Location: Holualoa, The Big Island (officially named Hawai'i)
February 7th, 2018
A hop, skip and short plane ride later, I’m on the Big Island (officially known as Hawai’i or the Island of Hawai’i). Having arrived in the late morning, I had ample time to enjoy the beautiful day. My first stop: coffee!!
To be more exact: a coffee farm! Throughout my travels, I’ve had the opportunity to visit various areas where some of my favourite “spirits” are manufactured: vineyards, distilleries and breweries. I’ve learned how they pick grapes in the Champagne region & that whisky is stored in old port casks. I’ve even learned how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness. And there is no other drink I love more than a good ol’ cup of coffee. If coffee came in IV forme , I’d be the first in line for a port-a-cath.
Kona coffee is one of the most expensive coffees in the world and I was dying to try it! I had purposely avoided drinking it in Oahu, waiting to savour my first taste in its proper setting. I headed towards Holualoa on the western side of the island. Kona coffee is only cultivated in this region and the mixture of weather and soil make it the perfect place for coffee trees to flourish: the mornings are sunny, with shade in the afternoon and rain in the evening. The volcanic soil is rich in minerals, creating amazing conditions for the berries to prosper.
I stopped at Heavenly Hawaiian Coffee Farm, one of the larger farms amid a sea of hundreds in the area. The staff at Heavenly Hawaiian were just wonderful: no appointment needed, one can just show up and be greeted like an old friend! Almost immediately after I arrived, a steaming, fresh cup of Kona coffee (100% Kona coffee in fact) was thrust in my hands. Heavenly Hawaiian is about the best way I can describe it! While I normally enjoy a dash of milk in my coffee, this one was a delight to sip au natural (aka black). It’s smooth and balanced, slightly sweet and clean. No heartburn induced after sipping this beauty. We were also treated to Kona Coffee Brittle & Dark Chocolate Covered Peaberry…. good thing we left for the tour shortly after or I would have eaten the whole tray! (did I mention that all of this was free?).
This farm has 40 acres, spread across a hillside spanning 1600ft of elevation and the best darn view around! Stunning!
Coffee, believe it or not, grows on trees! Nature’s little miracle right there. Ok, I suppose, technically, it’s more of a shrub or bush per say, but it did look an awful lot like a tree to me. The coffee bean undergoes a long, multi step process before it can actually be called a coffee bean. The budding produces tiny white flowers (called ‘Kona snow’ here) which sprout bunches of tiny cherries – those are coffee cherries. Each cherry produces two seeds inside – that’s what eventually transforms into a bean. The skin of the cherries must be removed, then the seeds are washed and laid out to dry. Off to the roasters next before it’s ready to be brewed. On occasion(5% to be exact) , the cherry only produces one seed – called a peaberry. The flavour and caffeine content are much more concentrated, as there is only one seed. As this is a rare occurrence, this peaberry and derived products are sought after commodities and often are sold for a pretty penny. In the early days of production, growers used to throw these out as they felt they were defective or abnormal.
Early bunch of berries. Once they ripen, they turn red and must be picked by hand
(photo, left: a coffee cherry with its two seeds inside. Photo, right: coffee beans drying in the Hawaiian sun)
It’s no wonder that I left feeling energized and refreshed, ready to take on this new island before me. Unfortunately, they sell their coffee as whole beans and in larger quantities that my backpacker self needs / can allow. On the plus side thought, they have an online shop and yes, they ship to Canada (I checked!). Guess we know where I’m getting my coffee from when I go back to work in the fall!