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JAMM AQUINO / NOV. 6
Amid a growing interest in coffee, Honolulu Coffee Experience Center opened in the fall, complete with a mini coffee museum, in-house roaster and lead barista who develops their brews on site.
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Coffee geeks rejoiced last year as a wave of new cafes introduced new brewing techniques and beans from boutique coffee roasters. Honolulu Coffee Co. opened a new 9,000-square-foot Experience Center; Brue Bar now has four locations; The Curb, three; and this year Kai Coffee will open a second cafe.
“The (coffee) geekiness is spreading,” said Shawn Steiman, a coffee consultant and co-owner of Daylight Mind Coffee Co. in Kona.
On the agricultural side, coffee acreage continues to increase, and more farmers are experimenting with varieties beyond the Kona typica, such as Maui Mokka and Yellow Caturra.
“Farmers are going to increasingly explore ‘nontraditional’ Hawaiian varieties,” said Steiman. “This is perhaps the most exciting thing going on here. (And) the idea that Kona should have a single taste profile is hardly mentioned anymore.”
Rusty’s Hawaiian, a farm in Kau, offers a Red Bourbon; Big Island Coffee Roasters in Puna receives raves for its Yellow Caturra; and MauiGrown Coffee in Kaanapali sells the Maui Mokka, a tiny, round bean it calls the “Champagne of coffee.”
All of that means more locally grown options in stores, cafes and restaurants, and new flavor profiles in your morning cup.
Each week in January in the food section, we’re profiling a food projected to trend on the isle scene this year. The installments come courtesy of food writer Martha Cheng.