Mmmm, Maui grown coffee

Today I am savoring a cup of Hawaiian coffee made from ground coffee purchased at the Philadelphia Flower Show.  I am having the Ka'anapali Estate Dark Roast coffee by MauiGrown Coffee of Lahaina.  The coffee is grown on the estate in a redevelopment effort that has been assisted, and advised upon, by the local community - And done with success, if my cup of coffee is any indication.

My first introduction to Hawaiian coffee was, let's be honest, the Kona coffee at Wawa.  My Maui coffee, straight from the source, is a different animal altogether.  The company representatives from MauiGrown Coffee at the Flower Show explained that the dark roast coffee of Maui has the richness to it that most people associate with dark roasts, without the heavy acid that comes with other varieties of dark roast.  I did not believe it until I had a cup.  There is a dark roast bite when you take a sip, then it mellows into a smoothness by the time you swallow.  The Maui varietal of coffee is as easy on the stomach as you can get with a dark roast!  And it tastes fresh, of course.  Generally I drink dark roasts very sparingly but the Maui dark roast is softer (less acidic) than most LIGHT roasts, as we know it.  Did the reduction in acid reduce the buzz?  Actually, no, the buzz was just as long lasting, although I would say that it came on less harshly than traditional coffee which can slam you awake with a jolt.  The caffeine impact of the Maui coffee felt more like an ocean wave rising to a crest.

In full disclosure, when I mention ocean waves, there is a chance I am influenced by Oprah's recent interview of Laird Hamilton, the champion Hawaiian surfer, in her TV series, "Oprah's Lifeclass".  For those who do not known Mr. Hamilton, he has a cameo in the movie "The Descendants", as the man at the swim club who George Clooney's character accuses of causing the jet ski accident.  For the record, if you have not seen "The Descendants", and you are a fan of Hawaii, do.  It is a movie that would never have been made based on plot alone.  It needs the Hawaiian backdrop to make it work - not just the scenery, but the people and the culture.  

As I looked for more information on the origins of coffee grown in Maui, Hawaii, I stumbled across a fantastic history online.  It describes how Ethiopian coffee made its way to Yemen, then to India and Asia.  Beans from Asia and Yemen were blended by European explorers.  A plant was brought to the Caribbean which served as the foundation seedling for many coffees grown in Hawaii. 

Photo from MauiGrown Coffee Farm

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The Kona Coffee Living History Farm preserves the history of coffee growing and particularly the involvement of Japanese immigrants in the development of the trade in the years between WWI and WWII.  Photo by Kona Historical Society, who operates the Farm.