It’s the middle of summer and I,
a self-diagnosed Hawaiian Kona coffee addict turned
micro-roaster, am planning my trip to the Hawaiian Kona
Coffee Region for the fall Hawaiian Kona Coffee
harvest on the Big Island.
What could be better than to
spend a few days socializing with some of the smartest
brains in the Hawaiian Kona coffee industry, seeking
out new best practices to perfect my craft and, yes,
sampling the best Hawaiian Kona coffee from all over
the Hawaiian Islands. I can hardly wait.
While the Big
Island is best known for its Hawaiian Kona Coffee
production, it only accounts for about 1/3 of the Hawaiian
Island’s total annual coffee production. Coffee is grown on
the other islands as well. With an almost perfect mixture
of year round warmth, sunshine, rich volcanic soil,
wind-swept rolling hillsides, gentle trade winds and
proportioned rainfalls; Hawaii is home to the best
Hawaiian Kona coffee in the world.
But what makes
Hawaiian Kona Coffee special? Is Hawaiian Kona
Coffee worth the premium price? Let’s first get over
the financial piece so we can concentrate on what makes
Hawaiian Kona Coffee an American gem so special. The
average pound of coffee produces about 32 - 12 oz cups. At
around $26 per pound, that comes to $.81 per cup of 100%
Extra Fancy Hawaiian Kona Coffee – the finest in the
world. So I ask you, as you sit on your back porch with the
gentle touch of the morning sunrise on your face, the birds
singing in perfect harmony and you take that first sip of
Hawaiian Kona coffee, is it worth the $.81 vs. say $.40
to drink the best? Hawaiian Kona Coffee is truly one
of life’s affordable luxuries.
So with the
financial arguments out of the way let’s focus on what makes
Hawaiian Kona Coffee great. It basically comes down
to the climate, growing techniques, harvesting and
processing of Hawaiian Kona Coffee. Each of these
processes most be done to world-class standards in order to
produce a perfect cup of coffee. With 170 years of
experience under their belts, the 600 small farms that
comprise the Hawaiian Kona Coffee Region constantly
perfect their craft.
The narrow
corridor in Hawaiian Kona about 20 miles long and 2 miles
wide, running from the Palani Junction to the north, to
Puuhonua Road to the south, is the Hawaiian Kona coffee
growing region. It lies in an elevation range from between
700 ft to 2000 ft with average annual temperatures of 69°
F. The volcanic soil is deep,
porous and well drained which makes it perfect for growing
Hawaiian Kona coffee.
The perfect
climate and soil conditions bestow upon each farmer a
responsibility to maximize this gift. These primary
family-owned farms take this responsibility very seriously
and leave little to chance. With an average annual
Hawaiian Kona Coffee production of only 1 lb., each
plant is given special attention throughout the year
especially during the fall when the Hawaiian Kona coffee
cherry blossoms begin to bloom. The Hawaiian Kona Coffee
harvest session goes from August to December and this is
where Hawaiian Kona Coffee farmers separate
themselves from the rest of the world. Hawaiian Kona
Coffee cherries do not ripen on the plant all at once so
he farmers do not pick them all at once. In fact, one
Hawaiian Kona coffee plant will be hand-picked several times
throughout the session to ensure the Hawaiian Kona coffee
cherries are harvested at their peek. Once picked, the
Hawaiian Kona coffee is processed using the “wet”
method; then it is dried, graded (size and quality) and
shipped to people like me to roast for connoisseurs like
you.
So when you
look at all that Hawaiian Kona Coffee offers in that
Saturday morning cup of java, I ask you once again, it is
worth the extra $.40 per cup? But if you are still not
convinced it is, consider this, every sip you take of
Hawaiian Kona coffee is an investment back into
America’s economy because
this is the
Hawaiian Kona coffee
Made in the USA.
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