Clipper Cup

I don’t get the chance to go to Clipper Cup as often as I like to. Most of the time I go there I will get a black coffee or an iced soy latte which both always has a great taste. Once in a while I will ask them to make me something that I have never tried. Everything that they have made me was always tasty. They make a great Italian Soda and I also like their iced green tea soy latte. If you are in the area try it for yourself.

I usually have a double, triple or quad shot espresso straight without cream or sugar. I often wish a had a ceramic demitasse to enjoy my espresso from Clipper Cup. The espresso is always very high quality: never bitter, full of flavor and a tiny bit sweet.
I recently tried the latte with organic espresso and organic milk. It was great. Wonderful actually. I modified it a bit to preserve the coffee/​milk ratio with less milk than normal. It was great.
Really Clipper Cup is top notch. They can still provide very high quality coffee and service at a good price. Way better than a chain and full of character. I love it.

This is a second, more updated review from me, since my first was over a year ago. First of all: ORGANIC! They have always offered organic espresso beans, but recently, they also started offering organic whole milk! In my book, just this addition alone raises them far above any other coffee shop/​café in Honolulu.
But then, when you include the friendly, personalized service they provide, it makes them my favorite coffee shop ever. Both Christine and Alastar are there every morning, and they always make my order just right. If you are a regular, they remember you, and it makes my day to have just a few minutes of small talk with such friendly and caring people who make me feel valued and appreciated as a customer. Plus, they are great at what they do.
Not to mention, the coffee is WAYYYYYY better than anything I’ve ever ordered from Starbucks/​The Coffee Bean Tea Leaf. It simply tastes of quality and care.
And did I mention organic? Plus, they offer flavored syrups, some which use agave instead of regular sugar (try the vanilla). And for those who are dairy-​free, they also have the options of both organic soy milk AND almond milk (not organic, but still yummy).
I love Clipper Cup because they do their best to meet the needs of their customers and even as a small business, do a WAY better job of that than most big chains. They are popular, so you may have a small wait time, but be patient, it’s worth it!

I love their Mango-​Ginger Iced Tea. The white chocolate mocha was wonderful as well. The prices were really good, and I am glad we decided to go to this little coffee place instead of Starbucks or even Coffee Bean.

First time here today… Got their iced vanilla chai (with a shot of espresso) and it tasted like gingerbread cookies! Definitely satisfied my caffeine craving for the day. Will be back if I’m in the area looking for a pick me up!

Unfortunately I do not live close enough to this café to make it my morning go-​to place otherwise I would be all over this place. I was skeptical at first because kiosks usually dont have the best anything. But Clipper Cup is hands down the best tasting coffee I have ever had, and I try them all. The coffee is smooth AND ITS ORGANIC. The froth is creamy. We also tried the green tea latte, with a shot of espresso, and it was still yummy, not bitter and gross like most places. The service is friendly and knowledgable. If you are in the area, or dont mind driving out for great coffee, this the place.

They are a small business owned coffee cart outside the Pan Nam Building.
Coffee and everything is pretty standard, but the prices are a bit expensive and the portions are tiny! They have a really mini size cup — about half the size of a tall Starbucks – (good portion especially if you are planning to get a drink that is really high in calories) but the price is about the same for a tall coffee from Starbucks.
The people who run it are super chill! They are really courteous and sweet, and make small talk! :)

I was skeptical at first, I don’t usually try coffee or tea from anywhere other than starbucks, coffee bean or ebar at nordstrom, but I’m glad I tried Clipper Cup. It is really convenient for people who work in the Pan Am building, or visit the bank on the first floor of the Pan Am building.
Clipper cup offers a variety of coffee, tea and slushies. The prices are a little high, I paid about $ 4 for a small iced vanilla chai. The chai was delish, but I don’t think I’d pay that much again for one.
The cashier who helped me was very nice. Next time, I want to try the green tea latte. :)

I was pass by this place all the time when walking down Kapiolani Blvd. whether its going to 24 Hour Fitness or cruising down to Ala Moana I always wondered what the kiosk by the Pan Am building was right across from the Hugo Higa office. I thought the name for the little coffee stand is pretty unique from other coffee places especially the mainstream ones like «Starbucks» and «Coffee Bean…» Sometimes ift makes me wonder how these independent coffee places figure out their name for their coffee business. It has to sound coffee ish right. They have a pretty solid selection of drinks to choose from, from lattes, espressos, and smoothies. I tried the green tea latte and it was pretty good. I got the iced one and you can get it either iced or hot. Getting an iced drink is just a little bit more than getting a hot one if you look at the menu. I though they would also have and sell other things like sandwiches and stuff but they only have a very limited food kind selection of stuff on the front counter where you order your drink like some bagels, pound cake, donuts, pastries, etc. Just some simple kind of coffee related snacks to munch on the go. It’s conveniently located right there in the Pan Am building right on Kapiolani Blvd. at the intersection of Kapiolani Blvd. and across from First Hawaiian Bank. The staff and customer service is good. The prices are decent too. I would come back again for sure.
Unilocal 365 Challenge #362/​365

Just as if i were to approach this like a parent-​teacher conference, I will start off with strengths:
1. The man and woman behind the counter were very friendly
2. Caramel macchiato was strong, yet sweet
On the other hand, there is quite a few things in which Clipper Cup needs to improve:
1. The person who was making my beverage did not know how to make the drink. The elderly man was doing his best, but he messed up my drink twice before the woman instructed him to look at the ingredients and follow the directions that was written on a legal pad.
2. Waited 12 minutes for a drink to be made and it’s not like there was a huge line. I was standing there all by myself, waiting as I watched two people struggle to make my beverage.
I probably won’t be back here, but it IS located in a convenient location, so of course– try it out yourself. Hopefully you’ll have a better experience than me!

I was really skeptical about trying this Coffee Kiosk, I must say. My husband convinced me that I should not be a coffee snob and try something new, so I did. I guess if you’re right there and you want coffee, what can you do, right? Anyways, Clipper Cup really surprised me! The flavor of the coffee was really really good! Plus, the best part for me, is that when I ordered an iced coffee from them, it was actually cold! A lot of times, when I order an iced coffee, it’s still kinda warm, which kinda makes it a little less enjoyable.
Not only was the coffee good, but the service here at Clipper Cup was just amazing! The lady in the kiosk was so nice! My daughter wanted a smoothie, but before she made her one and made us pay for it, she had her try it first! She said a lot of times, the kids think they want something and then they don’t end up wanting it later, so she wanted to make sure that my daughter liked it! I thought that was SO nice! Of course Lia liked it, so we of course ordered one.
I would definitely come here again, being that even though Coffee Bean in the Makai Market is close, Clipper Cup is even CLOSER to where we stay when we’re back home. And, their coffee is good too!

The only thing this place has got going for it is it’s location. It’s convenient. They changed the type of coffee they use and it doesn’t taste that good anymore.
Apparently, I used ‘to much half & half’ and I was asked to pay more for it. I told her that I would have to dig the money I put in the tip jar out to pay the 25 cents more. She said it’s ok but next time. Really?
The selection of pastries is slim, about 5 today. I wanted to buy one but some one had ‘called to reserve it’ already. Really? I did not realize that was an option. Could you at least take it out of other customers sight so we don’t think we could buy it?
I only go here when I’m on a time constraint. If you want something quick and have some cash, then this is the place to go. It’s too bad that coffee quality and good service are not offered here too.

While the coffee does have a good flavor it isn’t a Starbucks but they charge Starbucks prices. And the only other negative I would say is that they only except cash. I only gave it 3 stars because of this.
But overall the service was good & fast plus the kiosk is in a very good location.

Great location, especially since they are right across the street from work! Good coffee and less expensice than Starbucks.

ICED GREEN TEA LATTE = WIN
I went there for the first time yesterday and I’m planning on coming back (I don’t know what took me so long to go and try because it was so good!) The lady behind the counter was also very friendly and the prices are worth it and inexpensive. It really is a kiosk in which you’ll grab your coffee and go; and parking is just wherever but! You just have to try it :)

I work in the area, equidistant from Starbucks and Clipper Cup. I will choose Clipper Cup over Starbucks any day.
My choice: I always get Thai Mocha. Mmm mmm! They have sweet and savory food choices which I like in the morning to grab-​n-​go.
Service, always good and friendly. If they weren’t in a kiosk, they would make the perfect neighborhood mom-​n-​pops place to make you feel welcome.
The only drawback is I wish there was more parking easily available to be able to drive right up street side on those days when I’m not in the office.

I have to admit: this little kiosk is a heavy incentive for Saturday morning workouts at the nearby Kapiolani 24-​Hour Fitness. It’s definitely a grab-​and-​go spot, i.e. not much for people-​watching. Not that that deters me in the least from my longstanding love affair with their green tea lattes (which unfortunately they have been out of lately). Their espressos in general are a fine second best, and I’ve been leaning toward haupia lattes until their green tea supply comes in again.
The woman who runs the kiosk in the morning is a gem: genuinely friendly and she always remembers my order. A downside to the area is that religious solicitors have taken to stealth-​pamphleting unsuspecting patrons — but I guess that that’s what a jolt of caffeine and putting my running shoes to use are for!
ETA: The green tea is back in supply! Rejoice!

This coffee kiosk is really good. As always, I’ll sort my reviews so I hope people can read it easier.
Product/​coffee: I used to always come here after going to my chiropractor who’s in this building. A good cup of Kaua’i, Kona, or (my then personal favorite) Yemen. They don’t have certain coffees anymore due to international politics (i.e. no more Yemen coffee due to the growing Middle East crisis). However, the day to day menu for coffee changes, the prices are almost dirt cheap compared to Starbuck’s (really bitter coffee; don’t like; but good beans to roast yourself) or Coffee Bean (I don’t like how they make their espressos. The 2^nd cup café at KCC makes them better). These two points earned them three stars (the alternation and the prices; for those of you who are skimming through this…). Also you can’t start at the one star to rate things here since Unilocal doesn’t start at 0 stars.
Service: Every time I’ve come here, the service is great. She makes me feel welcome when we start conversing. She isn’t like those cashiers at those mainstream coffee shops with those smiles pasted on their faces. I gave her a fourth star for this.
This place is really good, but doesn’t beat my favorite coffee shop at KCC. It may not have an extensive menu, but for a coffee place of this size, it is really good.

It’s not Starbucks or coffee bean quality, but it gets the job done! this kiosk is convenient for me to get my caffeine dose

This kiosk is conveniently located just outside the Pan Am building. It’s great when you’re in need of a quick caffeine fix. They also have bagels.
I’ve ordered iced beverages from them twice. Once I ordered a small green tea latte, but I guess the girl behind the register didn’t hear me say green tea so I got a plain iced latte instead. It wasn’t green like the picture on the kiosk, but I thought it was just their version of green tea. It was good though so I let it go. The second time I ordered an iced vanilla chai latte. It was jut ok. It’s no starbucks chai latte.
My colleagues go downstairs to grab a cup of joe frequently. It’s convenient and the prices are comparable to that of Coffee Bean or Starbucks.