The U.S. State that is best known for its coffee is Hawaii. This is because the State of Hawaii is the only U.S. state that has the climate and soil to grow its own coffee beans. Hawaii is not only home to the largest coffee crop in the United States, but it also produces some of the rarest and most expensive coffee beans worldwide.
Continue reading on to learn more about the most famous coffee State, Hawaii, the types of coffee they grow, and more about their famous island coffee roasting history.
Brief History of Hawaii
Polynesian colonists first occupied the Hawaiian Islands over 1,000 years ago, but they were unknown to Europeans until Captain James Cook landed there in 1778. Hawaii developed an export economy focused on sugar and pineapple agriculture in the late 1800s, attracting thousands of Asian immigrants to work the plantations.
Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani attempted to enforce a new constitution claiming greater authority for native Hawaiians, but white leaders took the Honolulu government’s office and deposed the monarchy. On August 20, 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state to join the United States and officially become part of the Union.
Coffee Production in Hawaii
In 1828 the first coffee tree was planted in Kailua-Kona by Samuel Reverend Ruggles. Ruggles was lucky enough to live through watching it develop from a fragment of an Oahu tree into a coffee empire. By 1899, the region had grown approximately 3 million coffee trees. In the Kona district today, over 650 farms are engaged in coffee farming. Kona coffee from Hawaii accounts for approximately 95 percent of all coffee produced on the Big Island.
Some of the old plantations, such the Greenwell Store and the Kona Coffee Living History Farm, have been converted into museums open to the public, allowing you to learn about the millers, roasters, and Kona coffee pickers who have been gathering coffee for years. Coffee bean care and roasting have been passed down from generation to generation, resulting in the well-known rich and aromatic cup of coffee.
Kona Coffee – Hawaii’s Most Famous Bean
“Kona” is the market name for coffee grown throughout the slopes of the Hualalai and Mauna Loa Mountains in Kailua-North Kona’s and South Districts. Don’t believe you can call your coffee brand Kona because only coffee grown in the Kona region of Hawaii can be called that.
Kona Coffee from Hawaii has a favorable edge over other coffee bean varieties grown in countries such as Brazil or Colombia. This is because Kona coffee beans are grown on rich volcanic soil at a high elevation. This removes the wet and dry tropical climate and gives the Kona beans their distinctive flavor profile.
Every January and May, Kona coffee trees blossom. The coffee tree’s little white flowers, known as “Kona Snow” by locals, have a delicious perfume. After a few months, the blossoms fade and leave behind a green cherry containing the coffee bean. These cherries ripen during the hot summer months and are hand-picked when they become the ideal shade of red.
This is a highly delicate operation, and expertly trained coffee bean harvesters will not pick the coffee beans until they are dark and rose in color. This is not a one-time event; farmers will come to the trees a couple of times until they are pleased with their ripeness. After that, the coffee is organically sun-dried and raked on large decks. Only after beans have dried, are they milled, sorted, graded, and shipped to the plantation to be hand-roasted.
Kona Coffee Bean Blends
Because Hawaii Kona coffee is so expensive, some stores sell blends of classic coffee. In this situation, additional foreign coffees, such as those from Colombia and Brazil, are blended with the typical Kona coffee. If you buy a combination, keep in mind that each blend must contain at least 10% Kona coffee, and the percentage must be clearly stated on the package.
To be regarded really authentic, your mix must be made entirely of Kona coffee. This is tougher to locate and more expensive than commercial coffees, much like a superb vintage wine—but this rich and excellent coffee may be worth it.
Hawaiian Molokai Coffee
Molokai coffee is a type of coffee grown on the island of Moloka’i in Hawaii. Molokai coffee, like Champagne, Bourbon, and Kona coffee, may only be grown on Molokai and must meet strict, legally established quality standards. Because of the tight geographical and legal conditions for coffee to be labeled Molokai coffee, it is a highly prized variety among specialty coffee fans and is typically regarded as a luxury coffee.
Moloka’i, located in Maui County, Hawaii, is the only area on the planet where Molokai coffee can be cultivated. Any coffee that seeks to imitate the qualities of Molokai coffee must be prominently labeled as “Molokai-style coffee” or bear some clear indicator that it is not real Molokai coffee cultivated in Hawaii.
Molokai coffee is currently produced only by the company “Coffees of Hawaii.” Their 500-acre farm supplies 100% of the world’s Molokai coffee supply. When the tremendous demand from coffee connoisseurs is combined with the relatively tiny worldwide supply, the exorbitant rates Molokai coffee commands become more reasonable. Molokai coffee often sells for between $40 and $50 per pound.
Hawaiian Growing Regions
While Kona and Molokai are the two most famous coffee beans to come from Hawaii, the State actually has seven different coffee bean growing regions. Some are larger than others, some are more expensive, and some are simply small farms cultivating their products for personal or very small scale use.
The seven coffee-growing regions found throughout the Island state are Kona, Molokai, Hamakua, Maui, Kauai, Puna, and Ka’u. Each region features different climate and soil types that are perfect for harvesting several types of coffee bean blends.
From volcanic rich soil at high altitudes to low-lying bean fields that tend to stay wet year-round, there is certainly a type of coffee bean for everyone, all in one state.
Hi, I’m Jen Williams, chief editor and writer for ThirstPerk.com.
I’ve been drinking coffee and tea for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I started working at Thirstperk.com that I became an expert on the subject. I’m a total caffeine addict who has spent hours upon hours reading about and experimenting with the different types of coffees out there in my search to find the perfect cup of joe.
I’ve been a tea lover for as long as I can remember as well. I grew up in a house with a mom who loved to drink herbal tea, and I think that’s where my love for tea first began. These days, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting teas to try, and I love experimenting with different brewing methods and flavoring combinations.
