Category: Behind the Cup

The word “mom” is a palindrome, meaning it’s the same forwards and backwards. When you flip it upside down, it becomes “wow,” a word that we at Greenwell Farms believe is extremely fitting for moms. We see moms and their children on our complimentary farm tours, excitedly pointing out tropical fruit and chameleons like they’re kids themselves. We fulfill orders for Coffee Club subscriptions gifted from mothers to their children to make their mornings better. We look at the legacy trees planted from the roots of Grandma Greenwell’s trees and Read More…

This is a blog you can send to your coffee-loving friends that will give them access to all of the different angles we have covered. So, whether you are a seasoned pro or just getting into the world of specialty coffee, we hope this provides easy access and answers to your coffee questions! Please use the comments section to give us your tips and ask for clarification on anything that doesn’t make sense. Basics Getting the Most From your 100% Kona Coffee Coffee to Water Ratios Common Kona Coffee Questions Read More…

I’m really excited to share this blog with you all today because you are about to meet some of the fine individuals that shaped my own coffee journey. These are some of the places where I get my information and some of the voices that have guided me into a deeper understanding of coffee. We all need role models in our lives, people who have the coffee knowledge and experience to help us toward our aims. As we collectively learn to be better coffee consumers and home baristas, I’d like Read More…

At a recent lecture I attended, it was stated that “specialty coffee” (you know—the really good stuff) has barely penetrated three major coffee consumer markets: military, medical, and education. In these three high-functioning and relentless professions, “hot and caffeinated” is often the primary concern over “nuance, origin, and flavor profile.” Having worked in education for 30 years, I remember the mantra that Sunday coffee was recreational, but weekday coffee was medicinal. True. I also remember saying one early Monday morning that I was 20 cups of coffee away from the Read More…

While I have learned to enjoy black coffee tremendously and have discovered that the better-quality coffees of the world lend themselves well to being consumed black, I still like lattes, café au laits, and cortados. When I first met coffee as a child, the goal was to create “candy in a cup” and cream and sugar were the only reason we drank coffee. Now with endless options for additions to coffee, we thought it would be interesting to share some of the science and epicurean perspectives on adding cream and/or Read More…

I must confess, I do not own a Keurig nor a Nespresso machine. I have used pod systems in hotel rooms, Airbnb’s, and have been offered K-cups in the waiting room of my tire center. I am asked almost daily what I think about K-cups and if we make them for our coffee at Greenwell Farms. We do not. However, I recently read that 33 million households in the United States get their coffee from a single-serve machine every day and many people ask me if it is possible to Read More…

It is December 16th, 1773, at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston. American colonists will no longer tolerate British taxation on goods to the colonies to help the indebted U.K. The Stamp Act of 1765, the Townshend Act of 1767, and finally the Tea Act of 1773 were more than the colonists could bear and in an act of major protest, colonists (The Sons of Liberty) dumped 342 chests of tea (about 90,000 pounds) into the Boston Harbor. What did they drink the next morning? That question has been of interest to Read More…

If you have ever been told by your doctor it’s time to stop consuming caffeine, but you still love coffee, please don’t despair. Modern technology can bring you a great-tasting decaffeinated cup of Joe that won’t introduce other harmful chemicals to your body. Here is a simple and practical blog to help you understand the complexities of decaffeination in a non-technical way. Let’s start with the three methods used to decaffeinate coffee. Solvents Ludwig Roselius, a German businessman, is most often credited with creating the first decaf coffee around 1906. Read More…

First and foremost, please know that Greenwell Farms does not sell any Kona Blends under our label.  We roast only 100% Kona Coffee from many different varieties of trees and elevations and use different levels of roast to create a host of elegant flavors. Yet we are often asked about 10% blends and other Kona Blends and so today let’s set the record straight for anyone who wants to know the truth of the situation here in Kona. What does it mean to be Kona Coffee? The Kona Coffee Belt Read More…

My wife loves coffee. In particular, she loves 100% Kona Coffee. I work on a Kona coffee farm. It’s a perfect match. Thus, for the first year or so that I worked on the farm, my wife received our better coffees as presents on her birthday, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, anniversary and I think you can see where this is going. Because she is very polite and soft-spoken, she sent a message through our daughter which was, “getting coffee on every special occasion wasn’t as romantic as I probably thought it Read More…

Aloha! The holiday season is upon us which usually means making those in your life happy with thoughtful, meaningful gifts. The holidays also see many companies offering specials, discounts, free shipping etc (Including us…Greenwell Farms free shipping special ends on Dec 5th). These specials bring up an issue that is close to my heart and one I’d like to address today in as delicate of a way as I can. This issue is pacing your coffee buying for peak freshness. The Coffee ROI Dilemma A famous coffee dilemma related to Read More…

A close German friend of mine, many years ago, always made sure that no matter how busy things got we always had 20 minutes in the late afternoon for coffee and cake. She explained it was a cultural tradition and was centered around the idea of making sure the people that you cared about were the priority in your life. When I lived in Japan, the afternoon coffee and sweets service gave everyone a chance to energize and socialize in a way that allowed us to keep going with a Read More…

At Greenwell Farms, we host guests from around the world every day and share our farming operation with them. Over the last few years of doing farm tours, there are two themes that seem to constantly re-emerge. One theme is from those who live in urban communities who say, “I never knew so much was involved in making a cup of coffee.” The second theme is from our fellow farmers and ranchers from across our country who are “in the know” and share a deep understanding of what it means Read More…

Like everything in life, industries evolve. In the ultra-competitive coffee world, cafes, baristas, growers, and processors are always trying to come up with that “new thing” that is going to set them apart from everyone else. Sometimes a trend flashes in popularity and disappears, and other times it becomes the new normal. Although my original draft list for this article had over 20 emerging trends in coffee, I will give you 7 that I believe are applicable to most people and have a good chance of becoming the future norm. Read More…

If you love iced coffee and crave that “cool me down, pick me up “ experience in the summer heat, I’m going to suggest that this is the summer you play with Cold Brew. Now, we all know that Cold Brew coffee has become somewhat of a phenomenon in these last few years, but there is good reason for it. So, let’s look at some of the benefits of cold brew, and then I’d like to share a couple of ways to make it. Cold Brew Basics Cold Brew coffee Read More…