Hawaiian Coffee Cultivation History and Varieties - Hawaii Coffee Growing Regions and Grading Introduction

Hawaiian Coffee Cultivation History

Don Francisco de Paula Marin noted in his 1813 journal that he had planted coffee on Oahu. That attempt ultimately failed, but in 1825 coffee reached Hawaii through the British warship H.M.S. Blonde, brought by Boki, Governor of Oahu. The ship was returning the bodies of King Kamehameha and Queen Kamamalu, who had died of measles in London during an official visit. Governor Boki was in charge of the funeral arrangements and, during the voyage, obtained coffee trees in Rio de Janeiro and carried them back to Hawaii.

The first plantings went into Manoa Valley on Oahu, then spread gradually to other parts of Oahu and to the neighboring islands. In 1828, Reverend Samuel Ruggles planted coffee in the Naole area, now Captain Cook, above Kealakekua Bay on the Kona Coast. The trees thrived on moderate altitude, fertile soil and consistent cloud cover. The cultivated area expanded gradually, and the local coffee became better known than that of other regions. At the time, Hawaii's coffee exports traveled mainly by whaling ships and merchant vessels. Through the 1860s the whaling industry declined, and Hawaiian coffee lost its principal market with it. In the 1870s sugar became Hawaii's main crop, and as West Coast markets expanded they slowly became the trading link between Hawaii and the United States.

Forward! ... to Honolulu. From the 1800s to the 1900s, Maui was always an important stop for the coffee ships loading and unloading cargo. Mala Wharf was one of the main stops for vessels running from the old port town of Kailua to the busy harbor at Honolulu. These ships carried not only coffee but the pineapples of the Baldwin cannery operators who were canning there. The site is now the Lahaina Cannery Shopping Center.

Hawaiian Coffee Characteristics

Hawaiian coffee is the only premium variety produced among the 50 states of the United States. The islands' coffee-growing area is very small, so Hawaii's annual output of coffee beans is extremely limited, yet the quality is excellent. Beans from the region therefore command higher prices than those from other coffee-growing countries.

Most of the coffee is planted on the slopes of Mauna Loa, in fertile soil containing volcanic ash. Hawaii's pleasant climate suits coffee trees very well, with abundant rain and sunshine and no threat of frost damage. The region also has a natural phenomenon called "free shade", which provides the trees with the shade they need.

Natural conditions this favorable let the Kona region produce a higher yield of Arabica than other plantations while holding quality consistently high.

Kona Region Grading Introduction

Kona

The Kona region lies on the Big Island and is Hawaii's most famous producing area, renowned the world over. The beans have a perfect appearance, with exceptionally full fruit and a bright, glossy color. In the cup the coffee is rich and aromatic, with cinnamon spice notes and a well-balanced, moderate acidity - a treasure by any measure.

Kona Grading

Kona coffee beans are graded according to bean size and divided into Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 1 consists of standard coffee beans, with two beans per coffee fruit.

Type 2 consists exclusively of Peaberry beans.

Type 1, graded from large to small: Kona Extra Fancy, Kona Fancy, Kona Number 1, Kona Select and Kona Prime.

Type 2 includes two grades of Peaberry beans: Kona Number 1 Peaberry and the smaller Kona Peaberry Prime.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Kona's appeal is its easy balance - a coffee that asks nothing of the drinker and hides nothing. FrontStreet keeps a handful of lots with the same friendly character for anyone starting out in specialty coffee. The FrontStreet Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon is the classic place to begin: a single origin from Brazil's well-known Cerrado region, medium roasted, with creamy peanut, toast, caramel and hazelnut, a round body and soft, gentle acidity rather than sharpness. It brews beautifully as pour-over, and it is just as happy in a moka pot, as an espresso SOE, in a siphon or in a French press.

If you want that softness with a little more depth, the FrontStreet Lintong Mandheling uses the wet-hulled process that Sumatra's climate made necessary: the parchment is stripped while the beans are still half-dry so that drying can be hurried along, and the result is the heavy, low-acid, herbal and spice-laden cup Mandheling is famous for. It suits anyone who would rather not taste acidity. Stepping up, the FrontStreet PWN Golden Mandheling passes through three rounds of hand sorting and one machine pass, cutting the defect rate to a minimum for a cleaner, smoother brew with clearer woody and caramel notes.