Thanks to you, we nearly sold out completely during the holiday season (a problem our little company is grateful to have). And with a new year come fresh crops and new coffees. We have some delicious Ka'u coffees lined up for 2014. Some just need a little more "maturing" before hitting the shelves while others we are busily developing roast recipes for.
Ka'u Honeyed Typica
Similar to our popular Honeyed Yellow Caturra (which earned placement in Coffee Review's Top 30 Coffees of 2013 ), this Ka'u coffee is carefully dried with the sticky-sweet fruit pulp adhering to the surface. The residual fructose gently infuses into the green bean and changes the porosity of the surface, which means this honeyed Ka'u coffee must be roasted entirely differently from the others.
Tasting notes: Intoxicating aromas of hazelnut and caramel integrate with flavors of nectarine and jasmine. Very syrupy mouth feel and sugary-sweetness lingers on the lips.
Ka'u Morning Glory - new lot
When we first met Jeffery (the farmer), we were standing in a shed filled with parchment, chicken feathers, and heavily accented Filipino farmers urging us to buy their coffee. Jeffery, the quiet, middle-aged farmer in the back, said nothing. We gratefully bought a bag from each producer, then roasted and diligently cupped them all. This time Jeffery's stood out. His crop was clean, deep and full, with character of brazil nut, chocolate malt, and maple.
Because of the language barrier our first meeting with Jeffery was a bit rough: a series of gesticulations, charades, and numbers scribbled on paper. But now, 2 years later, we've decoded the charades and much of our communication is based on trust and reliability. Our relationship continues to improve, along with the fantastic coffee.
Tasting Notes: We're quite excited about the new lot. And we've adjusted the roast profiles to show off the candy-like flavors : caramel, marshmallow, nougat with a vanilla-orange-like character. At a dark roast, add chocolate to that.
Page 1 : Ka'u Coffee
Page 2 : Puna Coffee