Maui Coffee

Jane | Oct 15, 2009 |

0 Comments | Rating: 0

My first sip of 100% pure Kona coffee was quite the surprise. I had purchased Kona coffee at our local grocer, yet there was no comparison to the coffee I was currently drinking in Maui. The aroma was wonderful, it was full bodied, smooth & mellow. I learned that the coffee was roasted on the island of Maui.

We liked the coffee so much we decided to go to several of the local roasters on the island to sample their coffee.

Our first stop was Sir Wilfred's Hawaiian Coffee's. We learned a lot about coffee. The first thing we learned, to be considered 100% Kona coffee, the beans must be grown on the district of Kona on the Big Island and the beans must meet a high standard to be considered Kona. The lesser Kona beans are considered Hawaiian.

We sampled several coffees, Maui Kona Blend, a blend of 100% dark and 100% light coffee, the traditional dark roast and light roast and various flavored coffee. My absolute favorite was the Maui Kona Peaberry coffee. Of course, it was also the most expensive. Maui Kona Peaberry is unusual because each coffee cherry contains only one bean, while all other types of Kona contain two beans per cherry. It also takes longer to process because the bean is much smaller than an average Kona bean. The taste was magnificent and I had now changed my mind from 100% Pure Kona to 100% Maui Kona Peaberry as my favorite. I was also happy that the coffee was grown just up the hill in Lahainia on the island of Maui. My husband's choice was much different than mine. He had chosen a sweet coffee, with a touch of butterscotch flavor called Haleakala Sunrise. We left this delightful coffee house empty handed. We wanted to sample coffees from other local coffee companies.

Our next coffee stop was the Maui Coffee Company. The coffee sold at this quaint little company is locally grown in Maui. The Maui coffee company roasts their own beans and flavors their own beans. The coffee samples here, again, were amazing. I enjoyed both their Maui Kona coffee and their Maui Peaberry coffee.

My biggest fear was that I'd buy this wonderful coffee, get it home, brew a pot only to find the flavor was not what I had tasted in these coffee stores. I was encouraged to learn how to brew a good cup of coffee and a store employee explained how to make a good cup at home.

What I needed was a good coffee grinder, which I already had. She explained that I would need about ¾ of a cup of ground coffee beans for 10 cups of water (standard 10 cup coffee pot). She also suggested that I use cold spring water instead of tap water. She also suggested that I try a different approach to brewing the coffee by using a French Press. The French Press is easy to use and the coffee taste wonderful.

Needless to say, one of our biggest Maui souvenirs was coffee. We almost needed another carry on to bring this delicious coffee home. I continue to order beans from both The Maui Coffee Company and Sir Wilfred's Hawaiian coffee. It generally arrives within three days after I've placed my order online and it is fresh! I seriously hide the good stuff from company!

I store all of my coffee in the freezer. This keeps it fresh.