What Makes Coffee From Hawaii So Great?

The Wailuku Coffee Company logo features a white sketch of mountains, Iao Valley, and sunrise in a round circle with orange, olive, and ocean blue brand colors.

Bold, Beautiful, & Loaded with Vibrant Flavors

Coffee from Hawaii is renowned worldwide for its exceptional quality and unique flavor profile. Whether it's the rich volcanic soil, the tropical climate, the hand-picking process, or the expertise of the farmers and roasters, every element plays a role in making Hawaii coffee truly GREAT.

Green coffee trees in a field.
A hand picking red coffee berries from a tree in Hawaii with sunshine background.
Sketch drawing of a coffee branch with beans and leaves in black color.

What Makes Hawaii Coffee Special

The Coffee Trees

Coffee trees flourish in the rich volcanic soil of Hawaii, with the main coffee-growing regions being Kona, Hualalai, Ka'u, Puna, Hamakua (all located on the Island of Hawaii), Maui, Kauai, O'ahu, and Molokai. Hawaii's unique microclimate, combined with the ideal altitude and rainfall, creates the perfect conditions for coffee trees to thrive. The trees enjoy the cool slopes where they get ample cloud cover, and the roots are deeply planted in rich volcanic soil. These trees are carefully nurtured and maintained by coffee aficionados to ensure optimal growth and the production of top-notch beans. If you were a coffee tree, you couldn’t ask for a better place to grow.

The Harvesting

Producing high-quality coffee involves several crucial steps, and the first one is harvesting. In Hawaii, coffee cherries are carefully hand-picked only when they are fully ripe. This meticulous process ensures that only the finest beans are selected, resulting in a superior flavor profile. The coffee trees in Hawaii typically bloom after the dry winter season, and the harvest takes place in autumn. During the harvesting process, each coffee bean is handpicked, pulped, dried, and hulled. The coffee mills then use machinery to sort the beans based on their grades, sizes, and shapes. After sorting, the coffee beans are dried in the sun before they can undergo the roasting process.

Roasting Process

From growing to roasting, it takes a lot of aloha to get a perfect cup of coffee! After harvesting and drying, the coffee beans are custom roasted, depending on the desired roast results and the beans' moisture. The roasting process can make or break the coffee; it is an art form that not just anyone can do! The roasting process plays a crucial role in bringing out the distinctive flavors of Hawaii's special coffee. Master roasters carefully monitor the temperature and timing to achieve the desired roast level. This attention to detail enhances the natural flavors of the beans, resulting in a rich, smooth, and well-balanced cup of coffee.

Different Roasts

There are various types of roasts in coffee:

  • Your Dark roasts are typically called French, Italian, or Espresso.
  • The Medium roasts include Full-City and Vienna.
  • Flavored coffee is made by coating coffee beans with flavors like vanilla and macadamia nut immediately after roasting, allowing the beans to absorb the flavors.

After the roasting process, an oxidation process begins; at this point in time, your coffee is at its freshest. Click here to learn more about different coffee roasts and grinds.

Packaging

After roasting the beans to perfection, they are carefully packaged to maintain both their freshness and quality. Coffee produced in Hawaii is typically packaged in airtight bags or containers to protect the beans from exposure to air and moisture. Sometimes coffee is frozen to optimize its freshness and ensure that the flavors and aromas remain intact until the coffee is brewed. If you store the whole bean, its shelf life is about two months, while ground coffee has a shelf life of a month. Experts suggest purchasing coffee beans and grinding them just before brewing your cup of coffee. This way, your coffee will stay fresh for a longer time.

Freshly Roasted on Maui

Our Hawaii Coffees

Hawaii coffee stands out for its exceptional taste and quality, thanks to meticulous harvesting, ideal growing conditions, precise roasting, and careful packaging. It's a sought-after coffee with an unmatched flavor.

100% Kona Prime

Our Kona Prime is a medium roast blend of 100% premium Kona coffee beans grown in Kealakekua, Hawaii Island. This bean boasting a balanced, savory-sweet flavor profile.

Outside Inside

Golden Blend

Wailuku Coffee Co.'s Golden Blend is a dark roast made from beans sourced from Maui and Columbia. 100% of the proceeds of this exclusive Maui blend go to local charities.

Outside Inside

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