Kona Coffee​—A Gourmet’s Delight

By Awake! writer in Hawaii

VISITORS to the Kona district of the Big Island of Hawaii have the opportunity to sample some of the finest coffee in the world​—Kona coffee, widely regarded as a gourmet’s delight!

In the mauka (mountain) region, where the narrow roads are twisty and winding, acre after acre of coffee plants cover the slopes. Bright, shiny leaves delight the eye, and at certain times of the year, brilliant, dainty white blossoms perfume the air. These ultimately develop into coffee berries, or cherries, as the coffee farmers and processors call them.

Large and small family farms exist side by side​—over 600 of them—​and some have been handed down from parents to children for generations! The Big Island coffee belt is an extensive one, approximately a mile [1.5 km] wide and some 30 miles [50 km] long. It is located on the slopes of two ancient volcanoes, Hualalai and Mauna Loa. Coffee grows best at elevations between 500 and 2,500 feet [150 and 750 m].

Renowned resort areas, supermarkets, small country stores, and rustic roadside cafés in Hawaii all feature the delightful brew made from this fine coffee. Experienced coffee drinkers treasure it for its rich aroma and lively yet smooth taste. But how did coffee growing become established in this onetime monarchy, and how did it develop into a multimillion-dollar industry?

Francisco de Paula Marín, a physician and aide to King Kamehameha I, is generally credited with first importing and planting coffee on the island of Oahu in 1813. Subsequently, about 1828, cuttings from plants on Oahu were introduced to the Kona district of the Big Island. These cuttings were a strain of the variety  of coffee known as arabica, which is still the variety produced in Kona. By the 1830’s, coffee had become well established in Kona and was being marketed commercially.

Why Coffee Thrives in the Kona District

Although classified botanically as a bush or a shrub, the coffee plant (1) may grow to as much as 30 feet [10 m] in height. Thus, many refer to it as a tree. Geographically, the Kona district presents ideal conditions for the growth of coffee. This is because the trade winds blow from the east side of the island. Hitting the eastern slope of Mauna Loa, which rises to over 13,000 feet [4,000 m], the winds become gentle breezes. These then blow over the mountain to Kona gently enough that the delicate coffee blossoms are not disturbed.

The sun shines plentifully on the Kona slopes, and frequently during the afternoon, cloud cover moves in to provide shade and protection from too much sun. These clouds then assist further by gently dropping enough moisture in the afternoon to water the coffee plants abundantly. Since the temperatures are mild year-round, there is no danger of frost.

Harvesting and Processing the Crop

How long does it take from planting till the coffee may be harvested commercially? Usually at least three years must pass before a coffee tree begins to start bearing well. Coffee blossoms appear several times during the year. So annually a typical coffee farmer must pick the fields by hand as many as eight times!

The cherry, a rich-red pulpy fruit, usually holds two seeds, or coffee beans. Since the beans are covered with a thin skin called parchment, the cherries must be processed to remove the pulp and parchment (2). Soaking (3) and drying (4) follow, and the processing greatly reduces the amount of the final product. Depending on the quality of the coffee, it may take as much as eight sacks of cherries to produce just one sack of roasted coffee.

 Roasting (5) the coffee beans is in itself quite an art, requiring not only good quality equipment but also considerable personal skill. How long the coffee is roasted depends on a variety of factors, such as moisture, weight, grade, quality of the beans, desired darkness of the beans, and weather conditions.

Many of the Big Island’s coffee farms and mills utilize modern marketing techniques. They invite the public to tour the farm, watch the processing, and taste Kona coffee. Colorful road signs and picturesque old coffee mill sites still abound, along with quaint cafés and hotels from a bygone era. All, of course, feature Kona coffee!

The docile donkeys, known as Kona nightingales for their loud braying, were once used to transport the coffee bags. They were supplanted by the military jeep, which also eventually faded away. But remnants of both still exist​—the donkeys live in the wild and are protected, and the jeeps still sit in growers’ backyards, quietly rusting away.

Developing the Gourmet Market

For many years Kona coffee was used extensively for blending with lesser coffee varieties, and it was marketed that way. However, in the mid-1950’s, a significant change occurred. World coffee prices were up, and the yields per acre of Kona coffee were quite high. Farmers were encouraged through meetings with the University of Hawaii Extension Service to grow more coffee, and information on coffee growing was exchanged between farmers, processors, researchers, and extension agents.

The results were gratifying. Since 1970, Kona coffee has gradually shifted from being used primarily for blending with lesser coffees to being a specialty gourmet item marketed not only domestically but also internationally. This has brought higher and higher prices. International commodity agreements have also helped, by keeping coffee prices fairly stable and preventing extreme variations in price. Protection of the label “Kona Coffee” helped in marketing the product, and now many coffee farmers profitably market their coffee on-line.

Kona Coffee Festival

Yearly now, the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival invites one and all to join in a grand coffee festival. There are recipe contests, a golf tournament, and numerous other events. A prominent feature of the festival is the coffee cupping competition, in which the brew is tasted and judged by experts. Competition is keen, for the coveted awards can mean greatly increased sales for the winners.

Here are the suggestions from the festival for making “a perfect cup of Kona coffee”: “The best brewing method is an automatic drip system with a paper filter. Use fresh, cold water. Add one tablespoon of Kona Coffee per 6 oz. [178 ml] of water. For peak flavor, keep the brewed coffee warm and consume within one hour.”

Will you try it? If so, you will be drinking what many feel is some of the finest coffee in the world​—Kona coffee—​truly a gourmet’s delight!

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Kona

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Map: Mountain High Maps® Copyright © 1997 Digital Wisdom, Inc.

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Kona district

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Coffee plant blossoms

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Cherry

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Beans

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Parchment removed

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Roasted