Awaken and brighten your day, barefoot in the sand with a cup of coffee firmly grasped in your grip. Taking risks in life can be gratifying, but nothing can beat the rush of your early morning java. What if that cup of coffee had the flavor of a freshly picked tropical paradise and the aroma of warm hospitality? Interesting right!
The Kona coffee beans that have a distinct scent come from the rainy and windward side of Hawaii. Kona Coffee is exclusive to the Hawaiian region in America and its specific taste is due to the nutrition-filled soil and the humid environment of the islands. Hold your cup in place! You are on the brink of discovering the diversity and growth of Kona Coffee.
THE HISTORY OF KONA COFFEE
The pioneering effort to cultivate coffee in Hawaii is generally attributed to the horticulturist, don Francisco de Paula Marin. In 1817, Marin attempted to bring assorted flora to the Hawaiian Islands except for coffee plants.
In 1828, Samuel Ruggles was able to introduce coffee to Hawaii. For the following 150 years, coffee experienced many highs and lows as the sugar industry became the more dominant sector. In the past few decades, sugar has almost vanished from Hawaii, while Kona coffee is now more robust than ever!
The timeline below details key occurrences in the story of Kona Coffee. The fantastic book “A cup of Aloha” provides an overview of this timeline.
- 1817: Don Francisco de Paula Marin brings the first coffee seedlings to Hawai’i, but the plants perish.
- 1828 – 1860: Samuel Ruggles plants the first coffee in Kona (1928). More and more coffee plantations open in the following decades, but in the 1850’s hard times begin due to lack of labor, bad weather, and pests. In 1860, coffee is all but gone from the Hawaiian islands.
- 1873: Henry N. Greenwell is honored at the World’s Fair in Vienna for the excellent Kona coffee. (Unrelated but interesting: this World’s Fair was widely considered a magnificent failure. It lost today’s equivalent of 170 million USD because of a devastating combination of the world’s first truly international financial crisis and Vienna’s last cholera epidemic.) [source]
- 1892: Hermann Widemann introduced the ‘Guatemalan’ coffee variety to Hawaii from Guatemala. Today, this variety is known as “Kona Typica” and is the most generally preferred variety in Hawaii. Coffee productions starts to pick up again
- 1899: A severe drop in coffee prices again almost causing coffee to disappear from the islands.
- 1917-1918: World War I sharply increases the domestic demand for coffee, and a frost in Brazil destroys its coffee crops and causes a world shortage in coffee. Things are looking up again for coffee in Hawai’i.
- 1929: Start of the Great Depression. Coffee prices plummet. In the decade after debts continue to rise and coffee prices continue to drop. Dark times for Kona Coffee (and for the rest of the USA).
- 1941-1953: Both army purchases of Coffee as the US enters WWII and steadily increasing coffee prices after the war is over help Coffee on Hawai’i recover. This is supported by another frost in Brazil (1953) which yet again causes a worldwide coffee shortage.
- The 1960s: Coffee is on the rise again in Hawai’i with record harvests. The tourism industry starts to compete with the coffee plantations for labor.
- The 1970s: Low prices, high costs and a shortage of labor bring on the last great demise of coffee in Hawai’i.
- The 1980s: Coffee prices pick up again in the mid-seventies, and a new crop of coffee farmers rises. Kona coffee is now considered as a “specialty coffee” and starts picking up more and more fans.
- 1991: The 10% Kona coffee blend statute (HRS 486-120.6) was introduced (full text). This law allows blended coffee that contains only 10% Kona coffee to be labeled as “10% Kona coffee”.
Kona’s Journey To International Fame
In spite of coffee being grown in the Big Island, it has not been a major commercial crop in Hawaii; traditionally, sugar and pineapple have been the most important farm products. Kona coffee began to be highly appreciated by the public when it was exhibited in the 1873 World’s Fair held in Vienna, Austria, suggesting that its fame was predicted to rise.
Kona coffee production, and the raising of Hawaiian coffee beans in general, were impacted by particular occurrences like the Klondike Gold Rush, the U.S.’s annexation of Hawaii, and the two World Wars. These influential events caused changes in volume in the supply of the coffee. In the time period in question, migrant workers tended to the Kona region in smaller family plots when they weren’t being utilized to labor on the more profitable sugar and pineapple farms. Despite the other changes, the Kona coffee varieties kept advancing and becoming better without any noise.
At the start of the 1980s, specialty coffee, including Kona coffee, began to experience a long-awaited resurgence. Kona regained its past glory when the demand for sugary fruits and other goods decreased, and coffee enthusiasts moved towards coffees that provide a better taste and have been raised responsibly. It is now one of the most favored originals.
What Is So Special About Kona Coffee?
Genuine Kona Coffee from the Big Island of Hawaii is celebrated across the globe for its delicious taste and rich aroma. Several characteristics, for example the variety of the bean, region, and the strategies for cultivating or picking, are key when cultivating a unique coffee such as the Kona. This is a quick look at some of the elements.
- The Seed Variety
In 1892, Guatemalan coffee seeds were brought to Hawaii in order to supplement the existing Brazilian supply. A classic variety of coffee that was propagated around the world when coffee farming first started has now reached the United States. This Typica variety of coffee, grown in Guatemala, has become so widely loved in Kona that it has its own species – known as Kona Typica. This particular strain of coffee is able to evolve and change depending on the climate and environment where it is grown.
The Topography
The landscape and weather of Hawaii have an effect on the quality of Kona Coffee. Hawaiian coffees are grown at a shallower height than coffees produced in other locations around the globe. Due to Hawaii’s northernness relative to other coffee-growing areas, small climbs in elevation greatly contribute to improved coffee quality as it is exposed to colder air and the desired combination of ample amounts of sunlight and humidity. The volcanic soils on the steep inclines of Mauna Loa in the Kona area of Hawaii are filled with nutrients and are ideal for growing some of the best coffee beans in the world.
Hand-Picked With Love
After the coffee beans have been skillfully chosen from the shrubs, they are put in a basket before going through a machine to take away the berry flesh and expose the seed. The beans are soaked in water for a certain amount of time depending on the elevation of Kona’s highlands: 12 hours at lower elevations, and 24 hours at higher heights. Once the fermentation is completed, they are air-dried and then roasted.
The Custom Roasting
Kona Coffee is given time to dry out in the sun before it is roasted according to the unique properties and moisture levels of the beans. It is often thought of as a form of artistry in the business, because an appropriate roasting technique and an expert roaster are essential for a successful roast. “The phrases ‘Kona Roast’ and ‘Kona Style’ are often used by certain coffee retailers, and these terms have almost the same meaning.” Kona Roast coffee can be brewed from any type of bean, but it does not necessarily have to have any Kona coffee included.
Roasts that are dark in color are typically referred to as French, Italian, or Espresso. Full-City and Vienna are both medium roasts. Additionally, flavoring for coffee is added shortly after the roasting process to maximize its taste.
Medium Roast is less acidic and has a sweeter taste than its darker version, but the aroma is distinctive and not easily forgotten.
If you would rather not have an intense cup of coffee, you can go with lightly roasted Kona beans for a milder intensity. Experience the combining of signature tastes with a burst of flavor.
The Layers Of Kona Coffee
Kona coffee possesses a delightful and distinctive taste, with an intricate scent. This Arabica coffee is mild yet stimulating when tasted, ending with a seamless and pleasant flavor and no nasty after flavor. A Kona coffee bean is often carefully roasted until it is dark and upon brewing it has a strong flavor full of caramel, brown sugar, milk chocolate, and various dried fruits. It has a very vibrant acidic taste.
Kona coffee is known for its delicious flavors, often including evidence of spice and butter, which combine to provide a delicate, winy taste. In addition, the aroma of Kona coffee is very strong, making it unforgettable and giving it an ideal finish.
In 1866, the beloved ‘father of American Literature – Mark Twain’ couldn’t help but declare his admiration for Kona Coffee, exclaiming that it had a taste that was superior to any other coffee in the world, no matter its origin or name.
5 REASONS THE KONA COFFEE BELT IS PERFECT FOR GROWING COFFEE:
The five most important things that make coffee special can all be found on Hawai’i:
- Lots of sunshine and temperatures around 70°F, but certainly not below 55°F.
- Protection from an overdose of sun by either cloud cover or shade
- Altitude! How high a coffee plant grows has a large influence on the taste of its beans. The elevations at which Kona coffee is grown (up to ~3000 feet) give the coffee a very mild taste.
- Lots of rain, regularly. Of course, it shouldn’t rain so much that the sun can’t come out anymore because coffee plants also really like the sun.
- Good soil drainage. Coffee plants don’t like to have their roots standing in the water.
The mix of environmental elements is present on the sides of both Mauna Loa and Hualalai volcanoes.
The volcanic soil of Kona coffee, blessed with abundant minerals and permeability, along with the soothing climate of sunny mornings, followed by rain or cloud in the afternoon, gentle winds and temperate nights, contribute to making it one of the most sought-after (and pricey) coffee beans in the world.
EXPERT OPINIONS & KONA COFFEE RATINGS
Evaluating and giving opinions on coffee is a tricky and personal job. An illustration of this would be that coffee beans are continually evolving, and the technique utilized to prepare the coffee also has a huge impact on the finished product. We rely upon coffee review’s 100-point system of assessment which inspects the ambiance, tartness, substance, savor, and ending of multiple coffees from all over the world.
In 2016, Paradise Roasters’ Puna offering was one of the most acclaimed coffees available, with the website giving it a 96 out of 100. Among the “Top 30 of 2016” two more coffees from Hawai’i were featured, both produced by Hula Daddy Kona Coffee.
WHY IS KONA COFFEE SO EXPENSIVE?
Hawaiian coffee is relatively expensive compared to other coffees. A major contributor to this is the expense of work force: Gathering coffee is a hard work and the wages of a farmhand in Hawaii are significantly higher than those of a cultivator in Guatemala or Ethiopia (so remember to buy reasonable trade coffee when you can).
This coffee farmer residing on Hawaii’s Big Island elaborates that it costs $8 per pound just to gather the beans from the trees. In addition to farming costs such as land usage, fertilizers, and upkeep, it’s simple to get a total of around $14 per pound. The overall cost of 100% Kona Coffee takes into considerations the labor, marketing and utilities used in its production, packaging, website set up and municipal taxes, as well self-sustainability costs such as the farm mortgage. In the end, the average price for such a product is from $45 to $60 per pound.
If the same beans were produced in a country with lower labor costs, then the price of the coffee beans would be cheaper. Despite the fact it is expensive, the popularity and good standing of Kona Coffee implies that the quality makes it worth the cost.
THREE OTHER GREAT (AND CHEAPER!) BIG ISLAND COFFEES : KA’U, PUNA, AND HAMAKUA COFFEE
Approximately 95% of the coffee produced on the Big Island is Kona coffee. Approximately 5% of the total coffee beans in the Hawaiian Islands originate from Ka’u, Puna and near the Hamakua coast. Coffee cultivation is also present on other Hawaiian islands. Each of these coffees has their own unique taste. Which coffee you enjoy the most is largely based on individual tastes, similar to beers and wines.