Aloha!
The Power of
Hawaiian
Coffees
 |
By Cal Orey
There are so many types of coffee in the Coffee
World, I’m feeling like Tom Hank’s character in the film “You’ve Got Mail” when
he says, “The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no
decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of
coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf,
decaf, low-fat, non-fat.” And yes, in the real world there are countless types
and blends of coffee to choose and to make you smile and feel energized.
In the book The
Healing Powers of Coffee (Kensington) featured in both the Good Cook and
One Spirit book clubs, I take the reader around the globe to different regions
of the bean belt. This month of April, a time of change and renewal, I’m going
to take you with me to Hawaii—an exotic paradise to savor Spring and the
lowdown about Hawaiian coffees. [Sip a cup of joe and click on the trailer on the left.]
Coffees of the Islands
At first glance, the Hawaiian Islands with their
fertile valleys and lush forests seem a virtual paradise. They have long been
thought of as a haven for creatures of all kinds. But Hawaii is also known as
coffee heaven.
More than 25 years ago, I was introduced to my first
bag of genuine Kona coffee. It was a gift from my sister who lives on the Big
Island. Inside the brown box were a sealed bag of coffee and a box of
chocolate-covered macadamia nuts. I ate the chocolate, and put the coffee in
the freezer. At the time, I didn’t have a coffee brewer, and the present was
never opened.
A few years later, I was offered a magazine story
assignment that took me to Kauai. That was the first time I tasted Hawaiian
java. I was a guest at a woman’s estate. I recall getting up early and drinking
coffee and eating chocolate as we talked. The freshly brewed coffee paired with
truffles is a memory that I’ll always cherish.
The third time around (I got another taste of Kona
coffee at an outdoor restaurant on a second trip to the Islands), I hit the Big
Island. No work, just pleasure. Again, the coffee in the hotel room and at
restaurants was not to be ignored. When I recall those days, I can close my eyes
and taste the bold flavor of java. It’s a tropical experience and one not to be
forgotten.
Hawaiian coffee roasters will tell you that coffee
is pricey because of the island’s costly labor prices (it takes experts to pick
the beans). Kona is special and a challenge to get on the mainland. Sadly,
these words make sense to me and perhaps that’s one reason why trying to
connect with a coffee company in Hawaii—and get a complimentary bag of
beans—for my coffee book was a challenge like riding a 50-foot Pacific Ocean
swell.
But I did make an islands coffee connection. Meet
David Gridley, president of Maui Oma Coffee Roasting Company. He answered my
exclusive questions, one by one, telling me about the inside line of Hawaiian
coffees—as difficult to get as gold, or so it seems.
“Most of the people come to us for our variety of
Hawaiian coffees, mostly the Maui and Kona coffees,” Gridley says, adding that
they offer the Ka’u, Kauai, Molokai, and Waialua coffees as well.
Back in 1998 Gridley took the reins of the wholesale
operation and Maui Oma was born, and it has ended up being a strong business to
write home about. This means he supplies quality, fresh-roasted coffee (the
Maui and Kona coffees are the most in demand) and sets up coffee programs for
restaurants and coffee stores all over Hawaii and the mainland, my home.
When I asked him, “Why is Hawaiian coffee considered
so special?” He answered by telling me what I knew, but it was a sobering
reminder: “Coffee is a tropical crop. It is really only grown between the
Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. This is why we are the only
coffee-growing state. The best Arabica coffees are grown at higher elevations,
in volcanic soil, with sunny mornings and cloudy afternoons, and cool
evenings.”
So, he’s in the right place. Perhaps that’s why
coffee in Hawaii costs more, and Gridley adds, “Yes, because the quality is
high and demand is always higher than the availability. It also costs more to
raise coffee in Hawaii. Land and labor costs are high.” Meanwhile, as I
fantasize about moving to the Big Island, Gridley reminds me that there are
many other emerging coffee-growing districts that are also growing some
excellent and internationally recognized coffees—all made with Mother Nature’s
magical beans.
[SIDEBAR]
Civet
Coffee, A Surprising Gourmet Treat
Let me introduce you to the Kopi Luwak bean gathered
from the poop of civets (a small Asian Palm cat), which graze on coffee
berries. It’s the animals’ droppings that are harvested by farmers who clean
and ship the unchewed, undigested, and fermented commodity to people like
Texas-based Dustin Butler, president of Bantai Civet Coffee (www.bantaicivetcoffee.com).
Bantai’s rare and pricey gourmet coffee (4 ounces cost $85; 16 ounces cost
$320) comes from the Philippines (it is also found in Sumatra). After a bit of
preliminary hesitation, I tasted the expensive and extremely smooth, almost
buttery, coffee; it is not acidic like some coffees. Pure Civet Coffee is
touted to taste both nutty and spicy. I’m still shocked that I braved brewing
and sipping the rare coffee—but being a coffee and cat lover, how could I
resist?
[Excerpt from The
Healing Powers of Coffee (Kensington); in 2nd printing; available and "popular" in Good Cook and Quality Paperback book clubs]
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