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FACTS ABOUT KONA COFFEE

WHY ALOHA PRINCESS KONA COFFEE?

All or our coffee trees are individually irrigated from natural water from the mountains above our farm which reduces stress on the trees and makes for an exceptional tasting cup of coffee plus the view from the farm enhances the taste. Taste and see for yourself.

THE STORY OF THE ALOHA PRINCESS LABEL

In Hawaii we "talk story" which is Hawaiian for sitting down and taking the time to talk about whatever from the heart. Our story is a multifaceted one. Our label evokes the vintage menus from the Matson Shipping Line which carried passengers to and from Hawaii and the West Coast. The "Princess" of our name honors one of our owner's daughter who was an American Heart Association Princess in her youth. And Aloha is the spirit which flows from us to you as you enjoy our 100% Kona Coffee. We have planted and nurtured our trees to bring you the best that Kona has to offer from the Aloha Princess Kona Coffee Company. Mahalo.

DONATIONS TO HOSPICE

A portion of all sales is donated to Hospice of Kona, Hawaii - "A life that touches others goes on forever"

Kona Coffee is the name for a specific variety of coffee (Coffee arabica, Var. Kona typica) cultivated on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa mountains. Only coffee grown in this officially designated area can be considered Kona Coffee. This area or "belt" as locally referred to is approximately 2 by 22 miles long. A relatively small area.

Coffee requires a very specific combination of sun, soil, and water. It is successfully grown in only a limited number of locations around the world. The Kona weather pattern of bright sunny mornings, humid rainy afternoons, and mild nights create favorable coffee growing conditions. Pure Kona coffee is considered one of the premium specialty coffees of the world if not the best.

History

The coffee plant was first brought to Kona in the nineteenth century from Brazilian cuttings, although it was not until much later in that century that it became a consistent and worthwhile crop. Coffee trees originated actually in Ethopia, Africa. It was grown here in Hawaii on large plantations, but the crash in the world coffee market in 1899 caused plantation owners to have to lease out their land to their workers. Most of these workers were originally from Japan, brought in to tend and harvest sugar cane. They worked their leased land parcels of between 5 and 12 acres as family concerns, producing large, quality coffee crops.

The tradition of running family farms has continued throughout Kona. The Japanese-origin families have been joined by Filipinos, mainland Americans, and Europeans. There are approximately 600 Kona coffee farms, with an average farm size of less than 5 acres. In 1997 the total Kona coffee acreage was 2290 acres and green coffee production just over three million pounds.

Growing and Processing

Kona coffee blooms in February and March and small white flowers cover the tree. In April, green berries begin to appear on the trees and by late August the green berries turn red and are called "cherry" because of the resemblance to the ripe berry of the cherry tree and are the red cherry is ready for picking. Each tree will be hand-picked several times between August and January, and provides up to 20 pounds of cherry per tree as only the ripe red berry is picked.

Within 24 hours of picking, the cherry is run through a pulper, the beans separated from the exterior pulp, and placed in a fermentation tank overnight. After about 12 hours, the beans are rinsed and spread to dry naturally on a drying deck. Traditional drying decks have a rolling roof to cover the beans in the event of rain. It takes 7-14 days to dry the beans to an optimal moisture level of between 10-13%. From here, the beans are stored as parchment, a very thin greenish cover. The parchment is milled off the green bean prior to roasting. It takes seven pounds of cherry to make one pound of roasted coffee. It is in the roasting process that creates the various types of coffee from medium roast to dark roast. To our flavor buds, the "Full City Roast" works best for Kona Coffee.

Kona Coffee beans are classified based on the seed type. Type I beans consist of two beans per cherry, flat on one side, oval on the other. Type II beans consist of one round bean per cherry. The further grading of these two types of beans depends on size, moisture content, purity of bean type and size. The grades of Type 1 Kona coffee are: Kona Extra fancy; Kona fancy; Kona Number 1; and, Kona Prime. The grades of Type 2 Kona coffee are: Peaberry Number 1; and Peaberry Prime and Hawaii State Green Coffee Bean Standard. Other grades such as our Aloha Princess Kona Coffee are considered Estate Grown.

BLENDS

On some coffee labels you will notice that it is a "Blend" and labeled as such. " Kona Blends" contain LESS THAN 100% Kona Coffee and in most cases only 10% or less and rarely are you informed of the "other coffee sources"?

Because of the rarity of Kona Coffee in the marketplace, some retailers sell Kona Blends, trying to capitalize on the Kona Coffee quality reputation. This can be and is misleading to the consumer. These blends are not a combination of different Kona coffees but rather a blend of Kona and other coffees from various other countries. These blends usually contain 10% or less of Kona coffee and 90% of the bag is unidentified beans.

CONTACT US

E MAIL info@alohaprincesskonacoffeecompany.com Phone 808 322 5295