Coffee Brewing
Storing Coffee Properly
Coffee Storage Instructions
- Coffee should be stored in an airtight container away from heat and light.
- Store whole beans at room temperature.
- Store ground coffee in freezer.
Coffee Brewing
Coffee brewing is not a science, but an art.
- For best results, grind your beans just prior to brewing. We recommend using a coarse to percolator grind for the filter-drip system method of brewing.
- Always use a clean coffee maker. Make sure there is no residue from previous usage.
- Use filtered or spring cold water only. Do not start with warm or hot water.
- Use two level tablespoons for every cup (6 ounces) of water.
For an average 10 cup maker, (60 liquid ounces) use about 3 ounces of ground coffee. Adjust for your taste preference. - Remove spent grounds immediately to prevent bitterness.
- Serve coffee immediately. If coffee must stand before serving, hold it in a vacuum carafe to preserve flavor.
- Never reheat or boil coffee.
- Enjoy with someone special.
Processing Coffee Cherry
Harvest season is a busy time at the pulp mill. In the late afternoon, farmers arrive from all over Kona with the day’s picking.
It takes 4.25 pounds of coffee cherry to produce one pound of dried parchment.
- Each day’s harvest must be processed that day to ensure the highest quality in the final product.
- Coffee cherry is delivered to a facility called a pulping mill. Here, the under ripened and over-ripened cherries are discarded and the pulp from each remaining coffee cherry is then removed.
- Each coffee cherry contains two separate coffee beans. After pulping, these beans are referred to as wet parchment.
- The wet parchment is then held in a fermentation tank for 12 to 14 hours. The fermentation is required to break down a mucilage layer on the outer surface of the parchment.
- After the fermentation, the parchment is then washed and then dried.
- Dried parchment is then reposed (allowed to rest) at least 30 days to allow the moisture to equalize within each bean. This helps to ensure an “even” roast.
Growing Coffee
- Orchard Establishment – A coffee orchard requires three to fours years of maintenance before a significant crop can be harvested.
- Growing Cycle – Coffee trees typically bloom in the late winter to early spring. Harvesting occurs in the fall through late winter.
- Mature coffee beans form into clusters of red berries, referred to as coffee cherry.
- Harvesting is all done by hand. A coffee picker can pick between 200 and 400 pounds of coffee cherry per day. The work is very hard and demanding.
Processing Coffee Parchment
It takes 1.25 pounds of dried parchment to produce one pound of green bean coffee.
- Dried parchment is delivered to the Dry Mill where the parchment skin is removed by a gentle hulling process.
- The coffee beans, now referred to as green bean, are then separated into categories of bean size. They are then graded according to density by running over an Oliver gravity table. This ensures that only the perfectly formed beans are bagged and certified. This process is called grading the coffee and is dictated by a strict set of guidelines administered by the Hawaii State Department of Agriculture.
Coffee Roasting and Packaging
It takes 1.25 pound of green bean to make one pound of roasted coffee.
- Green bean is delivered to the roasting facility.
- The roasting process is carefully monitored and timed to create a variety of roasts to meet the varied tastes or our customers.
- Grinding and/or flavoring are performed on the coffee after roasting.
Throughout the entire process from seed to roasted coffee package, each step is carefully designed to provide the highest quality possible. For every one pound of roasted coffee delivered to our customers, over 6 lbs of coffee cherry is required.