HAWAI‘I ISLAND
(commonly known as the Big Island)
HAMAKUA
Farms: 15-20
Growing Area: ~45 acres
Elevation: 350-2,500 feet
Average farm size: 5-7 acres
This region is a cool, high-rainfall, red soil coffee area.
Tasting notes: citrus, sweet cocoa, nutty. Good body and mouthfeel.
KONA
Farms: 900-1,000
Growing Area: 3,800-4,000 acres
Elevation: 500-3,000 feet
Average farm size: 2-5 acres
Kona is Hawai‘i’s most recognized coffee region, commanding some of the highest prices in the world. The ‘Kona Typica’ variety is most commonly grown here.
Tasting notes: floral, citrus, berry, and nutty notes in the cup with a smooth finish.
Awards: 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 Hawaii Coffee Association (Grand Champion, various divisions)
KA‘Ū
Farms: 80-90
Growing Area: 830 acres
Elevation: 1,100-2,700 feet
Average farm size: 5-10 acres
An unspoiled land, sunny climate and misty afternoons give Ka‘ū coffee its characteristic deep flavors.
Tasting notes: chocolate, cherry, floral, citrus.
Awards: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017 Hawaii Coffee Association (Grand Champion, various divisions); 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 Roaster’s Guild Coffee of the Year
HAWAI‘I
Farms: 20+ farms
Growing Area: 125 acres
Elevation: 300-2,600 feet
Average Farm Size: 2-3 acres
This region includes Puna, the wettest locale of Hawai‘i Island with an average rainfall of 150” to 220” annually. Most coffee farms in this region are composed of 2-3 acres.
Tasting notes: honey, mineral, wine, full-bodied, peach/stone fruit, nutty overtones.
Awards: 2013 Hawaii Coffee Association (Grand Champion, Creative Division)
MAUI
Growing Area: 600 acres
Lahaina: 500 acres in large commercial production
Upcountry: 100 acres in smaller, independently owned farms.
Maui has a large-scale commercial farm on the Lahaina side and several smaller estates in the “Upcountry” region on the slopes of Haleakalā.
Tasting notes: Earthy, sweet, with notes of chocolate and vanilla.
Awards: 2017 Hawaii Coffee Association (Grand Champion, Creative Division)
MOLOKA‘I
Growing Area: ~150 acres
This small island of approximately 7,500 residents has one 150-acre plantation and a mill in the village of Kualapu‘u. It’s the sole source of Moloka‘i coffee.
Tasting notes: nutty, sweet, caramel, slightly herbal, full-bodied, earthy, chocolate aftertaste.
O‘AHU
Growing Area: ~160 acres
The majority of the acres belong to a single farm on the island’s north shore. The smaller portion of acreage belongs to an agricultural research company that harvests a fraction of its fields for commercial use.
Tasting notes: milk chocolate, sweet, fruit, floral.
KAUA‘I
Growing Area: ~3,000 acres
Most of the commercial coffee grown on Kaua‘i is washed processed Arabica varieties. There are three commercial farms, with the largest coffee farm producing more than one third of all the coffee grown in the USA.
Yield: 2.4 million pounds of green coffee
Tasting notes: chocolate, earthy, spicy, mango, mellow, delicate.
