Hawaii is the only coffee-producing region in a First-World country. This changes the economics, as well as the marketing, of the coffee. The producers here have been successful at engaging consumers directly – often entwining the coffee with a visit to the islands – but many coffee professionals feel that the quality of the coffee may not merit its price.
Coffee was first brought to Hawaii in 1817, although these initial plantings were unsuccessful. In 1825 the governor of Oahu, Chief Boki, was en voyage from Europe and stopped off in Brazil where he picked up some coffee plants. These plants did thrive and coffee production was soon widespread across the Hawaiian islands.
The Bourbon variety was probably brought to the Big Island in 1828, and the first commercial plantation in Kauai began operation in 1836. However, plantations in the Hanalei Valley area of Kauai were destroyed by the coffee blight insect in 1858. The only region that continued to produce coffee from these initial plantings is the Kona region on the Big Island.
In the late 1800s, the industry attracted immigrants from China and then Japan, who came to work on the plantations. In the 1920s, many Filipinos arrived to work on the coffee farms during harvest time and the sugar cane plantations in the spring.
However, coffee did not become hugely important to the island economy until the 1980s, when sugar production ceased to be sufficiently profitable. The event triggered a renewed interest in coffee right across the state.
KONA
The best-known growing region in Hawaii, and one of the best-known in the world, is the Kona region on the Big Island. A long history of coffee production has helped cement the reputation of the region, although its success has lead to its exploitation through the mislabelling of coffee. Legislation on the
island now means that any Kona blend must state the quantity of coffee from Kona on it, and the use of the ‘100% Kona’ trademark is carefully controlled. A farm called Kona Kai in California had previously fought the awarding of any trademark or protection for the name, but in 1996 its executive was found guilty of filling his ‘Kona Coffee’ bags with beans from Costa Rica.
More recently, the region has been challenged by the problem of coffee berry borer. The island has introduced a number of measures to combat the blight, with some success, although there were fears that a reduction in yield would drive the already high price of Kona coffee even higher.
At the Dole Food Company on Waialua’s coffee and cocoa farm, beans are spread out to be dried by sun. Waialua is the largest estate on Oahu Island and grows Typica berries.
TRACEABILITY
It will come as no surprise that in a developed country the expectations of traceability should be high. Coffees are usually traceable down to a specific farm. In many cases, the farms roast their own coffees
to sell direct to consumers and tourists. Many also export some of their crop, predominantly to the mainland United States.
KONA GRADING
Kona has its own grading system, mostly based on the size of the beans, but also divided into Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 are the standard coffee beans, with two beans per cherry, while Type 2 coffees are exclusively peaberries.
Within Type 1, Kona Extra Fancy are the largest beans, then they decrease in size through the following grades: Kona Fancy, Kona Number 1, Kona Select and Kona Prime.
Within Type 2 there are only two grades: Kona Number 1 Peaberry and the smaller Kona Peaberry Prime.
There are requirements for a maximum level of defects in most of the grades, but these are quite generous and not themselves a reliable indicator of quality.
TASTE PROFILE
Typically lower in acidity, with a little more body. Approachable but rarely complex and fruited.
GROWING REGIONS
Population: 1,404,000
Number of 60kg (132lb) bags in 2016: 40,909
Hawaii’s reputation is dominated by a single region: Kona. The other islands are also worth exploring, however, if you like a typical island coffee with relatively low acidity, a little more body and less fruitiness in the cup.
KAUAI ISLAND
This growing region is dominated by a single company running 1,250 hectares (3,100 acres) of coffee production. The Kauai Coffee Company started growing coffee to diversify away from sugarcane in the late 1980s. Due to its size, it is a heavily mechanized farm.
| Altitude: | 30–180m (100–600ft) |
| Harvest: | October–December |
| Varieties: | Yellow Catuai, Red Catuai, Typica, Blue Mountain, Mundo Novo |
OAHU ISLAND
This is another island that is dominated by the Waialua Estate, which is around 60 hectares (155 acres) in size. This farm, which started production in the early 1990s, is fully mechanized in its production and also grows cacao.
| Altitude: | 180–210m (600–700ft) |
| Harvest: | September–February |
| Varieties: | Typica |
MAUI ISLAND
Maui has one large commercial coffee farm, Ka’anapali, which has the unusual addition of a selection of small plots of land with houses and coffee plantations for sale. Although the plots are owned by different people, the coffee production is done centrally. This large estate was a sugar plantation from 1860 to 1988, when production was turned over to coffee.
| Altitude: | 100–550m (350–1,800ft) |
| Harvest: | September–January |
| Varieties: | Red Catuai, Yellow Caturra, Typica, Mokka |
KULA, MAUI ISLAND
This small region takes advantage of the slopes of the Haleakala volcano to achieve some decent elevation for coffee growing. Coffee is relatively new to the area.
| Altitude: | 450–1,050m (1,500–3,500ft) |
| Harvest: | September–January |
| Varieties: | Typica, Red Catuai |
WAIKAPU, MAUI ISLAND
This is the newest region of coffee production in Hawaii. A single farm operates here, held by a company based in the neighbouring island of Molokai, called Coffees of Hawaii.
| Altitude: | 500–750m (1,600–2,450ft) |
| Harvest: | September–January |
| Varieties: | Typica, Catuai |
KIPAHULU, MAUI ISLAND
This is a very low region on the southeast coast of Maui. Coffee is often grown on organic farms as part of a diverse set of crops.
| Altitude: | 90–180m (300–600ft) |
| Harvest: | September–January |
| Varieties: | Typica, Catuai |
KAULAPUU, MOLOKAI ISLAND
This region is also dominated by a single coffee company, Coffees of Hawaii. The large farm is mechanized, often a requirement to reduce operational costs in an environment where labour is extremely expensive.
| Altitude: | 250m (800ft) |
| Harvest: | September–January |
| Varieties: | Red Catuai |
KONA, BIG ISLAND
Unlike many other growing regions in Hawaii, there is a more diverse industry here with over 630 farms producing coffee. Typically run by individual families, these farms are usually less than 2 hectares (5 acres). Yields here may well be the highest per area of anywhere in the world and as the farms are so much smaller than elsewhere in Hawaii, it is common to see manual harvesting of the trees.
| Altitude: | 150–900m (500–3,000ft) |
| Harvest: | August–January |
| Varieties: | Typica |
KAU, BIG ISLAND
Coffee production started in this region relatively recently, after the closure of the sugar mill in 1996. Until 2010, the farmers and cooperatives in the area had to travel to the neighbouring regions of Puna or Kona to have the coffee processed after harvest. However, a mill has now been constructed to alleviate the problem.
| Altitude: | 500–650m (1,600–2,150ft) |
| Harvest: | August–January |
| Varieties: | Typica |
PUNA, BIG ISLAND
This region had around 2,400 hectares (6,000 acres) of land under coffee production at the end of the 19th century, but production ceased as sugar rose to prominence. However, the sugar mill closed in 1984 and some farmers are starting to grow coffee here again. Most farms in this area are relatively small – around 1.2 hectares (3 acres).
| Altitude: | 300–750m (1,000–2,450ft) |
| Harvest: | August–January |
| Varieties: | Red Catuai, Typica |
HAMAKUA, BIG ISLAND
Coffee arrived here in 1852, and eight plantations were initially established. Like elsewhere in Hawaii, sugar soon became the favoured crop so coffee production declined. However, since the mid 1990s, some farms have started going back to coffee.
| Altitude: | 100–600m (350–2,000ft) |
| Harvest: | August–January |
| Varieties: | Typica |
Kalalau Valley on Kauai Island, typifies the landscape of Hawaii’s plantations.
Coffee crops are well suited to the soil in Honduras but the country’s high rainfall can make it difficult for farmers to dry beans.