4. • Koa Coffee grown at a higher
elevation and on the slopes of
two volcanoes in a district of
Hawaii called Kona.
• Dark Volcanic nutrient rich soil
produces a coffee berry that
Volcanic Nutrients produces a clean and
sweet, medium-bodied
coffee, well balanced (bright but
not sharp).
• It has just a hint of chocolate -
without being actually chocolaty.
• It is a flavour that is truly unique.
5. The following is an article from Forbes. Page 4 of 18 from 50 of America's Best 04.30.01
6. BEST COFFEE: KOA PLANTATION Saying
you've had a bad cup of Kona coffee is
like saying you've seen snow in the
Caribbean. This stuff is wonderfully
smooth and its lack of a bitter aftertaste
makes you think nothing of having that
second cup or third. Just don't get fooled
into buying "Kona blends" that sometimes
combine the price tag of the real thing
with less than stellar-quality beans from
other sources. The genuine article is grown on the Big Island, home of volcanic
soil, high elevation and abundant morning sunshine. For the freshest coffee
experiences, order from the Koa Plantation in Captain Cook; it's a family-run
operation, situated on the leeward side of Mauna Loa, that will ship its pea
berry, estate-or prime-grade beans to you in half-pound, pound or five-pound
bags of "Baba's Beans." An order placed from the East Coast on a recent Friday
afternoon arrived at its caffeine-deprived owner's desk the following Monday
morning via priority FedEx. Decaf is available-but why? Koa
Plantation; www.KoaPlantation.com
7.
8. • Great natural farming methods
foster the perfect conditions for the
trees to grow.
• Rich, fertile volcanic soil combined
with a blend of natural nutrients and
minerals give the trees the best
advantage, they are then selectively
trimmed to strengthen them and to
encourage a much larger production
and help with harvesting.
• They fertilize using a mixture of
traditional methods and the cherry
skins, a by-product of the wet-milling
technique, to naturally fertilize and
nurture our trees.
9. • Expertly selected for optimum
ripeness during the hand
picked harvest means that
neither berries or trees are
harmed.
10. • Once the coffee cherries have been
picked, they must undertake
processing to remove the outer
layers of the skin and reveal the
coffee beans inside.
• The pulper machine has spinning
discs that remove the pulp (outer
skin) by pinching the cherry until the
skin splits.
• In 2002, they became the first farm
in Kona to use a revolutionary wet-
processing system from Columbia
that is ecologically and
environmentally efficient by
decreasing water usage (average of
80 %) and contamination of our
water supply.
11. • After the wet-mill process, they
use a new and sophisticated
combination drying system to
insure quality and enhance the
bean flavour.
• The beans are shifted and raked
often for uniform drying by the
sun. When the beans are dried
and reach certain moisture
content (11.5 % -12 %), the
coffee is called "parchment
coffee", due to their stiff, white
parchment-like skin.
12. • The next step in the milling technique after
drying is called dry milling. The beans are
now without any other protective coating
called "green beans."
• Next, the green beans are placed in the
sorter to be sized. This technique separates
the beans into different grades of Kona
coffee.
• The primary grades of Kona coffee are
Peaberry, Extra Fancy, Fancy, # 1, Select
and Prime.
• Next, the beans of each specific grade/size
are placed on the gravity table (See Kona
Coffee Grading). Density is directly
proportional to the quality of the bean.
• The gravity machine ensures that the denser
beans rise to the top of the table while the
lower denser beans fall to the bottom.
• This allows for them to find the jewels in the
coffee and offer the best to the customers.
The beans are then packaged
13. • Both parchment and green bean
are kept in temperature and
humidity controlled rooms.
• This preserves the ideal flavour
profile of the green coffees.
• They have found that coffee stored
outside of climate and humidity
control rooms begin to fade in
colour, lose its acidity, flatten out
and lose its original flavour
profile.
14. • Roasting is one of the elements that
distinguishes the individual
characteristics of Kona Coffee.
• 100 % pure Kona Coffee is meticulously
roasted and packaged while still warm
from the oven in protective foil pouches
which are specifically designed to avoid
the entrance of air and moisture.
• When you unlock a bag of Kona Coffee
from the plantation, they hope that you
discover the taste and aroma that Prize
winning Kona coffee is known for.
• They cease the roast at the beginning of
the second crack to produce beans that
are chestnut brown with a slight shimmer
of oils on the exterior.
• They also offer customized
roasts, recognizing the distinguished
coffee palates of our consumers.
