Maui Wowi Hawaiian

On my way to work Friday morning, I noticed a new cafe in downtown San Jose. It's called Maui Wowi Hawaiian and it's located on First Street, near San Fernando Street. It's right next to Dog House Gourmet Hot Dogs, a place I wrote about last June.

It should be noted that Maui Wowi Hawaiian is a franchise with headquarters in Greenwood Village, Colorado, on the outskirts of Denver, a place better known for its blizzards than its Aloha spirit. I wonder how the decision to base their operations there was made...

Founder #1: I just found a great place to set up our office. It's centrally located and cheap!
Founder #2: Excellent! Somewhere near the beach, right? Just in case we want to get in some surfing before work?
Founder #1: Well, not exactly, but it shouldn't be hard getting in some form of outdoor recreation if we wanted.
Founder #2: Oh, well, how about a view of the ocean at least?
Founder #1: Well, not exactly, but we have a great view of the mountains.
Founder #2: Ah, Haleakala!
Founder #1: Something like that.
Founder #2: Cool. So when can I see the new office. Later this afternoon?
Founder #1: Uh, sure, we just have to, uh, well, buy plane tickets first.
Founder #2: Why plane tickets? The island isn't that big. And I thought you said it was centrally located.
Founder #1: It is, in a manner of speaking.
Founder #2: What?
Founder #1: Look, when you said you wanted something in our price range, I had to widen the net, in a manner of speaking, which meant looking at the mainland, too.
Founder #2: Oh, you mean California? San Francisco? I'm not a fan of the fog, but...
Founder #1: Further east.
Founder #2 Nevada? Las Vegas? At least it's warmer and there's gambling and it is the ninth island, but...
Founder #1: Colorado.
Founder #2: Colorado?! But... but Colorado is like the opposite of Hawaii!
Founder #1: Ha ha. Don't be silly. So, did you want an aisle or window seat?
Founder #2: I don't think any of my sandals can handle the snow. I don't think I even own a jacket... or gloves.

Anyway, despite the odd location of its headquarters and its ridiculous rhyming name, I made a mental note to give Maui Wowi a try later in the day.

When I returned that afternoon, the first things I noticed upon entering the cafe were the high lime green walls. Then my eyes were drawn to the island-themed furniture and interior decorating. The sounds of Hawaiian slack key guitars filled the air. It was enough to momentarily transport me to a white sandy beach thousands of miles away. The employees greeted me with a chorus of exuberant (and embarrassing) alohas.

Instead of trying one of the four special mochas on the menu, like the Maui Wowi Coco Loco Mocha, I played it safe with the easier-to-say Maui Wowi Latte, which is like a regular latte except it's made with Kona espresso. The drink was good, but also expensive ($3.75 for 16 ounces).

Since the place does combine two of my favorite things - coffee and Hawaii, I'll have to give it another try. Next time, though, I'm ordering plain Kona coffee so as not to drain my wallet.