)
Post a Comment