A view of the Pacific Ocean from Hala Tree’s coffee farm in Captain Cook, Hawai’i. Courtesy of Hala Tree.

When most of us think of Hawaiʻi, we think of perfect beaches, iconic sunsets and unparalleled relaxation. When coffee lovers think of Hawaiʻi, “Kona” is often the first word that comes to mind. But while the Hawaiian Islands are, indeed, a paradise, they’re also a place where coffee is a critical part of the economy — an economy that’s been hammered over the past few years by the Covid-19 pandemic and by devastating wildfires, not to mention agricultural pests and diseases specific to the coffee industry.

This month, we not only take a look at the islands’ coffees — roasted by locals — we also scope out what residents, most of whom can’t afford to buy Hawaiʻi-grown coffee for daily drinking — like to have in their morning cup.

Brandon von Damitz of Big Island Coffee Roasters surveying coffee trees at Silver Cloud Farm. Courtesy of Braden Tavelli.

There are three main kinds of Hawaiian coffee roasters: coffee farmers who roast their own green coffees, roasters that sell only Hawaiian-grown coffees (mostly to an international market), and roasters that sell both Hawaiian coffees and coffees from other origins.

The Current Context of Coffee in Hawaiʻi

While Hawaiʻi contributes only 0.04 percent of the world’s coffee production, coffee is the second most profitable crop grown in the state, a close second to macadamia nuts (College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawai’i at Manoa).  Most of the coffee grown in the state is exported. During the 2022–23 harvest season, Hawaiʻi farmers produced 24.8 million pounds of coffee, down 9 percent from the previous year (USDA). One of the chief reasons production is down is the emergence of coffee leaf rust (CLR), a fungal disease that has devastated entire coffee industries elsewhere in the world. It first appeared on Maui in 2020, then several weeks later on Hawaiʻi Island, known as the Big Island, which produces the vast majority of the state’s coffee crop. (For reference, the Big Island has more than 1,400 coffee farms, while Maui has just over 300, Kauaʻi has three, and O’ahu and Molokai each have one.)

Coffee cherries ripening on Monarch Coffee Farm in Kona, Hawai’i. Courtesy of Monarch Farm.

Before CLR, coffee berry borer (CBB) was the biggest threat to the state’s coffee crop. CBB was found in Kona in 2010, O’ahu in 2014, Maui in 2016, and Kauaʻi and Lānaʻi in 2020 (College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawai’i at Manoa) . This beetle, endemic to Central Africa, was responsible for decimating almost all of Maui’s small crop that year. Management techniques are now in place to somewhat curb its potential for destruction, but it remains a force.

Lastly, there were several wildfires in 2023, and the unprecedented scale of the fire that destroyed the town of Lahaina, Maui, has affected the state’s economy overall, both in terms of its largest industry, tourism, and in terms of the loss of dozens of coffee-related businesses. Maui Grown Coffee, the island’s largest producer, has not yet resumed operations, and many coffee shops were destroyed or displaced.

One of Hawaiʻi’s strengths as a producing region is that its coffee prices are not, as they are in most origins, tied to the commodity coffee market. In the 1980s, Kona’s rising star and the marketing brilliance behind it allowed the region to sell its coffees for much higher prices than any other origin. Today, the average price of unroasted Kona coffee is $26.50 per pound, while the average price for Arabica coffee is $2.03 per pound. So, why aren’t Hawaiian coffee farmers paving their driveways with gold? Two simple answers: Yield is down, and costs are higher than anywhere else in the world where coffee is grown.

We review many Hawaiʻi-grown coffees each year, but this report looks at the state’s current coffee scene from a broader perspective, as we invited roasters based anywhere in Hawaiʻi to send us samples from any origin. We received 45 samples: 31 roasted on Hawaiʻi Island, seven on O’ahu, three from Maui, and four from Kauaʻi.

We review here the 14 top-scoring coffees, 11 Hawaiʻi-grown and three grown elsewhere.

Hawaiian Farmers Roasting Their Own Green Coffees

There’s a long local history of coffee farmers roasting up small batches of their coffees to sell at farmers markets and farm stands, but these are, by and large, not the best representation of these coffees. Farmers are not typically trained roasters. There are some notable exceptions to this rule, and we cupped six coffees from roasters who are also farmers, and who paid precise attention to both sides of the operation.

Laura Ross (left), roaster, and Karen Paterson, co-owner of Hula Daddy Kona Coffee. Courtesy of Hula Daddy.

The highest-scoring coffee in this report was Hula Daddy’s wildly impressive Laura’s Reserve SL34 (97), produced at the company’s farm in Holualoa (North Kona) and roasted by Laura Ross, who’s been with Hula Daddy for more than a decade. Co-owner Karen Paterson, who founded Hula Daddy with her husband, Lee, in 2002, says, “The major challenge of growing coffee in Hawaiʻi is labor costs. With benefits, our average hourly pay is over $25. A Central American grower pays workers less than $2 an hour performing the same work, and labor rates in African countries are around $20 a month.” Hula Daddy sells only retail-roasted coffee (as opposed to green coffee or wholesale), both onsite and online, all exclusively from the Patersons’ own 10-acre farm. Its primary customers are buying coffee for home use, and only 10 percent live in Hawaiʻi. The SL34 is an aromatically intoxicating Kona version of a variety of Arabica traditionally grown in Kenya and is exuberantly complex.

Kraig Lee of Kona Farm Direct raking coffees drying on a concrete patio. Courtesy of Kona Farm Direct.

Kraig and Leslie Lee of Kona Farm Direct have been growing traditional Kona coffee for more than 25 years. In the past eight years, they’ve begun experimenting with new varieties, including Geisha. Kraig Lee says, “No doubt, the unique Kona soil and environment can produce some of the best quality coffees in the world, but there are dozens of ways you can screw it up. If you don’t pay attention to the details, you can turn great coffee into average or worse. I am so fortunate that I have employees who pride themselves in taking care of the land, picking only ripe cherries, and properly processing and drying the beans.” Kona Farm Direct’s 100% Kona Classic (94) is a lively, balanced Typica, sweet-toned, chocolaty and rich.

Lorie Obra, co-founder of Rusty’s Hawaiian in Pahala Hawai’i. Courtesy of Rusty’s.

Rusty’s Hawaiian is another longtime family farm, based in the Ka‘ū growing region on the east side of Hawaiʻi Island south of Hilo. Founded by Rusty and Lorie Obra in the late 1990s, Rusty’s was on the cusp of making a name for Ka‘ū coffee, a region in the shadow of Kona. When Rusty died of cancer in 2006, Lorie committed to actualizing their dream, and Rusty’s, now a world-class roaster as well, put Ka‘ū on the map. Rusty’s Classic Ka‘ū Peaberry (94) is lush, decadently sweet, deep-toned and sensuous. Lorie’s daughter, Joan, and son-in-law, Ralph Gaston, moved from the mainland to Pahala (where Rusty’s is located) full-time in 2011, and the couple run the operation with Lorie, who’s still going strong in her seventies. Gaston says that there are many challenges involved in farming coffee in Hawaiʻi: “The increased cost of production, primarily due to the spread of coffee leaf rust, has been difficult to deal with. This means more for treatment of CLR, managing that with the treatment for coffee borer, increased costs for fertilizer, not to mention rising labor costs. It’s a lot of pressure on the cost of production.” A full 40 percent of Rusty’s online customers are based in Hawaiʻi, and the remaining 60 percent are from the West Coast (California, Oregon, Washington) and Alaska, with a small percentage in Canada, Japan, Germany and Korea.

Kona’s Heavenly Hawaiian is one of several Hawaiian farmer-roasters working with non-traditional varieties of Arabica. The Kona Geisha Champagne (94) submitted for this report has elegant notes of nectarine, star jasmine and cocoa nib, a profile very similar to the traditional Geishas of Panama.

Brewing a pour-over at Monarch Coffee Farm in Kona, Hawai’i. Courtesy of Monarch Coffee.

Monarch Coffee’s “Hapa” (meaning “half”) (93) is a post-roast mélange of light-, medium- and dark-roasted Kona Typica, a comfortingly familiar Kona profile that’s crisply chocolaty and sweetly nutty. Abby Munoz, director of operations and daughter of co-founders Greg and Susy Stille, describes Monarch’s relationship with its customers as collaborative: “The values our customers hold dear — quality, sustainability, ethical sourcing, community involvement and enriching experiences — guide their purchasing decisions and loyalty to our brand. … This connection goes beyond a transactional relationship; it’s a shared journey towards a more sustainable and community-focused way of living.” She also speaks to the challenges of selling Kona coffees exclusively, saying, “Compared to other major coffee-producing countries, Kona’s output is minuscule, and restricted growing regions with strict geographical regulations that limit production area means limited supply, which leads to higher production costs. Logistics and sustainability are also big challenges for us. Due to the island’s remote location, shipping costs are a major hurdle.” Munoz also mentions CLR, volcanic eruptions, the effects of climate change, high labor costs and labor shortages as additional challenges for small farms in Hawaii.

Jean Orlowski of Hala Tree Coffee conducting a farm tour. Courtesy of Hala Tree.

Hala Tree’s SL28 Honey (93) is another variety associated with Kenya that, produced in the context of Kona terroir, is floral, citrusy, cohesive and confident. Hala Tree co-owner Danielle Orlowski says, “Having high production costs pushes us to make sure we produce one of the best coffees in the world. This is accomplished by paying attention to details, from farming to processing. Being in control of the process from tree to cup is what ensures our quality.”

Kona-born Mark Takizawa has a five-acre farm, Kona Hills Coffee (not to be confused with the large-scale 1,900-acre farm by the same name), where he’s done everything himself since 1987. His 100% Kona Extra Fancy (92) is a classic profile with notes of baking chocolate, date and hazelnut.

Hawaiian Roasters That Sell Only Hawaiian Coffees

Miles Mayne, of Silver Cloud farm, checking on coffee drying on raised beds. Courtesy of Braden Tavelli.

Big Island Coffee Roasters sent in a collaborative coffee in partnership with farmer Miles Mayne. This Ka‘ū Giant Maragogipe (95) is the result of co-founder Brandon von Damitz and Mayne’s many yeast experiments over three harvest seasons. The version they landed on uses K1-v1116 yeast from Lalvin, with anaerobic fermentation for 72 hours. This uniquely composed, big-beaned Maragogipe cup is driven by notes of stone fruit, hop-like florals, resiny amber and distinct tangerine. Co-founder Kelleigh Stewart acknowledges the challenges of working exclusively with Hawaiʻi-grown coffees, but also speaks to the opportunities it affords: “When people ask, ‘Why is Hawaiʻi coffee so expensive?’ this initiates a dialogue for deeper engagement and understanding of the supply chain. There’s so much more supply chain transparency and ethics with Hawaiʻi coffees. And the chain is much shorter because there’s little room for middle people. And a much greater percentage of the purchase price goes directly to the farmer. … So, while dealing with an ‘expensive’ product poses challenges, it’s easy for us to be proud of our farmer relationships, knowing we’re fostering an ethical, transparent supply chain. I often turn the question around and ask people, ‘Why is the rest of the world’s coffee so cheap and undervalued?’”

Pacific Coffee Research (PCR) has an interesting backstory. A women-owned business founded as Hawaiʻi’s first education and coffee training center, PCR offers analysis of green and roasted coffees, Q-grader courses, barista training, equipment procurement and maintenance, and much more. And now, PCR has its own line of retail-roasted coffees developed in partnership with local farmers with an emphasis on women producers. The 100% Ka‘ū Navarro (93) submitted for this report, a blend of Pacamara and Catuaí, is from Delvin and Nette Navarro’s Ka‘ū farm. Centered around fruit and floral notes, this blend is complicated by a compelling sweet herbaceousness. Co-owner Madeleine Longoria Garcia also notes the limited supply of Hawaiian-grown coffee, the impacts of CLR and the 2023 wildfires as significant challenges of working exclusively with Hawaiʻi-grown coffees.

The Pacific Coffee Research team. Courtesy of PCR.

But in addition, she argues, “The price model used in Hawaiʻi should be replicated globally. In order to have financially sustainable businesses, growers need to be able to sell their products based on their real costs and required profit margins versus having their products’ worth being dictated based on where the C-market happens to land on any given day. Our global industry talks about this all the time, as we don’t have a financially sustainable industry, and no one is really doing very much to change that. The current model gives buyers too much power when it comes to price and strips growers of negotiation power because everyone is looking at the C-market.”

Hawaiian Roasters That Sell Both Local and Global Coffees

Little-known fact: It’s illegal for roasters in Hawaiʻi to import green coffees from Africa. This outdated law hearkens back to concerns about agricultural contamination, but it’s still on the books, and it’s why you’ll see coffees from Central and South America and Indonesia at local island coffee shops — but not African coffees.

Teodoro Garrido, founder of Mama Cata Farm in Boquete, Panama. Courtesy of Klatch Coffee.

Well-known to the virtual pages of Coffee Review, Hilo-based Paradise Roasters used to have a roasting facility in Minnesota. Now that the company is fully Hawaiʻi-based, owner Miguel Meza specializes in rare microlots from the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Panama and, of course, Hawaiʻi. For this report, we review the richly floral, fruit-saturated Panama Mokkita Natural Mama Cata Estate (96) with notes of wild strawberry, lavender and black sage. Meza says, “We did not start out as a roaster of Hawaiʻi-grown coffees, but rather as a specialty coffee roaster. Due to the extremely high cost of producing coffee in Hawaiʻi, 10 times that of most other countries, the market for Hawaiʻi-grown coffees is limited as a daily-drinking coffee for most consumers. Moreover, we like variety and want to offer the widest array of sensory experiences possible with coffee, some of which cannot (yet) be found within coffee just from Hawaiʻi.” He adds that, “Like every other producing origin, the majority of the coffees produced in Hawaiʻi are commercial quality, not specialty. As a very small producing region, the quantities of high-quality coffee from Hawaiʻi are quite limited. Many of our Hawaiʻi coffees we produce from the cherry stage to ensure quality and apply proprietary processing techniques on them to create a diversity of cup profiles.”

Maui-based Origin Coffee Roasters submitted a JN Farms Double Anaerobic Red Bourbon (94) produced in Ka‘ū, an aromatically wide-ranging cup with notes of spice-toned florals and sweetly tart fruits. Owner Heather Brisson-Lutz loves Hawaiʻi-grown coffees but finds that she needs to also provide coffees from other origins for her local customer base: “It is challenging to market coffees not grown in Hawaiʻi in our local markets, but we have found that many of the local residents enjoy these coffees because they offer different flavors, and their price points are friendlier for daily coffee drinkers. We want to keep our coffees accessible not only in price point but also in terms of flavor profiles, processing methods and varieties.”

Kailua, O’ahu-based ChadLou’s Coffee Roasters sells both Hawaiʻi-grown and international coffees. The Cruz Loma Anaerobic Washed Ecuador (93) we review here is equal parts sweet, tart and savory (think dark chocolate, macerated kiwi and tarragon). Its popular coffee shop caters to both visitors and locals, offering a large menu of specialty coffee options as well as artfully designed bags to take home.

Hanalei Coffee Roasters is a micro-roaster on Kauaʻi’s North Shore in the stunningly beautiful town of Hanalei. Its Sunrise Blend (92) of coffees from Maui and Honduras is a friendly, easygoing and affordable coffee with notes of golden raisin, cashew, orange zest and cane sugar. The roaster has a selection of 100 percent Hawaiian coffees in addition to its coffees from Central and South America.

Maui Oma Coffee Roasting Co.’s 100% Hawaii Three Island Blend (92) is a combination of coffees grown on Hawaiʻi Island, Maui and O’ahu. Cocoa-toned and richly nutty, it’s a good introduction to the coffees of the Hawaiian Islands for newcomers to the genre. Maui Oma is located in Kahului, Maui, and primarily works with Hawaiian coffees but also has a selection of coffees from Central and South America and Indonesia.

Supporting the Hawaiʻi Coffee Industry

Whatever your coffee jam might be, Hawaiian roasters offer the world in a cup. In addition to buying coffee directly from the roasters featured in this report, you can support Maui’s wildfire recovery efforts here:

MauiGrown Coffee – Go Fund Me

Maui Food Bank

People’s Fund of Maui

The post Hawaiʻi Coffee Roasters’ Unique Place in the Global Coffee Scene appeared first on Coffee Review.

Kona Coffee, Then and Now

Kona coffee is grown on the west side of the Big Island in the Kona District, where it was first planted in the 1820s. There are not many people in the U.S. who drink coffee who haven’t heard of Kona; in fact, the name is virtually synonymous with Hawaiian coffee. And until California fairly recently got into the coffee-producing business, Hawaiian coffee was the only coffee grown in the 50 U.S. states.

Further, Hawai’i is both a producer and consumer of specialty coffee. In many parts of the world where coffee is grown, the highest-quality coffees are exported (because they command a higher price than they would fetch in the local market) and locals drink lower-quality, often commodity-grade coffees. Not so in Hawai’i, where the local market consumes (and pays the same premiums for) locally grown Arabica coffee. The most widely planted coffee variety here is Guatemala Typica, known on the islands as Kona Typica.

If you’ve seen a bag of 100% Kona coffee anywhere, you likely will have noticed how much more expensive it is than mainstream coffees from most other origins. Lee Paterson, co-owner of Hula Daddy in Holualoa (in the Kona District of the Big Island), explains that labor costs are a chief reason for this price differential. “In Kona, we pay $200-$300 a day for farm work, while a farmer in Guatemala pays $3-$6 a day for the same work,” says Paterson. When you factor in the exorbitant cost of living in Hawai’i, it’s easy to see why 100% Kona coffee retails for upwards of $30 for 12 ounces.

Complicating matters for consumers, and a perennial trap for tourists to the islands, is a 1991 law, still in effect, that allows roasters to label as “Kona Blend” bags that contain as little as 10% of coffee actually grown in the Kona District.

But coffee is grown on all the Hawaiian Islands. And although the Big Island produces the vast majority of the islands’ coffee, the Kona District itself has, in recent years — perhaps because of marketing that glosses over important distinctions among the district’s 600-plus farms — taken a back seat in the upmarket specialty world to the smaller-volume Big Island growing regions Ka’u and Puna.

Some of Hawai’i’s best coffees still come from the Kona District, no doubt, but when we asked roasters to submit samples of Hawai’i-grown coffees for this report, we received a broad array of impressive coffees not only from Kona, but also from Ka’u and Puna, as well as the islands of Maui and Kaua’i. Even more interesting is that, of the 10 top-scoring coffees we review for this report, only one, the Big Island Coffee Roasters Kona Peaberry, could be considered a “classic” Kona in the historical sense: a cleanly expressed washed-process Kona Typica. What best characterizes these 10 top-rated Hawai’i coffees is experimentation, whether with regard to variety or processing, or both.

Roaster Heather Brisson-Lutz and farmer Gerry Ross at Kupa’a Farms. Courtesy of Origin Coffee Roasters.

From a local-rum-barrel-aged Puna Caturra to a Ka’u-grown coffee fermented with wine yeast, a washed-process Kenya-style SL28, and a honey-processed Ka’u Typica, the 10 coffees we review here signal the direction many Hawaiian coffee farmers are taking in the 21st century: careful, creative experimentation, thoughtful choices about varietals best suited for each microclimate, and an openness to exploring what Hawai’i coffee can be, without preconceptions. We even review a coffee, Greenwell’s Mamo, that represents a new hybrid variety developed exclusively in Hawai’i that is making its debut on the world coffee stage after two decades of research and testing.

Baby Mamo trees in the nursery at Greenwell Estates. Courtesy of Tom Greenwell.

Nine of the 10 coffees here are from the Big Island and, of those, four are from the Kona District; four are from Ka’u; one is from Puna; and one is from the island of Maui. One was submitted by a roaster in Taiwan, and another by a New Orleans, Louisiana roaster whose mission is to elevate specialty Turkish coffee. Three were roasted by the producers who grew the coffees. (Producer/roasters are common on the Big Island, especially in Kona, but less common in the smaller Big Island growing regions.)

Hawai’i Coffees in a Global Context

Importantly, Hawai’i as a coffee-growing region is not bridled by the world commodity market (C-market) that sets the price of commodity-grade green coffee. The floating C-market price is determined by the mechanics of worldwide supply and demand for commodity Arabica coffee, but it affects producers of specialty coffee, as well, because it is a benchmark for price negotiation. The C-market has been under intense scrutiny recently because average production costs for coffee producers now unequivocally exceed the C-market price, a tragic discrepancy for small farmers who can only compensate by working harder and harder for less and less money.

But the prestige of the Kona name and the relative scarcity of Kona coffee create a separate market for Kona, in part freeing producers from the influence of the C-contract and giving them a great deal of autonomy, both in terms of pricing and product.

Kelleigh Stewart, co-owner of Big Island Coffee Roasters, says, “We’re removed from the C- market, so the feedback loop between producer and consumer here is short and direct. Our producers and industry professionals are often educated and have the resources to test variables. In Hawai’i, producers can test a new processing style, have it taste-tested by their end buyers, then set their own green/roasted prices based on the additional work involved. As producer/roasters, we have a wide breadth of responsibility, but we also have great creative freedom to explore.”

Paradise Roasters co-owner Miguel Meza adds, “Many Hawai’i producers travel to consuming markets and are familiar with things people in other parts of the world may be trying. Also like anywhere else in the world, producing coffee in Hawai’i for the general market is often not a profitable venture. So growers look to differentiate their product to be able to sell it at more profitable prices.”

Paterson says, “Everything is an option for the third wave,” and that, “When we created Kona Sweet [a natural-processed, sun-dried coffee] in 2008, we were advised not to do it because it wouldn’t be perceived as traditional enough,” he continues. We can report that we have tasted many iterations of that coffee here at Coffee Review and can say that the Hula Daddy rendition is one of the consistently cleanest naturals available, resonant with bright fruit, with none of the funk that often haunts natural coffees. It’s not a stretch to say that Hula Daddy has helped carve a path for broader acceptance of the natural process in specialty coffee, in general.

Karen Paterson picking coffee at Hula Daddy in Kona. Courtesy of Lee Paterson.

Paterson ticks off a list of the types of experimentation he sees routinely on the Big Island: “In Hawai’i, we have farmers using carbonic maceration, alternative fermentation liquids like Pepsi and sea water, and commercial yeasts. Many of the ideas for coffee-processing are coming from the wine industry.”

Origin Coffee’s founder Heather Brisson-Lutz, a mainland roaster who set up shop on Maui’s west side in 2018, works with both Hawai’i coffees and coffees from other world origins. She is seeing experimentation on Maui, as well, reporting that, “Olinda Farms has had great success with their controlled yeast inoculation during fermentation. It is challenging on Maui for smaller producers to take on natural- or honey-processing, due to our naturally rainy climate even in the ‘dry season.'” She works with Gerry Ross and Janet Simpson at Kupa’a Farms, upcountry in Kula, where she suggested they try a double-fermentation method widely used in Kenya (fermenting twice and washing twice in clean water). “Flash forward a month, and on my next visit to Kupa’a Gerry showed me the drying beds with Red Catuai, Yellow Catuai and Orange Bourbon separated in batches of single- and double-fermentation,” Brisson-Lutz says. She adds that, ” In general, I think producers see the value added by experimentation, whether it be in processing methods, fermentation or hybrids. They are creating a unique cup profile that attracts specialty coffee roasters and consumers.”

Joan Obra of Rusty’s Hawaiian, who moved back to Pahala (in the Ka’u growing region of the Big Island) to help her mom, Lorie Obra, run the family farm after her father died, says her mother asks one question when she approaches coffee processing: What does this coffee want to be? Joan says, “The answer depends on the variety, where it’s grown, the weather conditions for that year, processing type, and length of drying. Yeast is a fun new variable to add to those factors — and it falls in line with Lorie’s previous experiments. She has replaced the water in wet fermentation with seawater, pineapple juice, chili water, wine, soda, and other ingredients.” She says, “In short, we’re driven by curiosity. There’s an excitement around the cupping table when we taste the results of a new experiment for the first time.”

Four Standout Konas

Equator Coffee, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, sent us a gorgeous Kona coffee from Monarch Farms, owned by Greg and Susy Stille. It is experimental not by virtue of its processing (traditional washed) but by its variety, Gesha or Geisha. Long a darling of the elite specialty market, Gesha is being planted widely beyond Ethiopia (its origin) and Panama (where it was popularized), and this Gesha (which we rated 94) is floral and sweetly herbaceous with notes of aromatic orchid, spearmint and fine musk. Equator’s Director of Coffee, Ted Stachura, says, “There remains a mystique around Hawai’i coffees, in general, and Kona coffees, in particular. So many people from the U.S. mainland vacation on the islands and take away a positive feeling about the coffee as a result of their experience. Limited availability and high cost of production create an air of exclusivity, and you can’t get more exclusive than this award-winning Gesha lot.”

Greg and Susy Stille, co-owners of Monarch Farm in Kona, accepting an award from the Hawai’i Coffee Association. Courtesy of Abby Stille.

The most “classic” coffee here is perhaps a Kona Peaberry from Big Island Coffee Roasters, a conventionally wet-processed Kona Typica. It is also a peaberry, a kind of bean that results when the coffee fruit develops only a single, oval bean rather than the usual pair of flat-sided beans. This one, which we rated at 93, is rich-toned, with notes of black cherry, magnolia and a hint of thyme.

Hula Daddy submitted its Kona-grown version of the famous Kenya SL28 variety, Laura’s Reserve (93), a juicy-sweet cup with leading notes of red fruit and spice-toned sweet florals, backed up by buttery toffee.

Coming in at 90 is a true innovation, Greenwell Farms’ Mamo, a hybrid of the Maragogipe variety, famed for its huge beans, and the tiny-beaned Mokka, celebrated for its unique cup character. Mamo was developed over the course of 20 years by Dr. Chifumi Nagai of Hawai’i Agriculture Research Center (HARC); Hawai’i Coffee Growers Association (HCGA), under the direction of Kimo Falconer; and Tom Greenwell and his team at Greenwell Farms. The cup for this sample is sweetly savory, spice-toned and framed by rich aromatic wood notes. In regard to bean size, the Maragogipe parent appears to have prevailed here, as the beans are quite large.

The first flowering of Mamo trees at Greenwell Estates. Courtesy of Tom Greenwell.

A Wild and Wacky Ka’u and the New Classic Ka’u Naturals

One of the most interesting coffees to land on our cupping table is Paradise Roasters’ Ka’u Champagne Natural, harvested by Meza himself from various farms in Ka’u, then fermented in the whole fruit using two different strains of wine yeasts, and dried in the whole fruit. Meza observed that, throughout the fermentation in water, there were a lot of bubbles as a result of the yeasts producing carbon dioxide. He says, “When tasting the cherries during fermentation, I noticed that they have a sparkling, effervescent sensation, and later in the fermentation when most of the sugar has been consumed, the fruit is bright and crisp like a dry sparkling wine.” We rated it at 94, finding it to be juicy, brightly fruit-toned and spicily floral, with notes of wild strawberry, honey, dried gardenia, pistachio butter and pink peppercorn.

Miguel Meza’s experimental fermentation process at work on the Paradise Ka’u Champagne Natural. Courtesy of Miguel Meza.

Rusty’s Hawaiian coffees at the beach. Courtesy of Joan Obra.

Three Ka’u coffees, two produced by Rusty’s Hawaiian and one produced by Rusty’s sister company, Isla Custom Coffees, impressed us with their cleanly bright fruit-forwardness and elegant balance. Rusty’s own Honey Typica scored 92, as did Three Chairs Typica Natural (produced by Rusty’s), roasted in New Orleans by a native of Turkey, Turgay YILDIZLI, whose primary focus is on elevating Turkish-style coffee within the specialty market. And Nine Point Coffee in Taiwan sent in a Ka’u Natural we rated at 93, sourced by Isla Custom Coffees from various Ka’u farms.

Nine Point Coffee Roasters in Taipei. Courtesy of Yu-Lin Chiu.

One could argue that the development over the last decade of high-quality Ka’u coffees that land somewhere on the natural-process spectrum, led by Lorie Obra and the Rusty’s team, argues for Ka’u as Hawai’i’s ground zero for these consistently graceful, cleanly fruit-expressive coffee styles.

A Maui and a Puna

Origin Roasters’ Orange Bourbon from Maui’s Kupa’a Farms (93) is notable for its crisply sweet-tart cup with pretty notes of peach, honeysuckle, cinnamon and cocoa nib, as well as for its backstory (see earlier in this report), in which local roaster Brisson-Lutz collaborated with the farmer to elevate and distinguish the cup profile.

Big Island Coffee Roasters sent us a Puna Caturra aged for two days in local Kuleana rum barrels as part of a series of barrel experiments with different coffees and vessels to explore, Stewart says, the influence on flavor, acidity and mouthfeel. I might add aroma to that list, as, right out of the gate, this coffee perfumed our cupping room with Concord grape and ginger blossom, along with some kind of barrel-treated alcohol we blind-identified as aged grappa. Surprisingly, the coffee itself is not overwhelmed by the barrel conditioning; it was brief enough that the coffee character is accentuated by the barrel, rather than dominated by it. We rated this coffee at 93.

Big Island Coffee Roasters’ Puna coffee going into local rum barrels for aging. Courtesy of McKenzie Wildey.

By now quite apparent, the theme of this Hawai’i coffee report is experimentation, which has been encouraged by the islands’ unusual position in the global marketplace and by an infrastructure conducive to innovation. Stewart says, “To me, it feels like we’ve jumped from being a decade behind the specialty coffee movement to the forefront, just within the last five years.” We here at Coffee Review look forward to see how this exciting region continues to evolve.

The post Hawai’i: A New Wave of Coffee Innovation appeared first on Coffee Review.

Of the eight coffees we review this month, five are such traditional Sumatras, and three are not. The three outliers, in part, represent efforts by producers to add value to their coffees by creating new or different taste profiles through variations in fruit removal and drying. In this case, the producers aspire to create Sumatras that don’t taste like Sumatras usually do, but rather like something else, something different but hopefully just as exciting.

Notch Coffee’s Boru Batak Sumatra being spread on a patio for initial drying. Courtesy of La Minita.

More on those interesting outliers later. Returning to the traditional Sumatras, the main reason they taste the way they do is a uniquely Indonesian variation of conventional wet-processing called wet-hulling, or “giling basah” in local Batak languages. In wet-hulling, the soft fruit residue is removed by small producers as it is in the conventional washed or wet method, by removing the skins from the fruit, loosening the sticky fruit flesh through fermentation, then washing the loosened flesh off the beans. However, in the wet-hulling variation, the remaining moist parchment skins are removed in the middle of the drying process, when the beans still retain somewhere between 20% and 40% moisture. The beans are dried the rest of the way, to 12% or 13%, after parchment removal. The result is a mild, fortuitous mustiness that, if everything goes well, lends the best wet-hulled Sumatras their unusual depth of sensation and their complex, fruit-twisting earth notes.

Fresh-Turned Earth, Not Mildewed Socks

The key phrase in that last sentence is “if everything goes well.” Poor-quality Sumatras can come across as sharply musty rather than earthy, more like mildewed socks in the basement than fragrant fresh-turned humus. But reassuringly, the earth-invoking processing variations appear to go have gone reasonably well, in some cases superbly well, in the great majority of the traditional wet-hulled Sumatras we tested. Of the total of 75 Sumatras we cupped, more than 50 were wet-hulled. The good news for the corner café, walk-in Sumatra buyer is that all but a handful of those 50-plus wet-hulled samples rated a decent 88 and up, with 21 of them going to 90 or higher.

David Pittman, co-owner of Peach Coffee Roaster, updating a roast profile. Courtesy Jeffery Emile.

We review the five top-rated of those traditional-process Sumatras here, those that attracted ratings of 92 to 95. All displayed a fundamental similarity in aromatic character, dominated by earth or tobacco notes, chocolate or cocoa, and a range of pungent fruit. But beyond those commonalities, they differed. The top-rated Sumatra Lintong from Peach Coffee Roasters (95) was extraordinary in the way it ringingly amplified its tobacco and chocolate heart with exhilarating floral, citrus and sandalwood notes. By contrast, the Gracenote Sumatra Tano Batak and Notch Coffee Boru Batak, both 94, were richer, deeper, though perhaps less complex. The chocolate and the fresh earth were more explicit, the fruit more pungent and savory. All three of these impressive coffees were produced by small holders working with key collectors in the Lintong region south of Lake Toba, the best-known and most traditional of Sumatra growing regions.

The other five top-rated coffees, rated from 93 to 92, were produced outside the Lintong region and displayed a considerably wider range of processing styles and grower relationships.

The Gayo/Aceh Region: Tradition and Diversity

Ibu Rahmah, Chairwoman of Ketiera Cooperative, Indonesia’s only women-led cooperative. Courtesy Barrington Coffee.

The Gayo region in Aceh Province at the far northwest tip of Sumatra, surrounding Lake Tawar, produces large volumes of coffees in a variety of styles, although the most common is a wet-hulled style similar to the traditional coffees of Lintong. The Sumatra Gayo King Mandheling from Taiwan’s Fumi Coffee displayed a fine traditional wet-hulled profile, with a particularly distinct dark chocolate and a fresh, loamy earth. Barrington Coffees’ Ketiara Sumatra (92) showed still another attractive variation on the wet-hulled style, with a fresh, leafy earth nuanced by orange, cocoa and lily. The Ketiara, by the way, is produced by members of a well established, successful women-led cooperative, Koperasi Pedagang Kopi Ketiara.

The Processing-Method Outliers

Finally, to the outliers, coffees processed using alternative methods to the standard Sumatra wet-hulling procedures. For example, the Paradise Sumatra Pantan Musara (93) is a conventionally washed coffee. In other words, after picking it followed the orthodox path from fruit removal immediately after picking to final drying in the parchment skin. There was no intervening removal of the wet parchment skin that would turn it into a wet-hulled coffee. Nevertheless, the Pantan Musara shows certain affinities to more traditionally processed Sumatras, such as an impressive savory depth and a sweet-tart fruit. But it shows very little chocolate and nothing much to call earth. Instead, it impresses with a big, complexly expressed ripe-tomato package of sweet, savory and tart.

Differentiating from Something Already Different

The practices of drying coffee in the whole fruit (natural or dry-processing), or with skin removed but with the fruit pulp still remaining on the bean (honey-processing) are now being experimented with all over the coffee world. These two processing methods have become popular ways to create alternative taste profiles to the more predictable profiles produced by the orthodox wet-processing still dominant in most fine-coffee-producing regions of the world. The curious situation in regard to Sumatra is that the standard Sumatra processing method—wet hulling—already produces sensory profiles often strikingly different from those typical elsewhere in the world. So, in effect, Sumatra producers who experiment with natural or honey methods are creating differentiation from a norm that is already different by coffee-world criteria.

Leo Purba and Lisa Matthews, producers of the Giv Coffee Huta Raja Natural. Courtesy Emily Brooks, Giv Coffee.

So it may not be so ironic that the highest-rated natural-processed Sumatra we tested, the Giv Coffee Huta Raja Natural (93), is, if anything, quieter and more familiar in the cup than most of the Sumatra wet-hulled coffees we reviewed. Zesty and rather brisk, with attractive dry chocolate notes, fragrant sandalwood, and fruit notes that hovered between peach and mango, the Huta Raja differed both from the chocolate-fruit-and-earth wet-hulled Sumatras we review this month, as well as from the fermenty fruit-bomb coffees many coffee drinkers have come to associate with the natural method.

Among the 75 Sumatras we tested, eight were processed by the honey method, meaning the beans were dried with the fruit skins removed, but with all or some of the fruit flesh, or honey, still adhering to them. The highest-rated of these honey-processed coffees was roasted in Taiwan by Small Eyes Café: the Sumatra Aceh Gayo Mountain Kenawat Raisin Honey (93). It offers a crisp, quietly intricate cup with a distinct ripe cantaloupe note that could, with some imagination, be associated with honey-processing. Of all of the coffees we review this month, it is perhaps the most pleasingly balanced and normative in style.

What about Tree Variety?

Regular readers of Coffee Review may notice the absence of any reference to tree variety so far in this report. The reason is that most coffee commentators assume that the main factor contributing to the unusual though consistent cup tendencies among traditional Sumatra coffees is the unique practice of wet-hulling. We look to processing method first because most Sumatra coffee is produced from a relatively undifferentiated mix of varieties, almost none of which have, so far, produced a distinctive cup in situations where they have been isolated. So, the assumption is, the distinction must come from the processing.

An exception to that generalization may be the Java variety, apparently developed in around 1928 from seed sent directly to Java from Ethiopia, the botanical home of Arabica and the origin of some of the world’s most distinctive Arabica varieties, including the famous Geisha or Gesha. In Sumatra, Java is often called Abyssinia (or Adsenia), after the old name for Ethiopia.

At any rate, we should not count variety out as a differentiator of the Sumatra cup. The full range of varieties grown in Sumatra has simply not been researched sufficiently to even invite speculation about their impact. Plus, producers in Sumatra, as in many places in the world, tend to be vague about the names of the trees they are growing. And those names may not be reliable anyhow, since World Coffee Research’s genetic tests of varieties in Africa and elsewhere suggest that farmers (and therefore, exporters and roasters) often are mistaken about the actual varieties planted in their fields.

So, the jury is still out on the impact of variety on Sumatra’s characteristic and distinctive sensory style. Certainly many Sumatra coffee beans, particularly those from Lintong, are quite distinctive-looking. These beans tend to be elongated, often almost squarish. Occasionally (as was the case with this month’s top-rated Peach Coffee Roasters Sumatra Lintong), the beans look a bit like beans of a traditional Ethiopia type from the early 20^th century called Longberry Harar—small-to-medium in size, but rather long and narrow, with a distinct center crevice.

An Origin in Transition

At any rate, stay tuned, both to the results of more extensive genetic study of Sumatra coffee varieties, as well to the fallout from producers’ experiments with imported processing methods that may dramatically diversify the fundamental sensory identity of the traditional Sumatra cup.

The post Sumatra: Earth, Chocolate and Change appeared first on Coffee Review.

It’s the Processing

My first attempts at cupping with Ken and Jason Sarley, our resident Q-grader, left me feeling, at turns, confident and completely at a loss. “Yes, I get dark chocolate, orange zest, and an aromatic wood akin to fresh-cut cedar, but where is this floral note the two of you are waxing poetic about?” are the kinds of thoughts I had on a daily basis. “And why do you refer to this coffee’s acidity as ‘brisk,’ as opposed to ‘bright’”? With wine, I was often concerned with grape varieties over all else, as varieties tended to be the greatest predictor of how a wine would ultimately taste, followed by origins with their distinctive terroirs. But with coffee, it seemed almost immediately that processing method was a first-step key to unlocking the mysteries of the end product. Of course it was clear that the impact of tree variety is crucial to understanding coffee, but the ability to approach coffee critically for me seemed to start with an awareness of the influence of processing, or the varied and complex procedures through which the skin and pulp of the fruit are removed from the beans and they are dried.

In my first months at the cupping table, I had the good fortune to experience coffees I’d never have been exposed to if left to my own devices: exotic varieties like Sudan Rume, expensive Panama Geshas, and many natural-process Ethiopias, a penchant for the likes of which, arguably, distinguishes hard-core coffee aficionados from the average coffee- drinker who has developed an affinity for a more narrow range of coffee styles. Dried blueberry? Rye whiskey? These are aromas and flavors I had never associated with my breakfast beverage, yet here they were, plain as day, in my cup. Conversely, I experienced the more familiar wet-processed Colombias and Costa Ricas in terms of previously undetected subtleties: levels and types of sweetness, associations with various fruits and nuts, and degrees of intensity, in both aroma and flavor. And chocolate. Almost always chocolate, whether crisp roasted cacao nib, rich fudge, or one of many variations in between.

Sumatra’s Unique Wet-Hulling Process

The majority of the Sumatras we cupped for this report were wet-processed using a method particularly associated with Sumatra called “wet-hulling” or giling basah in the local Batak languages. Traditional wet processing involves removing the skin and soft pulp of the coffee fruit from the beans via either fermentation and washing (the traditional method) or by machine-scrubbing, in either case leaving the coffee bean encased only in its inner parchment and silver skin as it is dried to roughly 12.5% moisture. The coffee is stored “in parchment” and the dried, crumbly parchment skin is only removed from the beans when they are ready to be shipped. In wet-hulling, however, the parchment skin is removed in the middle of the drying process, when the beans still have a high moisture content, often as high as 40%. Although this small difference between conventional wet-processing and wet-hulling may seem trivial, it appears to result in a striking difference in cup character, promoting an array of aroma/flavor notes that range from outright musty or mildewy in poor quality wet-hulled Sumatras to the engagingly intricate, humus-like sweet tobacco and tropical fruit notes that show up in the very finest wet-hulled Sumatras, seven of which we review this month.

Although the bag copy and websites for some of the Sumatras we cupped used alternate terms for the wet-hulling process—“semi-washed” was the favorite, although “semi-dry” showed up as well—we at Coffee Review understand that the terms semi-washed and semi-dry are best used to describe other processing methods in use in other parts of the coffee world (in Brazil, for example). For us “wet-hulling” or giling basah best describes this unusual Indonesia processing method, and whenever we were able to confirm that this processing method had been used to produce a coffee we reviewed, we applied that term.

Of course, as we often point out at Coffee Review, coffee producers the world over are experimenting with processing methods from other parts of the world that do not reflect traditional local practices. In the case of this month’s 27 Sumatras, in addition to traditional wet-hulled samples, we also cupped two natural-processed samples (beans are dried inside the entire fruit), three conventionally wet-processed samples, and four “honey” processed samples (the skins are removed, but the beans are dried with at least some of the fruit pulp still adhering to them). This last method, called “honey” in Central America, is also sometimes called “semi-washed” in Brazil, adding to the confusion around the latter term.

All Sumatras, All the Time

At any rate, this month’s cupping of Sumatras for our July tasting report deepened my appreciation of processing method as a primary contributor to what a coffee will taste like, and also awakened me to the vast range of possibilities conscientious farmers and mill operators can contribute to the complexity, nuance and distinction of coffees through processing variations.

Before this exercise, which spanned several weeks and 27 coffees, I had cupped only a handful of coffees from Sumatra, the huge, westernmost island of Indonesia, none of them particularly impressive. The positive Sumatra descriptors I first identified included moist pipe tobacco, dried pineapple and a suggestion of spicy smokiness that my co-cuppers deemed not associated with the roast, but with the green bean itself. And so I went into this month’s cupping with a stereotype about Sumatras that was debunked by the depth, range and unequivocal sweetness of the finest of the samples we cupped.

In Coffee Review’s tasting report on wet-hulled Sumatras last year, Ken described Indonesia’s most popular processing method, giling basah or wet-hulling, as often resulting in “elegant earth.” In my wine lexicon, this conjures Cabernet Franc, often described as rustic, savory, herbaceous, and even green-vegetal, descriptors that can be a compliment, or not, depending on the quality of the particular Cab Franc. Many Cab Francs, unblended, are also described as the opposite of “clean:” funky, earthy. Until this cupping, I associated all Sumatras with this deep earthiness, which, in fact, is a bit of a stereotype. Like Cab Francs, many Sumatras express an elegance, to borrow Ken’s term, that transcends the lesser Sumatra coffees I’d casually encountered before.

The Coffees

The most common adjectives the three of us noted in our cupping of the best wet-hulled coffees (seven of the eleven samples reviewed here were wet-hulled, ranging in score from 92 to 94) were pipe tobacco, various tropical fruits like mango and coconut, richly savory tamarind and, perhaps the biggest surprise for me, lush floral notes we associated with lilac and honeysuckle. Occasionally, fresh humus or decaying moist leaves would appear as descriptors, but in the best of these samples it was always in the context of rich, elegant sweetness.

Tied for the top score of 94 were Korean roaster Crescendo’s Sumatra Black Panther and Klatch Coffee’s Sumatra Lintong Mutu Batak. Both were subtly different but clearly characteristic variations on a Sumatra wet-hulled theme: The Crescendo Black Panther sweet and deep with mango and tobacco tones; the Klatch Lintong Mutu Batak brighter with pungent grapefruit animating the floral and tobacco notes. Among the wet-hulled Sumatras reviewed here at 93, the PT’s Batak Nuali Sumatra was more zesty and savory, and the Panorama “Blue Bianca” more explicit in its sweet earthiness, though still complicated with fruit, tobacco and chocolate. The Taiwan roaster ICC’s Lintong Blue Batak (93) added an intriguing cumin-like spice note to ripe fig and citrusy floral tones, and Old Soul’s Sumatra Gayo “Adsenia” Triple Pick (92) was a particularly lucid wet-hulled coffee without the usual tobacco notes but rich with flowers and chocolate.

Along with the seven wet-hulled Sumatras, we review one fully dried-in-the fruit “natural”-processed sample, the 93-rated Crescendo Wahana Estate, an impressive example of the natural style with its lush sweetness, chocolaty fruit and understated hint of brandyish ferment. One conventionally wet-processed or “washed” sample, the Café Backstage Sumatra King Batak, made the cut at 92. It appeared to reflect in its crisp delicacy and gentle tartness the greater clarity we expect from conventionally wet-processed coffees.

Finally, we review two honey-processed coffees, both complex, interesting, but difficult to decisively generalize on by processing method alone. The 93-rated Taiwan-roasted Once N Café Etude Meriah Aceh King Batak could well read as a wet-hulled Sumatra, though more delicate perhaps in its sweet molasses-inflected tobacco and fragrant magnolia-like flowers. The King Batak Honey (92) from Studio Confluence (another Taiwan roaster) more clearly fits our processing method expectations: It is definitely crisper and zestier than the typical fine wet-hulled Sumatra, with nothing earthy or tobacco-like about it.

The post Learning from Sumatras appeared first on Coffee Review.

Recall that in traditional wet-processing, the skin and pulp of the coffee fruit is removed from the “beans” or seeds in several stages after which the beans are dried to about 12.5% moisture, whereupon they are stored encased in the remaining dry, crumbly “parchment skin” until they are ready to be shipped. It is only at that point, well after drying has been completed, that the parchment skins are removed.

In the wet-hulling variation of wet-processing the soft fruit residue is removed by small producers as it is elsewhere, by removing the skins from the fruit, loosening the sticky fruit flesh through fermentation, then washing the loosened flesh off the beans. However, in the wet-hulling variation the parchment skins are removed in the middle of the drying process, when the beans still retain somewhere between 20% to 40% moisture. The beans are dried the rest of the way, to 12% to 13%, after parchment removal. This atypical practice is additionally complicated by an unusual supply chain in Indonesia, one in which the fruit removal and a first drying is usually performed by small producers, after which collectors bring the partly dried coffee to a mill where it is dried a bit more before being hulled at 20% to 40% moisture. Final drying to 12% to 13% moisture may take place at the mill or in the port before the coffee is shipped.

Contributing Depth without Domination

Somewhere along the line, probably during the prolonged serial steps in drying, the beans pick up a slight mustiness that contributes the characteristic fruit-toned “earthiness” for which Sumatras are famous. Up to ten or twelve years ago the problem was finding specific lots of Sumatra that expressed this accidental flavor complex sweetly and pleasingly rather than harshly; in other words, finding lots that tasted richly earthy rather than overbearingly musty.

Over the past ten years the wet-hulling process has been refined, particularly in Sumatra, to the point that the earth note is backgrounded and transformed, bringing a rich, sweet pungency that deepens and grounds profiles without dominating them. At times one can call this sensation earthy in the sense that it suggests sweet humus or moist fresh-fallen leaves; just as often it provokes associations like pipe tobacco, fresh-cut cedar or fir, or spice notes like pink peppercorn and clove. Influenced by this pungent base are fruit and floral suggestions, with the whole aromatic package usually supported by a cleanly expressed structure of sweet-toned acidity and silky to syrupy mouthfeel.

Ten Good Ones

This month we review ten such wet-hulled coffees, nine from Sumatra and one from Sulawesi, all expressing refined variations on this sweetly pungent, wet-hulled theme. Four additional samples, all Sumatras, attracted ratings of 90 through 91, but are not reviewed here. The disappointing news, perhaps, is the absence of wet-hulled samples from islands other than Sumatra and Sulawesi. I would guess that the probably costly efforts to refine the wet-hulled process are only worth the focus and investment when an exporter is working with an already well-known and celebrated origin like Sumatra, or at the very least, Sulawesi.

Consult the Fine Print

Those readers interested in exploring the sensory character of these coffees would do well to look at the blind assessment paragraphs of the ten reviews associated with this article carefully. Although several reviews make allusion to hints of moist, fresh-fallen leaves or deploy similar foresty descriptors, specific profiles differ greatly, dramatically even. Details of wet-hulling vary, lot by lot, and botanical variety, although only beginning to be reflected in market descriptors in Sumatra, may be at work in the background as well, along with the even less-understood impact of subtly varying terroirs. Plus, of course, roast is crucial in differentiating these samples, perhaps even more crucial than it is in respect to influencing the character of more conventional coffee profiles.

The PT’s Silimakuta AAA Sumatra (93) displays perhaps the most explicit (though still quietly integrated) earth notes of the ten reviewed samples; the fusion of this gently stated suggestion with more conventional chocolate and apricot- and raisin-like fruit notes nets an engaging expression of the wet-hulled style. By comparison, neither the top-rated Papa Lin’s Lake Toba Peaberry (94) nor the Equator Sumatra Ulos Batak (94) appear to exhibit explicit earth-related notes, yet both display variations that in my experience reflect the impact of wet-hulling: the particularly zesty and pungently grapefruity character of the Equator, and the spice and herb innuendoes complicating the softly lush, floral and stone-fruit of the Papa Lin’s. Other reviewed samples range from the more delicate, nutty and crisp (the Bird Rock Sumatra Ulos Batak, 93, for example) to the Kenya-like dry berry, citrus and chocolate of the Seattle Coffee Works Sumatra Ulos Batak (93).

A Little Farther Back in the Pack

Of course, not all of the wet-hulled Sumatras we sampled were quite as successful as the ten reviewed here, or the additional four not reviewed that rated 90 to 91. The complex set of processing procedures involved with wet-hulling, performed in different places by different parties, must make achieving consistency difficult. Ever since the new, more refined style of wet-hulled Sumatras started appearing on the market a decade or so ago I’ve been amazed by the achievement of cooperative leaders, exporters and others in achieving the consistency represented by the best of these engaging and original coffees.

Returning to the samples not reviewed here, we tasted only one outright tainted sample, although several more showed mild inconsistencies from cup to cup. We sampled a couple of the more generic style of “Mandheling” Sumatras displaying the older style of explicit earthiness that can come across as broodingly rough and robust in darker roast styles, but in the currently fashionable medium roasts simply comes across as, well, rough. Other samples seemed to have suffered during green coffee storage and transport (always an issue with Indonesia coffees) and showed up tasting a bit dull and woody.

Two Good Bets

Some well-known green coffee names representing the new refined style of Sumatra were absent from this cupping, perhaps because of timing or availability issues. Of those green coffee names or brands that did appear in our lab this month and rated well, the two most frequent to appear were the “Ulos Batak” branded Lintong-region coffees from the cooperative exporter Klasik Beans, and two excellent samples (both certified organically grown) from the Ketiara Cooperative located in the Aceh growing region at the far northwestern tip of Sumatra.

_{* Photo courtesy of Crop to Cup Coffee}

The post Elegant Earth: Wet-Hulled Sumatras and One Sulawesi appeared first on Coffee Review.

I continue to have faith that Hawaii coffees have tremendous potential, given Hawaii’s easy access to the U.S. and its potentially intimate connection with the innovating high-end coffee community on the mainland. I keep waiting for the stunning experiments with processing method that are happening in Panama and Costa Rica and Ethiopia to start popping up in major ways in Hawaii, or the planting of new or newly recognized botanical varieties of coffee that the high-end coffee community are increasingly recognizing as the key to exceptional cup character. These sorts of experiments are happening in Hawaii, but, as far as I can tell, on a very modest scale with very modest impact. It could be that Hawaiian producers are simply distracted right now by the devastating appearance of the coffee borer beetle, a coffee-destroying pest recently imported from Central America. Or it could be that because Kona producers in particular are already paid some of the world’s highest prices for almost any coffee grown in Kona, good or bad, the more thoughtful among them simply don’t see the need to innovate, aside from perhaps holding the line against dilution of the Kona brand by the wrong kind of innovation – industrialized processing and bland, high-yielding hybrid tree varieties.

The Classic Konas

The largest number of exceptional coffees among of the twenty-six Hawaii samples we tested this month were a handful of high-quality Konas of the classic style, meaning they were produced from the local Kona Typica or other respected mainstream tree varieties and meticulously processed by the traditional wet or washed method, producing a quietly nuanced, balanced cup of the style for which Kona is traditionally admired. The organically grown Mahina Mele Kona from Thanksgiving Coffee, which shared this month’s top rating with a pair of Ka’us at 93, was deeply resonant yet lively and delicate: peaches, chocolate, flowers. The 92-rated Konas from Hula Daddy and Café Virtuoso were similarly classic in structure though subtly different and distinctive in aromatics. Both should, in different ways, satisfy the genuinely informed Kona-coffee lover with their variations on suave balance and clean fruit and chocolate nuance.

Elsewhere on the Big Island

The newer growing district of Ka’u, southwest of Kona, with its fine, deep-soiled, generally south-facing terroir, is home to one of Hawaii’s most innovating coffee producers, Lorie Obra and her Rusty’s Hawaiian farm. But, as with the Konas, the classic style dominated this month’s Ka’u samples, including those from Rusty’s. The two top-rated Rusty’s samples, both at 93, one very light-roasted by Equator Coffees & Teas on the mainland, and one medium-roasted by Rusty’s on the farm in Hawaii, were classic meticulously wet-processed coffees, apparently from standard varieties, each differently but very sensitively roasted and each distinctive and engaging.

Several interesting coffees showed up from farms outside Kona and Ka’u. The best was from a third Big Island growing district, the Puna district, across the island from Kona and Ka’u. The Big Island Coffee Roasters Hawaii Puna Kazimura (92) was an impressively pure but lush coffee with particularly striking floral and peach-toned fruit notes. The loving production of a tiny three-acre farm on which owners Kelleigh Stewart and Brandon von Damitz do practically everything, this Puna may represent the ultimate artisan coffee.

Two from the Other Islands

We also review two coffees from islands other than the coffee-dominant Big Island. The Daylight Mind Coffee Company sent a coffee from Waialua Estate on the North Shore of Oahu. Waialua Estate is a medium-sized, relatively technified farm that uses machines to harvest the coffees rather than increasingly difficult-to-find manual pickers. However, the Daylight Mind 100% Waialua Peaberry, reviewed here at 90, is hardly an off-the-rack coffee. It was produced from trees of a rare, recently developed hybrid variety that attempts to combine the exotic cup complexities of the Mokka variety, a variety now established on the island of Maui that expresses sensory and physical traits typical of ancient Ethiopia and Yemen coffees, with the traditional Typica variety associated with Kona. Dubbed Pohihiu, this variety, at least the sample we cupped, was engaging and promising, though it exhibited some unevenness that probably derived from variations in fruit removal and drying. Nevertheless, this is a variety to keep an eye on, should volume increase and the rather odd and engaging cup character displayed by this month’s sample prove to be inherent to the variety and stable.

The Ka’anapali coast of Maui, home to the old town of Lahaina and scores of beach-front hotels, motels and condos, has for some twenty years, through a series of commercial ups and downs, been producing interesting coffees from original experimental plantings of a range of varieties of Arabica. The most famous of these Ka’anapali-grown varieties is the Mokka, with its tiny beans and striking, Ethiopia-like cup profile, but other less exotic varieties also have had sensory success, including the dried-in-the-fruit “natural” processed Yellow Caturra that went into the bags of the Haleakala Sunrise from the Canadian roaster Kona Kimo, reviewed her at 90. Probably owing to the very dry weather at harvest in Ka’anapali and the use of Brazilian methods of fruit-separation and processing, the Haleakala Sunrise resembles good Brazil naturals, crisp, gentle and cedary, rather than the fruity and often brandyish naturals associated with Ethiopia and Central America.

Hawaii Coffee-Buying Advice

Based on this crop year, and given the very limited volume of our sampling, here are some generalizations aimed at assisting the Hawaii-buying coffee consumer:

• Small farms with solid traditions and respected names produce the best Kona and Ka’u coffees. Only one generically identified 100% Kona, the Kona Fancy from Honolulu’s Downtown Coffee, made our review cut at 91. The Rusty’s Hawaiian small-farm Ka’us averaged over 90, whereas the two generic Ka’us averaged 87.

• Hawaiian coffees generally, including Konas, continue to suffer from character-destroying dark and ultra-dark roasting.

• Beware of “Hawaiian coffee blends.” One of the three such blends we tested was a solid, respectable coffee (Manny’s Brew 100% Hawaiian, rated 89, not reviewed here), but two other “Hawaiian” blends contained tainted green coffees, in one case mildly tainted and in the other savagely, outrageously tainted.

The post Hawaii 2014: The Classics Rule appeared first on Coffee Review.

Starting with Sulawesi

Sulawesi is a very large island that sprawls like a four-fingered hand about mid-point in the arc of islands north of Australia that make up the vast island republic of Indonesia. Most Sulawesi coffee is produced in the mountainous region of Tana Toraja in the west-center of the island. The growers are small-holding tribal peoples, part of the colorful indigenous Torajan culture.

Production in Toraja traditionally has mirrored the better-known Sumatra pattern: small-holding producers process their coffee by the “wet-hulled” method, meaning the small holders themselves “pulp” or remove coffee skins, remove the fruit residue through a simple ferment and wash procedure, partly dry the parchment coffee, then sell it to mills that remove the still moist and elastic parchment skin from the beans at a high moisture content, as high as 30%, rather than at the typical 12% prevailing elsewhere in the coffee world. The subsequent drying down to 12% is often haphazard. The result of wet-hulling plus haphazard drying is the famous “earth” notes of traditional Sumatra and Sulawesi coffees, really a mild mustiness. Thus traditional wet-hulled Sulawesi coffees resemble traditional Sumatra coffees, usually showing fruit notes overlaid by an earthy mustiness. In Sumatra producers and exporters have begun to understand how to systematize the wet-hulled method (more complete fruit-pulp removal, more systematic drying) to eliminate the “rustic” earthiness/mustiness, while still preserving a deep, uniquely pungent fruit character. (See Better and Better: Sumatras 2013). Some of this sophistication appears to have been applied to the only clearly traditional wet-hulled Sulawesi we review here, the 91-rated Ghost Town Sulawesi Toraja Mamasa, where a pleasantly dry, clay-like earth (my cupping partner Jason Sarley called it a “graham cracker” note) remained to contribute originality and complication to a chocolaty yet tart cup.

Toarco and the New Sulawesi Cup

Starting in 1976, a joint Japanese-Indonesian enterprise, Toarco, established itself in the Toraja region, aiming to elevate quality and replace traditional wet-hulling with the orthodox wet or washed method prevailing elsewhere in the coffee world. Toarco processes coffee grown on its own farms as well as accepting parchment coffee from small holding farmers in the region who meet certain quality criteria. Because of this range of sourcing, individual lots of Toarco coffee can vary in sensory detail, although the typical profile might be described as brighter and cleaner than traditional wet-hulled coffees while still displaying a characteristic honeyish, chocolate-and-fruit pungency. We review three Toarco coffees this month, the Propeller PT Toarco at 93, the Blueprint Tana Toraja at 92, and the Topéca Toarco Jaya at 91. The roast styles differ very slightly, but tellingly. All qualify under Specialty Coffee of America terminology as light-to-medium-roasted, but the Topéca, the lightest roasted (by a slight margin) showed the brightest acidity and most nut-like character, while the Propeller, the darkest roasted (again, by a slight margin) of the three, showed the most depth, resonance and chocolate.

Papua New Guinea: Achievement and Promise

About 2,000 miles or so east of Sulawesi, the country of Papua New Guinea (PNG) occupies the eastern half of the vast, mountainous island of New Guinea. The extraordinarily verdant, yet dauntingly rugged mountains of central Papua New Guinea offer one of the world’s most favorable terroirs for the production of fine Arabica coffees, as well as some of the coffee world’s most intractable challenges in respect to transportation and infrastructure. The Papua New Guinea coffee industry was pioneered in the 1950s by expatriates who introduced familiar, conventional wet-processing methods that produce a cleaner, more familiar profile than produced by the Indonesian wet-hulling procedure (a method that apparently evolved out of practices introduced by the Dutch into Java as early as the 1740’s). For many years PNG coffees divided between “plantation” coffees produced by expatriate-led estates or wet mills located close to the region’s only highway, and “tribal” or small-holder coffees produced by rougher, more primitive versions of wet-processing, often in more isolated parts of the mountains from which coffees need to be carried out either by airplane or literally on the backs of the farmers. The formally wet-processed “plantation” coffees came with grade designations like AA and A, while the tribal coffees were bulked together and relegated to the opposite end of the alphabet, as grade Y.

Over the past twenty years or so the situation has grown more fluid and complex, however. Some small producer coffees have improved through better organization and processing and are no longer bulked with others, while formal plantations largely have dissolved into centralized mills buying both coffee fruit and parchment coffee from small holders. If Papua New Guinea ever stabilizes its production to the point that high-end small lots are consistently selected out by variety and terroir and meticulously processed, the rest of the coffee world could well be shocked by the quality and distinction of the results.

For now, we review four fine samples of the current generation of PNG coffees. Two were produced by small-holding farmers but centrally processed – the top-rated Chromatic Coffee Papua New Guinea Kunjin (94) and the 90-rated Revel Coffee Papua New Guinea. The other two were produced on what sound like relatively small coffee estates – the PT’s Papua New Guinea Sihereni (92) and the Allegro Papua New Guinea Baroida (91). All are balanced, well-structured and distinctive in aroma and flavor. If one commonality runs through all four profiles, it is a rich, ripe citrus, pungent but enveloped in sweetness. The Chromatic Coffee PNG Kunjin version of this note was particularly deep and juicy.

And lest anyone, on the basis of our slightly higher ratings for very slightly darker roasts in the case of the three Toarco Sulawesis, is tempted to conclude that we prefer roasts at the darker end of medium-light, I need to point out that our ratings trended in exactly the opposite direction with the four PNGs. The highest-rated Chromatic (94) was the lightest roasted of the four, whereas the somewhat lower-rated Allegro (91) and Revel (90) were roasted slightly darker, approaching a classic medium. The PT’s Coffee PNG Sihereni (92), a light-medium, was situated squarely between those two extremes – if they could be called extremes, given that all four coffees ranged in degree of roast from medium to light.

The post Subtle Exoticism: Sulawesi and Papua New Guinea appeared first on Coffee Review.

Those interested in the history of this process, now generally called “wet-hulling” in English (“giling basah” in local Batak languages) might want check out our review article on Sumatras posted in 2010: Mysterious No More: Sumatra Coffees. The trend that we predicted (or hoped for) in that article appears to have happened. Wet-hulling, a traditional practice thoroughly embedded in the northern Sumatra coffee supply chain for decades, going on centuries, is increasingly better understood and undergoing refinement by key players along the chain, so what were haphazard successes associated with the practice have become more deliberate and controlled, with often spectacular results.

Wet-Hulling Witnessed

When I first saw the wet-hulling process back in 1996, peasant farmers would rather sloppily remove the coffee skins, ferment and wash the beans, often not very thoroughly, and dry them on tarpaulins along the road for a few hours until a collector, or middle-person, drove by in a truck to pick up the wet parchment coffee. The collector then reassumed the drying process at a local mill. At this point the trick occurred: rather than waiting until the parchment coffee achieved a stable moisture content of 12% or so to remove the dry parchment skin, as is done everywhere else in the coffee world, the parchment skin was removed from the still moist, elastic beans at a moisture content of anywhere from 20% to 40% using specially designed hulling machines. (Hence the term “wet-hulled.”) Following that, the beans were dried to a shipping moisture of 12% to 13%, often in two stages, first at the collector’s mill and then down in the port city of Medan.

Somewhere along the line, probably during the prolonged serial steps in drying, the beans picked up a slight mustiness which contributed the characteristic fruit-toned “earthiness” for which Sumatras are famous. The problem up to ten years ago was finding specific lots of Sumatra that expressed this accidental flavor complex sweetly and richly rather than harshly; in other words, finding lots that tasted richly earthy rather than overbearingly musty.

The Sumatra Revolution

However, in the years since about 2008 or so, various key players along the supply chain apparently have been refining and perfecting the wet-hulling process, with the result that the majority of the wet-hulled Sumatras we tested for this month’s article expressed the wet-hulled character with impressive vivacity and originality. Common to all was a prominent pungent character that deepened and grounded the profiles; at times one could call it earthy in the sense of sweet humus or moist fresh-fallen leaves; more often it provoked associations like moist pipe tobacco, fresh-cut cedar or fir, mango, or spice notes like nutmeg, cinnamon or pink peppercorn. Floating atop this pungent base were fruit notes, sometimes floral notes, with the whole aromatic package supported by a cleanly expressed structure of sweet-toned acidity and syrupy mouthfeel.

True, many of the traditional Sumatras we tested were the more familiar old-fashioned style usually marketed as “Sumatra Mandheling,” displaying a hearty but rather heavy musty character that one sometimes had to stretch to call earthy. But these older-style Sumatras were out-numbered by the newer refined examples of the type: about half of the wet-hulled samples we tested scored 90 or higher. Compare this with the result in 2010, when fewer than 19% scored 90 or better.

What are the refinements that appear to be transforming edgy earthy into spicy pungent? According to Max Fulmer of importer Royal Coffee in Emeryville, California, they most likely include better processing and fruit selection processes at the small producer level, more careful drying practices, more precise timing of the hulling at around 20% moisture, and above all better handling and faster shipping of finished coffee.

Alternatives to Wet Hulling

In Sumatra, as elsewhere in the coffee world, producers are experimenting with processing methods not typical of the region. In particular, we had four full dried-in-the-fruit or “natural” coffees from Wahana Estate, a large farm founded in 2005. The Wahana mission statement declares the intention of producing coffees using three different processing methods, fully washed, semi-washed, and dried-in-the-fruit or natural. Since then, however, we have not seen much in the way of Wahana washed or semi-washed in the American or Asian specialty markets, but the Wahana Estate natural seems to have won some support. The four Wahana Estate naturals we tested, all from different roasters, averaged over 91; two are reviewed here at 93 and 92. They expressed a complex dried-in-the-fruit character different from either the lushly fruity, brandy-toned naturals associated with some producers in Ethiopia and Central America or the crisp, nut-and-chocolate style familiar from Brazil. The fermenty edge to the fruit was apparent, but it was backgrounded, one strand in a very complex layering of fruit with hints of dry, savory notes. Whether Wahana will be able to sustain this quality in their naturals remains to be seen. Earlier versions we reviewed in 2010 were interesting coffees, but considerably wilder, edgier and less disciplined than the samples we tested this month.

It appears we received only one conventionally wet-processed coffee, the Parisi Sumatra Mandheling Washed reviewed here at 90. We included it in our reviews mainly because it was the only explicitly identified washed coffee we received and we thought that the difference in character between its pleasing but relatively simple profile and the distinctive complexity of the best of the traditional Sumatra wet-hulled coffees might be instructive.

2013 The Coffee Review. All rights reserved.

The post Better and Better: Sumatras 2013 appeared first on Coffee Review.

This month’s cupping of Sumatra coffees could be seen as an early test of the industry’s post-mystery understanding: Were this month’s forty-three Sumatras from thirty-one North American roasting companies any more impressive than a similar set might have struck us some years ago? In 2005, for example, when we did our last Sumatra-focused review article? Definitely, although this month’s evidence remains mixed. We tasted coffees ranging from exceptional examples of the new more refined style of Sumatra profile to many solid examples of the older, more explicitly earthy style to one or two samples that were, in our view, barely acceptable as specialty.

One Mystery Resolved: Wet-Hulling

First, however, why was this coffee type labeled mysterious in the first place? A simple answer is that until recently not many American coffee insiders visited Sumatra. But certainly a second reason is the unorthodox nature of the Sumatra cup profile, which defies standard American specialty coffee understanding. The source of the characteristic flavor note of the most admired kind of Sumatras, a mild musty mildew crossed with mild fruit ferment, violated the most sacred tenet of traditional specialty coffee: that the flavor impact of fruit removal and drying ought to be as invisible as possible, and any interference imparted by those processes to the “pure” taste of a perfectly processed, squeaky-clean coffee was worthy of denunciation from the high pulpit of the specialty coffee priesthood. So for years the specialty industry danced around traditional Sumatra coffees, avoiding attempting to really understand them and creating competitions and cupping forms that essentially marginalized the potential of the type.

But now the peculiar post-harvest procedure that facilitates their flavor profile finally has a name: “wet-hulling.” In the years since I first saw these unorthodox procedures first hand in 1996 I applied various names for them in my books and articles: “traditional Sumatra processing,” “backyard wet-processing,” etc. None of these names impressed. But when the Australian coffee scientist Tony Marsh delivered a paper at the 2009 Specialty Coffee Association of America Symposium that described these techniques in detail and dubbed them “wet-hulling,” the new name and the understanding to go with it stuck.

We now know that the odd pungent musty fruity character of traditional Sumatra coffees is mainly created by removing (hulling) the parchment skin of wet-processed coffee while the beans are still moist and resilient (or “wet”), and finishing the drying of the coffee after the removal of the parchment skin. (Normally the parchment skin is left on the beans throughout the drying and subsequent storage.) I know, this variation doesn’t sound like a big deal, but in terms of impact on flavor it is.

Furthermore, in recent years some leading exporters and producers appear to be working from a better understanding of these traditional procedures and applying them with increasing sophistication. In other words, what has been a traditional, rather haphazard procedure with accidental impact on coffee flavor now seems to be applied with increasing deliberateness by certain producers to achieve a more consistent version of that flavor impact.

Sumatra Revolution?

Where are we now? At the beginning of a Sumatra coffee revolution, I hope, in which green coffee buyers no longer need to sort through various accidental versions of the profile to find a good one, but will be presented with refined versions of the profile from the get-go. I also expect that as the wet-hulling technique is increasingly understood we may have wet-hulled coffee from more places than Indonesia alone – not entirely good news for Indonesians, given that many of their coffees rely on traditional wet-hulling for their distinctive character. I have, in fact, just cupped a very impressive and authentic-tasting version of a wet-hulled coffee that was created in Hawaii.

Based on the cup, most of the coffees reviewed this month appear to be versions of the best style of traditional wet-hulled profile, in which the musty/earthy note constitutes a backgrounded complication and enrichment of an essentially fruit-derived character. At a medium roast this flavor complex is fascinating in its various permutations. For me the dominant note typically reads as sweetly pungent citrus or grapefruit. But others read butterscotch (a favorite in some circles), cedar-toned citrus, tart berry, etc. Nevertheless, the essential character of this note is a combination of pungency (I assume a hint of mustiness) with a rich, sweet fruit. High-rated versions of this cup profile reviewed this month include the Batdorf & Bronson Lake Tawar (94), Barrington Sumatra Lintong Iskandar (93), Paradise Coffee La Minita Aceh Gold (92), and Klatch Coffee Sumatra Bodhi Peaberry (91).

We did review some examples of the more traditional, explicitly earthy kind of Sumatra for those who enjoy the mildly foresty roughness of this older-fashioned style. Finally, we included one coffee that reads more like a rather wild dried-in-the-fruit natural, but apparently is simply a wet-hulled coffee with some serious, if creative, engagement with musty/earthy ferment: The Mud Bay Permata Gayo (87) will appeal mainly to coffee sensibilities that enjoy rough, wild impressions in beverages, analogous to those experienced in mescal or Isley whiskies.

2010 The Coffee Review. All rights reserved.

The post Mysterious No More: Sumatra Coffees appeared first on Coffee Review.

The conclusions, rather sadly, are predictable for coffee insiders but perhaps a surprise for more casual coffee drinkers.

Three coffees from the Dominican Republic, the least-known of these island origins, led the ratings with two of three samples scoring 90 or over.

Kona, a region that can produce delicate, subtle, sometimes extraordinary coffees, showed no signs of pulling out of a recent decline in overall coffee quality. Of the nineteen Konas we sampled, only two attracted 90+ ratings. Many of the rest were decent but unexciting coffees, muted by possible carelessness or shortcuts in fruit removal and drying.

The three Jamaica Blue Mountain samples we tested all displayed a mild but dulling mustiness, a taint owing to delayed or irregular drying after fruit removal. The deep, quiet richness of the classic Blue Mountain type showed up in two of the samples, but in both cases a shadow mustiness held down ratings.

On the other hand, a handful of Hawaii samples from various non-Kona growing districts — particularly the Ka’u region south of Kona, but also the Hamakua region on the other side of the mountains from Kona and the revived region around Kaanapali, Maui — ranged from interesting to exceptional. Four of these seven non-Kona Hawaiis rated 90 or better and only one of the seven was an outright dud. I suspect there is no magic about growing regions at play here, simply the Avis principle: when you don’t have the automatic marketing edge provided by the Kona name you try harder. You take more care processing your coffee, drying it, and generally coddling it. (The “non-Konas are better” implication did not apply to the one sample from the island of Kauai, coming as it did from a huge farm that, in order to survive, has reverted to industrial production practices to control costs and produce a “bargain” Hawaii coffee.)

Three Puerto Ricos suffered like the Jamaica Blue Mountain samples from mild but distracting processing and drying taints: all three hovered in the 85 to 87 range.

It should be no surprise that only two samples showed up from the desperate and suffering country of Haiti. The surprise was that one of these samples, the Haiti Ranquitte EcoCaf? from Clive Coffee (88), was a solid coffee that, despite the ubiquitous hint of a drying fault, showed the rich, chocolaty, low-acid character once associated with Haiti decades ago when it was considered a premium coffee origin. For more on the project that produced the Ranquitte green beans visit www.ecocafehaiti.org.

Kona and Jamaica Challenges

Why the mainstream coffee industries in Jamaica and Kona are generally not producing coffees that live up to the renown of their names is a complex question. True, neither region boasts absolutely ideal growing conditions to start with: Elevations are rather low in both cases and soil is shallow in many parts of Kona. Both regions tend to grow varieties of arabica that are traditional and respected but not particularly distinctive in flavor profile. All of which means both regions need to excel in purity of preparation to best frame the inherently subtle flavor character of their coffees.

Given the high prices paid on the world market for Kona and Jamaica coffees, one would think that growers and processors would respond to this challenge by lavishing exceptional care on the acts of picking, fruit removal and drying. But based on this month’s admittedly limited sampling, that does not appear to be the case. I have not been to the Blue Mountains for ten years or more, but I suspect the culprit in the centrally managed Jamaican industry is the typically long truck haul down the mountains from the wet mills to the drying facilities in Kingston, plenty of time for the wet beans to begin to attract mildew.

High Labor Costs and Complacency

In the case of the dispersed and complex Kona industry, one culprit obviously is very high labor costs. But I suspect the Kona name itself gets in the way of quality by encouraging complacency. In the case of the larger mills in particular, there appears to be little incentive for quality. Call it Kona and it sells, so why not simply crank out any old coffee to put into one of the infamous 10% Kona blends? Although, given the rather plain character of the generic 100% Konas we sampled this month, I don’t see how these decent but characterless coffees would suffer much when blended with Perus or Central Americas.

As for the smaller Kona producers who sell direct from their farms, we hardly sourced enough samples to come to any firm conclusions, but certainly as a group the six Konas wholesaled or retailed by farm name were dramatically superior to the more generic Konas sold simply by grade as “100% Kona.” The Moonstruck Farm Kona (91) was as pure and delicate as any Kona of yore, and the experimental, dried-in-the-fruit (and outlandishly expensive) “fancy natural” from Hula Daddy (91) fused the sweet subtlety of a classic Kona with the lush, fermenty richness imparted by the exotic procedure of drying in the fruit.

Fulfilling the Napa Valley Aspiration

There need to be many more such coffees if Kona is to finally fulfill its potential of becoming the Napa Valley of coffee, the easy-access place where Americans go to genuinely learn about the relationship of coffee production to taste and connoisseurship. The small producers probably will need to succeed in their efforts to defeat the larger mills and roasters that are supporting the law that permits a coffee to be sold as a “Kona Blend” with only 10% Kona in it. The blenders are buying the rights to a valuable brand name by acquiring relatively small volumes of what is probably the cheapest Kona coffee they can find to stick in a can with similarly drab, inexpensive coffees from Central America or Peru. Perhaps the same rather ordinary generic Kona coffees like many of those we cupped this month will show up in 80% Kona blends, or 50% Kona blends, but at least we’ll have some idea what the Kona contribution tastes like.

More importantly, the small producers will need to intensify their efforts to participate in the growing body of knowledge worldwide around the relationship of quality and cup character to processing and selection of plant material. They can’t assume that simply by virtue of their coffee sprouting out of some lava that happens to be in the Kona region their coffee is “the best.” However, as this month’s top-rated Konas prove, plenty of potential exists in Kona for fine, even distinctive-tasting, coffee. You just don’t get there by replanting with tasteless varietals and, above all, pursuing sorting, processing and drying practices that are cost-expedient but flavor compromising.

Producing genuine artisan coffee is labor-intensive, knowledge-intensive, and often frustrating. But if a significant number of small Kona producers with show-place farms and mills were able to push their practice toward an international standard of sophistication in regard to understanding the impact of botanical variety and the subtle details of processing on flavor, tourist-accessible Kona could genuinely lead the way toward a more mature understanding of genuinely fine coffee among taste-leading American consumers.

2010 The Coffee Review. All rights reserved.

The post Island Coffees: Hawaii and the Caribbean appeared first on Coffee Review.