QUESTION: What Is Hawaiian coffee called? What makes it different than regular coffee? – Kitty M
ANSWER: You’re probably thinking about the name Kona coffee, which is an area on the big island of Hawaii where coffee is grown. Have you ever had Californian coffee? It is highly unlikely, because there is no coffee that is grown in California, or any other state in the U.S. for that matter, other than the island state of Hawaii. This is because the best coffee is grown in high altitudes in highly volcanic soil and the only place well suited to coffee growing in the U.S. is Hawaii.
There are coffee farms all over the state, but the most farms, and the best farms, are from a very small area on the largest island of Hawaii, Kona. The area is called the Kona Island Coffee Belt, and it’s a very exclusive region for coffee growers. Not only does the coffee have to be grown within the borders of the Kona Island Belt to be considered Kona coffee, it also has to be graded by their strict system of coffee bean judging in order to be called Kona coffee.
Why Is Hawaiian Coffee Special?
Pure 100% Kona coffee can go for very high prices. Some Kona coffee sells for around $20-30 per pound, while beans that get grades of fancy or extra fancy can go for as much as $100 per pound. The reason Kona coffee is so special is because of the conditions in the Kona Island Belt. Coffee grown in this region is exposed to mornings full of sunshine and rainy, cloudy afternoons. Also, the region is nestled high in the mountaintops of two of the world’s most active volcanoes. Not only is the altitude great for the beans, but the volcanic soil is excellent for providing nutrients and adequate drainage. Coffee plants need lots of nutrients and they can’t stand their roots to be soaking in standing water.
What Makes Kona Coffee Unique?
The perfect environmental conditions for growing coffee are all available on the slopes of the Mauna Lao and the Hualalai, the two most active volcanoes in Hawaii, one the Kona Coffee Belt. The volcanic soil that covers the slopes is fertile, well-draining and rich in minerals. It’s sunny in the morning, cloudy or rainy in the afternoon, and very mild nights with little winds, make Kona Coffee what it is known for around the world, a one-of-a-kind coffee, worthy of its heavy price tags.
The biggest reason for the heavy price tag on Kona coffee is the incredibly high cost of labor. Farm workers in Hawaii make a lot more money for their work than farm laborers in third world countries like Guatemala or Ethiopia, and coffee picking is a very labor intensive process that calls for each bean to be picked by hand when they become ready for harvesting. Just harvesting the beans can cost up to eight dollars per pound.
Then there are costs involving land use, fertilizers, and crop maintenance, which can increase costs to up to over fourteen dollars per pound. Add to that the cost of labor, marketing, the cost of roasting the beans, maintaining a website, and all the other little things that you don’t think about that add up when running a business, and you can understand how costs can drive the prices up to astronomical amounts.
However, coffee roasters from the Kona region wouldn’t be able to charge as much as they do if there wasn’t a demand for their coffees. People love Kona coffee, and their willingness to pay high prices to obtain it is what drives the demand of Kona coffee products. As long as Kona coffee lovers are willing to pay up for high quality coffee, the growers will be able to produce it, even with such high labor costs.
If you’re buying your coffee in small batches and grinding your beans just before brewing, not only will you maintain a high level of freshness, but you will keep your coffee costs within reason. If you just can’t see yourself paying the big bucks for Kona coffee, there are several more excellent coffee producers in Hawaii that offer incredible products for much less than you will pay for Kona coffee produced beans.
Though Kona coffee is responsible for about ninety-five percent of the coffee produced in Hawaii, Ka’u, Puna, and Hamakua coffee also offer coffee from the region at much cheaper prices, each with its own unique taste and aroma.
What Makes Ka’u Coffee Unique?
Ka’u coffee’s smooth, light taste, herbal and floral aroma, and complex finish have made the new roasters a formidable name in terms of new companies on the Hawaiian coffee market. Their coffee is good enough to raise some eyebrows amongst coffee enthusiasts, and has won some awards and placed highly in tasting competitions. The Ka’u Coffee Mill produces several different roasts that are available year round, and they make special roast every year at their annual coffee festival in May.
What Makes Puna Coffee Unique?
Coffee from the Puna district has been around since the mid 1800’s, but the Puna coffee industry was replaced with sugar cane farms until recently, when several farms sprouted up in the Puna region to occupy more than 125 acres in the area. The coffee from this region is well-loved for its powerful nutty flavor, chocolate bouquet, and full to heavy bodied finish. Once you taste one of the region’s top notch roasts, it will become clear, Puna coffees are making a comeback.
What Makes Hamakua Coffee Unique?
The rolling hills and scenic slopes of the coast of Hamakua trace the face of the Mauna Loa volcano. This up-and-down region is worth a drive if you’re in Hawaii physically. But if you’re simply experiencing the coffees of Hawaii, you’re likely to have encountered the coffees produced on the Hamakua coast, which used to be primarily farmland used to produce sugarcane. Now it is more often used to cultivate the trees that produce the coffees of the Hamakua region.
The individual farming operations tend toward the small side, with most farmers owning between five and seven acres of land. Things can be somewhat old-fashioned as well, and you’ll find that most of the coffee berries from the Hamakua coast are hand-picked. Coffee from this part of Hawaii is rich and smooth, with a more prominent chocolatey note than other coffees from Hawaii.
What Does Hawaiian Coffee Taste Like?
You can expect a standard Hawaiian coffee to have a smooth body and mouthfeel with a slightly detectable consistency of syrup. Kona coffee in particular is known for its bright, smooth, creamy flavor and clean, crisp, refreshing taste. You’ll also notice an inherent sweetness to Hawaiian coffees that, paired with the syrup element of the beverage’s body, will come through with notes similar to molasses and baked goods.
You’ll be able to discern notes like brown sugar, chocolate, fruit flavors, and honey in coffee from Kona. Although the chocolate element is present, it’s not overwhelming enough to make the entire experience overly chocolatey. For coffee from other parts of Hawaii, you’ll pick up on lots more floral nuances, such as rose, as well as more fruit flavors, in particular blackberry or orange.
Check packaging carefully when you’re shopping for a Kona blend or ordering a Kona coffee from a menu. You’re much more likely, both in Hawaii and outside of it, to encounter Kona coffee in a blend (which may contain something like 10 percent Kona coffee beans) than you are to find it served alone. That’s simply because Kona coffee can be so expensive. If it’s important to you to try Kona coffee on its own instead of as part of a blend, be prepared to pay a premium for the experience.
Coffee drinkers describe the flavor as unlike anything else they’ve tried, with the potential to be polarizing (you either love it or you hate it), but those who enjoy light roasts in particular are likely to be fans of Kona coffee. However, all of Hawaii offers a diverse array of coffee beans that are just as worthy of a taste to find out whether they’re your favorite coffee out there. Particularly if you enjoy tasting coffees from different regions or plantations to experience the subtle ways that climate, nutrition, and other factors can change the flavors present in your coffee, it’s worth taking the time to experience a little of everything that Hawaiian coffee has to offer.
Learn More About Hawaiian Coffees
https://www.chowhound.com/post/describe-kona-coffee-tastes-604835