Coffee Comes To Hawaii
It is generally believed that coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia about 600AD. Through a long convoluted and interesting journey, coffee was introduced to Brazil, and thus into South America, in 1727.
Coffee was first brought to Hawaii in 1817 from South America, but it failed to thrive. Then in 1828 Coffee was introduced to the Kona District of the “Big Island”, the island of Hawaii. The coffee crop struggled in Hawaii on several islands. Then in 1873 coffee from the Kona District got good reviews at the Worlds Fair in Vienna, but coffee in Hawaii remained a marginal enterprise.
Development Of Kona Coffee Farms
In 1892 the Guatemalan coffee plants were introduced to Kona and the Kona coffee story really begins. During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, while there were several larger producers of coffee, the heart of the Kona coffee industry developed; the small family farm. These early Kona coffee farmers were often immigrant workers brought to Hawaii to work on the sugar cane plantations who were seeking a better life. Today the average Kona coffee farm is about 4 acres which is the size of farm one family of 3-4 can effectively work. There are about 600 coffee farms producing the majority of Kona Coffee.
Growing Kona Coffee
Kona coffee is species Coffea arabica (locally referred to as “Kona typica”, which has lower acidity and caffeine than the hardier Coffea conephora (often referred to as Coffea robusta), which is grown extensively in Africa and Southeast Asia. C.arabica requires nearly ideal environmental conditions and much nurturing. These ideal conditions are found in the “Kona coffee belt” a two-mile wide 20-mile long stretch of land on the western coast of the island of Hawaii.
Picking And Processing Kona Coffee
Kona coffee begins to ripen in the late summer. Not all the coffee, known as “cherry” at this stage of its development, ripens at once. An individual tree continues to produce ripe cherry through out the fall and often into January or February. To ensure that only the ripest cherry, which produces the best coffee, is picked, Moki’s Kona coffee is always hand picked.
After picking, Moki’s Kona coffee is processed using the methods of the early Kona farmers. The pulper removes the thick skin of the coffee cherry exposing the coffee bean. At this stage, the beans are covered with a clear mucilage. The mucilage is removed by fermenting the coffee for about 18 hours. After fermentation the beans are washed with pure Kona rainwater and dried on large drying beds in the warm Kona sun for about 14 days or until they reach a moisture content of 9-12%.
The dried coffee beans nestled in a thin white cocoon, called parchment. The parchment is then milled, resulting in green bean coffee, the stage just prior to roasting. S5 Roasting and shipping
The closer to the roast, the more flavorful the coffee. Therefore Moki’s Kona coffee is not roasted until we receive your order. Our coffee is roasted in small batches. The roastmaster assures your custom roast by the sight, sound and smell of the roasting coffee, not an automated process. Your fresh roasted coffee is shipped to you within hours of roasting.
Green Bean Coffee
For the ultimate in a flavorful fresh cup of coffee, try Moki’s green bean which can be roasted in your home, immediately prior to brewing, using either a frying pan or a hot air popcorn popper. For complete directions see our Question and Answer page.