Learning About Coffee on Hawaii's Big Island

My kitchen counter is scattered with one-pound bags of one hundred percent Kona coffee, jars of real Hawaiian honey, and packets of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts. In other words, my kitchen is a mess and I am too tired to do anything about it. But I have an excuse: jet lag. We spent the last twelve days exploring Hawaii's Big Island (the last of the four major islands I had yet to visit) starting with three days in Hilo, two days in Volcano Village and summing up the final seven days on the Kona side.( Yes, we enjoy the islands so much that we decided to do a second trip this year. ) This trip was supposed to be different from the others, and rightly so, since the big island itself is unlike the other islands. The youngest, the largest, home of the tallest mountain in the world (measured from its sea base), home of a flowing volcano, and home of the world's best coffee - hence the bags of beans on my counter.

The Kona coast is known for having the ideal combination of environmental factors for growing coffee. So clearly there would be numerous coffee plantations along this side of the island. Touring one of these plantations has become a part of the tourism industry. We decided to tour Greenwell Farms for a couple reasons: 1) it was recommended by Big Island Revealed (remember, this series is my holy grail for everything Hawaii), and 2) they are a family run business, started in the late 1800's and still functions today as a pesticide free production.

Fresh coffee beans removed from outer shell.

On the day we visited, we were immediately greeted by one of the tour guides and offered cups of freshly brewed coffee; not a bad way to start any tour. While the tour lasted a mere thirty minutes or so, we were able to follow the coffee bean from the tree to all the way to the drying process. I have a special fondness and respect for the agrarian lifestyle. In fact, my grandmother worked on a coffee plantation in Trinidad for many years. Even so, I never knew that ripe coffee beans, called coffee cherries, were actually very sweet with a gelatinous texture, somewhat similar to a grape. And that the bean itself is surrounded by three outer layers: the exocarp (the skin itself), the mesocarp (the soft, sweet layer beneath that) and the endocarp (the last, parchment-like layer covering the bean itself.) The ripe coffee cherries are gathered into a pulping mill where the first two layers are removed. Now, the product is called "wet parchment." Once the final layer is removed, the beans are then dried on large, flat beds with movable roof-like tops. Now called "dry parchment", the beans are then allowed to rest for up to thirty days to allow their natural moisture to evenly distribute which allows for uniform roasting. We weren't allowed into Greenwell's roasting facility but we did get to sample their various roasts, along with macadamia nuts and local honey.

Coffee beans are dried manually on large flat beds with movable roof tops.

After only thirty minutes in the sun, even with a hat and sunglasses, I will never again complain about handing over twenty plus dollars for a pound of good coffee. For even though Greenwell has adopted modern farming practices, every coffee cherry is hand picked! Yes, hand-picked by men and women in eighty degree heat. Added to that, the beans are not mechanically dried on those flat beds; it again takes human labor to spread them out into an even layer and to constantly re-mix and re-spread each batch to allow even drying. That's a lot of hard work! Greenwell's beans are only available for purchase at the plantation and on their website.

Branches of a coffee tree weighed down with green coffee cherries.

This tour was definitely one of the highlights of our trip but not the only one. Below are some photos from our hike across Kilauea Iki Crater, a two hour trek through rain forest, a volcanic crater, with views of the active side of this same volcano, and glimpses of endemic flora and fauna.

Made it out of the rain forest and about to trek across Kilauea Iki Crater.

There once was a road here.

In Thurston Lava Tube.

The Road to Hana

Ke'anae Coastline.

The above picture was taken at the Ke'anae coast and shows the coastline of that low-lying town has not changed much as compared to a thousand years ago. The one below shows a road seemingly cutting a densely forested peninsular in half. Both pictures were taken on the road to Hana in Maui. Last week I returned home after spending two idyllic weeks in Hawaii: five days in Oahu and nine days in Maui. Idyllic because the weather was perfect, it was off peak season so lines everywhere were short, and, for the first time, we did the drive to that quaint, quintessentially tropical town of Hana. The Road to Hana, as the entire endeavor is sometimes referred to, i.e. the drive, the many stops along the way, the distinctive foods- home made banana bread, lilikoi, papayas, mangoes, steamed breadfruit- that must be bought, the town itself, and the drive back can be a day long trip. We, on the other hand, decided to make it three days and two nights. And wisely so. After hearing stories and reading about the constant turns and downhills maneuvers on the Hana highway coupled with the fact that just the thought of all the curves is designed to give me notion sickness, I know we made a wise decision.

Hana Highway along east Maui.

We arrived in Kahului after four activity packed days on Oahu: kayaking, touring the LOST sights, snorkeling, touring the north coast. So by this time, we were ready for the laid back scene that is most of Maui. Kahului is a small port city and an airport town; consequently it is very commercialized and there aren't many good beaches, although some are within driving distance. This is not to say that I would overlook the town. In fact, I am always srtuck at the view of the West Maui mountains from here, its grandeur and yet its peacefulness. This time, however, Kahului served as our first pit stop before Hana. We'd have dinner and spend the night there, awaking refreshed and ready for the long drive ahead.

We started our drive the following morning after stopping for coffee at Maui Coffee Roasters, touted as the best coffee in west Maui, and I will have to agree. As with my previous trips to the islands, I relied on Maui Revealed, part of a series of guide books by Andrew Doughty which has now become my holy grail for everything Hawaii. His Maui edition has indepth descriptions of every must-see spot along the way, and those which can be overlooked. Since the highway sits between the edge of the mountain and the ocean, many of these sites include gorgeous waterfalls and gulches. And it wasn't long until we reached the first of the must-sees: Lower Puohokamoa Falls. If you don't know where to stop you'd probably pass the access point: nothing more than a small dirt pullout on the left side of the road, followed by a barded wire face, a short, very precarious trail, and you're at the viewing point directly across from the falls. This one was breathtaking, not because it was the first waterfall we encountered but its one hundred plus drop into the river below is simply majestic.... and frightening. It set the tone for the many other waterfalls we would see as we continued. Some even more majestic, some not as lofty but charming nonetheless.

Just when it seemed that the highway followed a distinct sequence - road, ocean view, tropical forest, waterfall, road, ocean view, forest, waterfall- we came upon the exit for Ke'anae, the quaint coastal town which, in 1946, was almost destroyed by a tsunami. The exit leads directly to Aunty Sandy's Banana Bread stand, in my opinion the best banana bread from Kahului all the way to Hana. (Yes, I tried them all; there was just no other way to make an informed opinion.) Their bread is made fresh, right then and there. Aunty Sandy somehow coincides her baking with each onslaught of visitors because the bread is still warm when you buy it. Having had our fill of warm banana bread and coconut candy, we drove past the stand and into the village itself. The further in you get, the magnitude of the unspoilt coastline begins to emerge. This is a prime example of what the islands looked like thousands of years ago, when hot lava met the ocean.

The sign in front of Aunty Sandy's Banana Bread stand.

Black Sand Beach at Wainapanapa State Park.

Back on the highway, it took us a little over an hour to finally get to Hana. Beautiful, mysterious, heavenly Hana. Never had I envisioned such a place existed in the United States. Most striking to me was the silence. No matter where we were, all we could here was either the ocean waves or the sound of the wind, and it's easy to understand why. With the exception of a general store which closes at seven pm, the two main hotels, a single gas station, and couple restaurants , commerce is almost nonexistent. And I am sure the prospect of the long drive from the main tourist center (central and west of the island) unofficially regulates the number of visitors there at any one time.

In spite of its remoteness, there is a lot to see and do in Hana. The famous Honokalani Black Sand Beach, picture-postcard-gorgeous Ohea Gulch, and family friendly Hana Bay. Then there is a visit to Ono Organic Farms, one of the highlights of the entire trip for me. Ono is hawaiian for delicious and everything is ono on this farm. From the welcoming cup of coffee to the very last piece of fruit. For thirty five dollars per person, owner Lily Boerner takes you on a tour through her tropical fruit tree paradise. Being an island girl myself, and having grown up on a similar style estate, this was like revisiting my childhood. Guavas, papayas, caimito (what I knew as caimet), soursop, passion fruit. I also had the opportunity to try news ones such as cheromoya, sweet passionfruit and a couple different varieties of bananas. As if that weren't enough, the farm sells organic coffee beans, jams, jellies, and spice rubs.

Standing in Oheo Gulch.

Fresh organic fruit from Ono Organic Farm. Clockwise from top right: papaya, lychee, guava, caimito, and pineapple.

Lily Boerner, owner of Ono Organic Farms, cutting into caimito and soursop.

For me, Hana was more than just another tourist attraction in Maui. It was a sanctuary, the ultimate hidden paradise. From its breathtaking natural formations, to its solitude, to the soothing sounds all around, to its fresh organic foods. It was a place where nothing else but the person you're with, and the moment you're in, mattered because everything else seems to be taken care of.