Growing and Processing Coffee

Coffee trees could take as much as five years to mature. The older the trees are, the better the produce. These trees produce beans with a richer flavor. At spring, these trees bloom together and cover the ground with fragrant blooms as white as coffee is black. From this time onwards, a team of skilled workers tend meticulously to each tree. They prune, water and manage soil content, pest control and exposure to sunlight of each branch loaded with buds. Each plant receives ardent personal attention and grooming during the growing period and the cherries and beans receive nothing less.

Harvesting

Kona Coffee berries start to ripen in the late summer. Each berry turns deep rich red, signifying that it is ready to be harvested. Teams of workers spend days checking each berry as they ripen at varying paces. When all of them are at the peak of their ripeness, these berries are harvested altogether. Each tree will produce only one pound of coffee annually!

Processing

Up to its processing stage, each berry receives equally individual attention. All of their red outer skins are removed in a process called Pulping, the key step in this process. This reveals the precious beans behind the covering. There are usually two beans contained in every berry. However, there are berries that contain only one round seed. These are what we call Pea Berries. These lone seeds are more flavorful, as they have received more nutrients from the mother plants. They are separated from the other beans to be sold separately in the market as command a higher price.

After Pulping, the berries are placed in a shallow pan of water to differentiate the mature beans from those that are not ripe enough, or empty. Mature beans usually sink, while those that do not comply float on water. These are what we call floaters.

All the good seeds are then dried under the sun. They are raked and turned several times until a stiff white skin called the parchment appears. Milling removes this parchment to produce a small harvest of highly cultured pearls, green beans of exceptional quality and character.

Sorting and Grading

The Kona Coffee Council and Hawaii's Department of Agriculture have developed strict certification standards that must be applied to every bean. This is to ensure your satisfaction as our customers, and to protect the integrity of Kona Coffee.

Beans are separated into different categories before they can be sold. After milling, beans are graded according to its size into one of the following categories: Extra Fancy, Fancy, #1, Prime, and X. This process demands workers with enormous skill, patience and experience, the likes of which, Talia Ranch can provide.

Roasting

Before it is roasted, you will not get the slightest idea as to what these green coffee beans are meant to be. But when the flames start licking them, the exhilarating aroma unique to Kona Coffee beans fills the air.

This is due to the complex chemical changes that happen inside the bean. Soluble oils are developed, while the beans expand and lose weight as well as moisture. This is when the beans acquire their rich brown color and distinct taste as the sugars they have caramelize. Heat triggers the release of caffeine gasses. The longer the beans are roasted, the more caffeine they lose. Now you know that light roast coffees will help you fight off sleep more than their dark roast counterparts. The ideal roasting time can vary depending on each individual variety of beans.