What is Kona Coffee?

Coffee trees (Coffea arabica L.), which are native to Ethiopia, were originally collected from Rio de Janeiro in 1825 by Chief Boki, the Govenor of Oahu Island, transported aboard the British warship the H. M. S. Blonde. A plantation was established in Manoa Valley on the island of Oahu by Don Martin. Hawaii's tropical climate was found to be ideal for growing coffee and soon after its introduction to Manoa Valley, it was cultivated on most of the other major islands.

In 1828, coffee (Coffea arabica L.) was spread from Oahu Island to Kona and Hilo on the Big Island. Between these two areas, coffee grew exceptionally well in Kona, but only satisfactory in Hilo. Coffee was introduced into Kona by Reverend Samuel Ruggles above Kealakekua Bay. The ideal climate in Kona allows for the production of one of the world's best gourmet coffee, which has earned the stamp of Kona coffee.

By the mid-1800's, coffee become naturalized in disturbed mesic to wet areas particularly in valleys and along stream beds. Today, although "Hawaiian Coffee" can be used to refer to all Coffee grown in Hawaii, on coffee labels it is used to refer to all coffee grown outside of the Kona Coffee Region.

Coffee was an important crop in the late 1800, but by 1899, the world coffee market collapsed causing a shift from large plantation type operations to many one house hold operations, which were about 5 to 12 acres in size.

Kona Coffee comes exclusively from a belt like section from between 700 to 2,500 feet elevation that is situated in the district of Kona on the slopes of the Big Island's tallest volcano Mauna Kea. This belt is about 2 by 20 miles and accommodates about 650 independent farmers each owning about 3 to 7 acres in size.

Many factors have contributed to the success of Kona coffee:

During the period between crops, the climate is cool and dry. A rainy period, which increases in rainfall as the crop develops, provides the right amount of rainwater. At the approach of the harvesting season, the rainfall declines.

Direct sunshine is prevalent during the morning hours and as the huge volcanic mass of Mauna Kea heats up throughout the day, the rising heat causes a gentle updraft of the surrounding air. This rising air mass draws with it moist air from the coast. At the inversion layer, which is above the Kona coffee growing area, thick clouds develop and provide shade and drop intermittent rain onto the trees throughout the afternoon. During late afternoon the Volcano begins to cool causing the surrounding air to slowly descend and the rain clouds slowly breakup and allow the sun to shine through.

The soil in the Kona coffee region is characterized as rich, porous, deep, well-drained, and sloped. These conditions allow coffee plants to develop roots that penetrate deep into the soil.

From August to January, Kona coffee farmers use a labor intensive method of harvesting coffee beans by hand. Only the ripest red mature cherries are hand picked. The wet method is used during the pulping process to better preserve the coffee beans and it's aroma. Berries are soaked in rainwater over night. Subsequently, the beans are separated from the outer skin and pulp, fermented with care, washed, spread out on wooden decks and raked several times a day to dry evenly in the sun and wind. Prior to roasting, the parchment (outer membrane) and silver skin (inner membrane) of the dried beans are hulled to reduce the overall effects of bacteria, molds, yeast and oxidation on the bean surface to expose the inner green beans.

Subsequently, the beans are sorted and graded. This exacting process makes Kona coffee one of the best gourmet Hawaiian coffee in the world.

Typically, as with other island coffees, Kona coffee cherries normally contain two symmetrical seeds; however, there is another form of seed called the peaberry, which is actually a smaller single round seed formed within a cherry. Because of its unique taste, the Kona peaberry beans are highly prized by coffee connoisseurs.

Hawaiian coffee ranks as the fifth largest commodity for the entire State of Hawaii. Total coffee farm revenue was estimated at $37 M and production was about 7.4 million pounds during the season year 2006/07. The results represent a 1 percent drop in coffee farm revenue and a 10% drop in production as compared with the 2005/06 coffee season. However, the decrease in production resulted in an increase of $.45 on the average farm price per pound.

Hawaii is the only state in the U. S. where coffee is grown. There are 8 major islands: Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and Hawaii (or more commonly referred to as "The Big Island"). Among these islands, coffee is grown commercially on islands of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and Hawaii.

Today, Kauai Island leads the state with 3,400 acres in coffee production, followed by the Big Island with 1,800 acres, Molokai Island with 500 acres; and Oahu Island and Maui Island with smaller acreages.

Coffee plants grown on the different islands under different environmental conditions of direct sunshine, cloud cover, rain, slope of the field, richness of volcanic soil, humidity, elevation, temperature, variety of the coffee plant, and harvesting methods produce coffee with distinctive aromas and tastes.

Under natural rainfall conditions through out the Hawaiian Islands, coffee blossoms normally begin to appear in January and later develop into coffee cherries. Artificial watering allows the growers to produce more than one crop per year. Because the cherries ripen at different rates on any branch, it is economically feasible for workers on small coffee farms to hand picked coffee cherries at the peak of ripeness beginning in late summer. However, larger coffee plantations use mechanical harvesters for removing coffee berries from the trees to keep labor costs under control and the harvested berries at various stages of ripeness are hand sorted.