Taxonomically classified as "species
Arabica sub-species Typica" or more commonly known as Arabica Typica
Kona coffee is world renown as a top quality coffee. Kona coffee beans
appear as a waxy bluish-green color in its unroasted state. Roasted,
the beans are enjoyably smooth to the palate, having a mildly acidic
flavor. Kona Coffee is grown on the Big Island of Hawaii, along the
western slopes of Mauna Loa and Hualalai. Hundreds of coffee farmers
from one to hundreds of acres in size produce a total of about 2,000,000
pounds of Kona Coffee in it's green (unroasted) form.
History of Kona Coffee
In 1825, King Kamehameha II, Queen Kamalumalu, the Governor
General of Oahu Chief Bogi, and others formed a delegation from the Hawaii
Islands and ventured to London. It was there that they first tasted coffee.
Unfortunately it was also in London where the King and Queen contracted
measles and died. Chief Bogi returned to the Hawaiian Islands aboard a British
battleship, bringing with him the bodies of the King and Queen. En route
to the Islands, the Chief made a stop at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he
obtained the coffee trees that spawned Kona Coffee.
Upon his return, Chief Bogi handed the trees over to an
ex-West Indies settler, John Wilkinson, who planted them on the Chief's
land in Manoa Valley on Oahu. Unfortunately, during his lifetime, Wilkinson
was unable to successfully cultivate the tree for production of its fruits.
In 1828, Father Samuel Lugress took coffee trees with him from Manoa Valley
to Kona, on the Island of Hawaii, planting them in his yard simply for
viewing pleasure.
Coffee growing in Kona
Planted trees grew at an alarmingly fast rate, and within
a few years planting became more or less a fad in Kona. Initially the trees
were not planted for production of its fruit, but as the climate and conditions
in the area enhanced the flavor of the cherry, as well being very favorable
to the growth of the tree, Kona Coffee has developed into the important
industry it is today.
The Kona region provides an ideal environment for coffee
cultivation. The region where most of the coffee farms are concentrated
commonly referred to as the "coffee belt," runs along Mamalahoa Highway
which cuts across the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa from 300 to 800 meters
above sea level. This coffee belt lies on rich, uncultivated lands greatly
influenced by the volcanoes that created the Islands. Here the soil contains
nutrients necessary for the growth of coffee. In addition, the calm winds,
moderate temperature, favorable amount of precipitation, and the temperature
differences between night and day create an ideal environment for coffee
cultivation.
It is primarily the temperature differences, caused by the
warm ocean breezes during the day changing to cool mountain breezes at night
that perpetuate the growth of this high quality coffee, especially at elevations
which are very near sea level. And of course, the archenemies of coffee,
winter frosts, have never been a threat in the warm archipelago of Hawaii.
The coffee tree goes into bloom in spring, producing a multitude
of small white blossoms purveying a sweet scent. This occurrence is referred
to as "Kona Snow," and lasts for a short time, three days at most. Following
the dropping of the blossoms is the development of the fruit that eventually
ripens to the red coffee cherry signifying time for harvesting.
The harvest period ranges from September to February, with
each cherry being picked by hand. To produce 1 pound of roasted coffee,
about 7.5 pounds of cherry is needed. These handpicked cherries are collected
into burlap bags and then transported to the pulping mill. Until the1950s
the industry used donkeys to carry these bags.
Coffee Processing and Hawaii State Certification
At the mill, the cherry pulp is removed leaving a mucus
membrane over beans. The beans are then soaked for ideally no longer than
overnight to remove the mucilage, thus preparing them for the drying process.
The demucilaged beans are spread out to dry on a platform
(called a hoshidana) in the sun and are raked often in order to spread and
turn the wet beans to help them dry evenly and keep them from burning. Dependent
upon the weather, this process can range from 5 to 7 days.
As the beans dry in this manner, a parchment skin forms,
which is ultimately removed, revealing raw green coffee beans, commonly
referred to as "green coffee." Dry millers then grade the coffee by size
and weight while trying to reduce the number of defects or imperfections.
The coffee is placed in 100-pound burlap bags and sealed for inspection.
At this point, the owner of the green coffee decides whether to have the
Hawaii state department of agriculture certify the coffee or not. Two types
of certification are available, a certificate of origin (which just insures
that the coffee was grown in the Kona region) and a certificate of quality
(which also insures the coffee meets specific criteria for size and number
of defects in the coffee). UCC Hawaii always state certifies its green Kona
coffee for both origin and quality.
Coffee Roasting
To preserve the balance, flavor, and unique acidity of this
exquisite coffee, UCC Hawaii roasts the certified Kona to a "city" roast.
Too light a roast can leave the Kona coffee tasting "earthy" and "sour".
Too dark a roast emphasizes the bitter characteristics of the coffee bean
and removes some of the body that Kona is known for. In order to insure
the coffee reaches this optimal city roast each time, UCC Hawaii uses a
color meter with each roasting of Kona coffee.
Crackulator
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While generally it is better
to grind your own coffee prior to each brew, if you're plan on using
your coffee fairly soon you may want to try our specially ground crackulated
coffee. Since heat is one of the enemies of coffee and a regular grinder
will produce a certain level of heat as it grinds the coffee, UCC
Hawaii uses a specially designed grinder called a "Crackulator" to
grind all of our ground Kona coffee. The crackulator reduces the amount
of heat in the grinding process compared to a normal grinder thus
preserving the quality of the coffee. Additionally, it also removes
more of the chaff found on the roasted coffee bean providing a much
purer form of Kona coffee. |
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