Hawaii Kau | Starbucks Coffee Varieties | Starbucks Single Origin Coffee

The State of Hawaii is America's only archipelagic state, made up of 132 islands in the central Pacific Ocean. The capital sits in Honolulu on the island of Oahu.

The earliest inhabitants were Polynesians; after 1778, European and Asian immigrants gradually arrived. The Kingdom of Hawaii was established in 1795, annexed by the United States in 1898, officially became part of the United States in 1900, and America's 50th state in 1959. Today the population consists mainly of European and American whites and Japanese, followed by people of mixed race, Filipinos, and Chinese. The land area is 16,700 square kilometers.

Hawaii has an island-type climate moderated by monsoons year-round, with annual temperatures of approximately 26°C-31°C.

Hawaii - Ka'u

Ka'u occupies the southernmost tip of the Big Island of Hawaii, and its terrain is remarkably varied. Most Ka'u coffee grows in the mountainous areas above the town of Pahala, on the slopes of Mauna Loa volcano. JC Searle first planted coffee in Ka'u in 1894, but competition from sugarcane plantations for land and labor kept his venture from commercial success. Only when the sugar industry collapsed a century later — Ka'u's sugarcane plantations closed in 1996 — did displaced plantation workers see coffee as one of their most promising opportunities.

The first years of the young Ka'u coffee industry were full of challenges, as farmers worked hard to master the agricultural, processing, and business skills the modern coffee industry demands. Through that persistence, the production of remarkable coffee rooted in Hawaiian tradition quietly began.

Early on, Ka'u coffee was sold mainly into the Kona market, leaving growers with almost no recognition of their own. Gradually, though, Ka'u built a brand identity among local coffee enthusiasts. In 2007, Ka'u coffee entered the Specialty Coffee Association of America's annual competition and became an overnight success. In 2011, Starbucks Reserve Hawaii Ka'u won the SCAA's Coffee of the Year award.

Ka'u Coffee Region's Award Records from 2007-2012

2012 SCAA Roasters Guild Coffee of the Year

2011 SCAA Roasters Guild Coffee of the Year

2011 Hawaii Coffee Association Hawaii Coffee Champion

2010 SCAA Roasters Guild Coffee of the Year

2010 Hawaii Coffee Association Hawaii Coffee Champion

2009 7th SCAA Roasters Guild Cupping Competition

2008 11th SCAA Roasters Guild Cupping Competition

2007 6th and 9th place SCAA Roasters Guild Cupping Competition

Ka'u Coffee Bean Information

Origin: Asia Pacific - Hawaii - Ka'u

Processing Method: Fully washed

Varieties: Guatemala Typica, Yellow Catuai, Red Catuai

Acidity: Medium | Body: Medium

Description: Creamy chocolate flavor with sweet almond notes

Ka'u has long been a fixture in the Starbucks Reserve lineup, and it turns up elsewhere too — such as the seasonal limited edition Copelan's Blend introduced previously.

Ka'u Brewing Guide

This bean is not roasted very dark, which lets its more pleasant characteristics shine.

1. V60 (Hot): 15g coffee, Ditting grind setting 6, coffee-to-water ratio 1:15, two pours (125g, 100g), fine water flow, uniform circular motion from inside to outside.

Description: Soft acidity, almond, creamy chocolate, tea-like notes.

2. Six-cup Chemex (Hot): 25g coffee, Ditting grind setting 7, first pour 50g for a 28s bloom, second pour to 320g total water, wait 40s, then pour to 400g total.

Description: Enhanced acidity, tea-like notes, almond, chocolate.

3. Matsuya: 20g coffee, Ditting grind setting 5.5, total coffee-to-water ratio 1:8, 50g water bloom for 3 minutes, then pour 50g more; once drawdown finishes, add 60g hot water directly for dilution.

Description: Lower acidity, creamy chocolate, almond, higher body, delicate texture.

4. Kalita Wave (Cold): 220g ice in the cloud pot, 30g coffee, Ditting grind setting 5.5, 60g water bloom for 12s, then a fine flow spiraling from the center outward to 200g total.

Description: Refreshing acidity, almond, more prominent tea-like notes, chocolate sweetness.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If Ka'u's creamy chocolate and almond character appeals to you, FrontStreet Coffee has washed, balance-forward beans in the same spirit. FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 is the closest cousin: another island coffee where washed processing guarantees a luminous, low-defect cup, blending cream, caramel, chocolate, nuts, and honey with a gentle fruit note — nothing sharp, nothing missing, and endlessly easy to love. Brew it with 15 grams at a 1:15 ratio, 87–88°C water, and a white-granulated-sugar grind in a Kono dripper for the fullest expression. For brighter company, FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Guodingding Cooperative offers jasmine florals, vivid citrus acidity, and a green-tea-and-honey finish, while FrontStreet Kenya "Cherry Tomato" — double-washed for 72 hours from the Thika region's SL28 and SL34 at 1550-1750 meters — bursts with cherry tomato, dark plum, and snow pear juice. Three washed coffees, three completely different personalities.