Growing/Processing

In December and January brilliant white coffee blossoms with a gardenia-like perfume signals the abundant harvest to come. Summer through fall the coffee beans are hand-picked as cherry when bright red and fully ripe. The beans are pulped to remove the skins and sweet mucilage and then spread out in the warm sun and raked to promote even drying. The drying deck looks like a wonderful Zen garden.

When the beans reach the perfect moisture content they are stored as parchment, so named because of the tan covering that remains on the beans. The parchment layer protects the beans which are kept in a climate controlled environment. When it’s time for roasting, the parchment and papery silverskin layers are removed and the coffee is sorted so that only the top grades, including the prized peaberry become part of our estate brand.

The green beans are roasted to bring out their unique flavor qualities. Many people love the medium roast where the subtle flavors stand out the most. Others prefer darker roasts for a different flavor or to make espresso. Kona coffee is truly a specialty coffee and has a taste quite distinct from all other coffees grown in the world including other regions of Hawaii.