The Americas origin, so to speak, is very rich, well-known origin such as Brazil, Colombia, Panama has already been highlighted. Some of the other origins are too cold, and some are not very large in volume. Therefore I will combine them and introduce each origin systematically. The core purpose is still to tell you the difference between the various origins when buying beans and what kind of information you should pay attention to.
This article will systematically introduce the very special 2 origins: Jamaica and Hawaii.
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation in the Caribbean, covering 10.99 million square kilometers, and the third largest island in the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean Sea. Jamaica is located approximately 145 kilometers south of Cuba and 191 kilometers west of Hispaniola.
There are also a number of small islands off the southern coast of Jamaica. The shallow sea is dotted with coral reefs. By topography, the country of Jamaica can be divided into three regions: the eastern mountains, the central valleys, and the highlands and coastal plains. The Blue Mountains are the highest part of Jamaica. Jamaica has a tropical rainforest climate, with annual precipitation on windward slopes generally ranging from 1,800 to 2,000 mm; the average year-round temperature is about 27°C.
History of coffee development
Folklore has it that in 1723, King Louis XV sent three coffee plants to his colony of Martinique. Two of the plants died on the way, and the third was eventually brought to Jamaica by Governor Sir Nicholas Lawes in 1728. This is how the history of the island began. Previously, Sir Lawes had experimented with various crops and later planted coffee trees in the St Andrew area. Initially coffee production was quite limited, but by 1752, Jamaica had exported 27 tons of coffee.
Coffee production began to soar in the late 18th century and coffee growing areas spread from St Andrew to the Blue Mountains. 1800 saw 686 coffee plantations in the territory and in 1814 coffee production reached 15,000 tons per year.
After that, the boom began to subside and the coffee industry slowed down; one of the main reasons was the lack of manpower. Slavery was abolished in 1807, but the emancipation of slaves was not really implemented. Although attempts were made to recruit former slaves into paid labor, the coffee industry was still unable to compete with other industries. Combined with poor soil management and the loss of British trade concessions to the colonies, the coffee industry declined rapidly. By the 1850s, there were only 180 plantations left in the territory and production had shrunk to 1,500 tons.
Since then, the industry has experienced several ups and downs, with some farmers abandoning coffee in favor of other crops. To save the coffee industry, legislation was passed in 1891 to send qualified instructors to some areas to provide instruction in planting and coffee handling. Efforts were made to improve coffee production and a central coffee working establishment was established for processing and grading. However, this effort to improve quality was not very successful. It was unacceptable to the Canadian market until 1943, when Canada was the largest buyer of Jamaican coffee. in 1944, the government established a central coffee clearing house where all coffee exported had to be sent to the clearing house where it was processed and graded.
The Jamaica Coffee Industry Board (JCIB) was established in 1950 with the mandate to improve, control and maintain the quality and reputation of Jamaican coffee. jCIB was recently merged with other Jamaican commodity statutory bodies in 2018 to form JACRA (Jamaica Agricultural Corporation).
Since then, the reputation of coffees from the Blue Mountains region has grown and has since been recognized as one of the world’s finest coffees. Jamaica’s coffees are mostly pure, sweet and mild, but lack the complexity and uniqueness that one would expect from a fine coffee.
Coffee cultivation
In fact, Blue Mountain coffee, before the CURLY variety was completely tapped, could be considered the highest value coffee at the time. Although it is only the Tippecka variety, the geographical environment of Jamaica has created a completely different taste.
Coffee trees are grown here using mixed cropping methods, usually intercropped with banana and avocado trees. A number of small estates also grow Blue Mountain coffee, and some of the better known brands include Wallenford Estate, Silver Hill Estate and J. Martinez’s Atlanta Estate.
Even the largest estate owners in this region are small-scale growers by international standards, and many of them are small landowners whose families have been laboring on the land for two centuries.
Authentic Blue Mountain coffee has flavors of tropical fruit, cream, dark chocolate, and cocoa. It is still very clean and smooth with a very full-bodied touch.
The average Blue Mountain coffee is roasted at a medium to medium-dark roast, but when you taste it, you can’t imagine that this is the taste that a deep roast can have.
At the Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Day event on January 9, 2022, Jamaica’s Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Pearnel Charrles Jr, said that production has declined in recent years.
Coffee growing areas
Not all coffee produced anywhere can be called “Blue Mountain Coffee”, according to Jamaica’s Coffee Industry Regulatory Act, which defines which coffee growing regions can use the “Blue Mountain” label. In addition, it restricts the use of the “Blue Mountain” trademark to those authorized by JACRA.
The four authorized zones, St. Thomas, St. Mary, St. Andrew and Portland, are the four legal appellations for Blue Mountain coffee, and only coffee beans produced at specific altitudes in these four zones are Blue Mountain coffee.
Therefore, Blue Mountain coffee has also been strictly classified into three categories.
Blue Mountain Coffee (Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee).
According to the CIB standard, only coffee grown at an altitude of 666 meters above sea level is called Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. The Blue Mountain Coffee and the Alpine Coffee are each divided into four grades. From high to low in terms of quality: NO.1, NO.2, NO.3 and PB, PB is round beans (Peaberry).
Blue Mountain coffee is mainly distributed in five mountainous areas of the Blue Mountain Range, including John Crow, St. John’s Peak, Mossman’s Peak, High Peak, and Blue Mountian Peak.
High Mountain Coffee (Jamaica High Mountain Supreme Coffee Beans)
The coffee produced below 666 meters in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica is called High Mountain Coffee, and is also the second highest quality coffee after Blue Mountain Coffee, and is called the sibling of Blue Mountain Coffee by the industry.
Jamaica Prime Coffee Beans
Coffee grown outside the Blue Mountains is called Jamaica Prime Coffee.
Processing method
Blue Mountain coffee is grown exclusively in Tippika. Since the flavor performance of the Tippecka variety is more prominent the higher the altitude in which it is grown, coupled with the fact that the Tippecka variety is poorly resistant to disease and prone to death, which greatly affects the yield, it requires more labor to take good care of it. Furthermore, the uneven terrain of the Blue Mountains makes management and picking very difficult, thus requiring a high level of proficiency from the pickers.
For raw bean processing, Jamaica uses the traditional water wash, a step that removes defective beans from all stages of the process, resulting in a cleaner and brighter flavor profile.
The high-quality Blue Mountain coffee is hand-picked, only the full red and freshly ripened coffee berries are picked and put into the water to pick out any floating blemishes, then the skin and pulp are removed and allowed to ferment in the pool for 12-18 hours. The beans are then dewatered and dried in the sun until they reach a moisture content of 12 – 14% and are ready to be packed. A washed Blue Mountain coffee has a clear and clean flavor without too many hints, and the balance of flavors is just right.
The packaging of Blue Mountain coffee should be more or less familiar to everyone. Unlike other origins that commonly use sacks for their beans, a special feature of Blue Mountain coffee is that it is packaged in oak barrels. And CIB will put the certification mark on the barrel, very characteristic.
The coffee barrels in Jamaica are divided into three standards: 70kg, 30kg and 15kg.
The drums are sealed and have a unique number printed on the document, including the very important certificate of origin. In addition, the registered exporter’s and official importer’s shipment marks are printed on each shipment of barrels.
The barrels were used because flour shipped from England to Jamaica during the British colonial period in the mid-1800s was shipped in barrels. The empty barrels were recycled and used to transport coffee and rum. The barrels used today are wood from temperate forests in the U.S. The advantage of the barrels is that they absorb and release internal and external humidity without too much change, which can mitigate sudden temperature changes during transport. Another barrel seal isolates the coffee aroma and can maintain the best coffee quality, but the additional cost will be higher.
Coffee Organization
The Jamaica Coffee Industry Board (The Jamaica Coffee Industry Board), or CIB for short.
The primary role of the Coffee Industry Council is to promote, regulate, monitor and guide the development of the Jamaican coffee industry and to ensure the quality of Jamaican coffee. The specific functions consist of three.
Licensing: licensing and supervision of coffee distributors, processors, factories, nurseries; licensing of trademark registration and user supervision. The Coffee Industry Council owns the trademarks of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee and Jamaica Alpine Coffee and is responsible for the integrity of the brands.
Certification process: Determination of quality standards, acreage and designation of specific varieties. Sample testing of all raw coffee beans in custody and processing of all export documentation.
Advisory services: monitoring and forecasting crop conditions, providing technical advice to farmers on planting, pre- and post-harvest techniques, pest and disease control and environmental management.
USA: Hawaii
The state of Hawaii is made up of 19 major islands and cays located in the central Pacific Ocean. According to official state statistics, there are 137 islands, including all of the offshore islets and the individual islets surrounding each reef. Seven islands are inhabited between Niihau and the southernmost island of Hawaii (i.e., Hawaii Island), and the entire island chain extends 1,600 kilometers northwest from Niihau. All of the islands were originally formed by volcanic activity. Currently, only Hawaii Island is volcanically active.
Towns in Hawaii include Honolulu on Oahu, Hilo and Kona on the Big Island, Līhue on Kauai, and Kahului on Maui.
History of Coffee Development
Hawaii can be considered the only coffee producing area in the developed world. It was also an ‘expensive’ coffee second only to Blue Mountain coffee before the CURLY summer variety was discovered. However, I personally believe that its value does not match the actual experience.
Coffee was first introduced to the Kona region in 1828 by Reverend Samuel Ruggles from cuttings in Brazil. English businessman Henry Nicholas Greenwell moved to the area and established Kona coffee as a recognized brand later in the 19th century.
Coffee was first grown in 1813 by Spanish physician Don Paulo Marin at his home in Honolulu, but the crops never fully matured. More than a decade later, in 1826, agronomist John Wilkinson planted a Brazilian variant of coffee in Oahu’s Mānoa Valley, on the estate of High Chief Boki, the Royal Governor of Oahu.
Reverend Samuel Ruggles was the first known grower of coffee in Kona, Hawaii Island, using coffee seeds taken from Governor Boki’s estate in Mānoa, and they grew well in their new environment. By 1841, several coffee plantations and farms had been established in the Kona area. The Greenwell Farm was the largest of these, and opened for business in the late 1860s. Its owner, Henry Nicholas Greenwell, played a key role in introducing coffee to the European market.
In 1892, Herman Widemann introduced Tippika from Guatemala. And it soon became the main coffee tree species grown on the island of Hawaii.
By this time Kona coffee cultivation was booming, with many coffee farms and plantations planting 3 million coffee trees on 2,428 hectares of land. The first coffee factory in Hawaii was built by John Gaspar Machado near Kealakekua Bay, and with the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the price of Kona coffee skyrocketed due to massive purchases by the U.S. military.
The stock of Kona coffee has been on the rise. There are over 650 farms, ranging from small independent establishments producing small batches of premium Kona coffee to larger suppliers such as Greenville Farms (family owned and operated). While coffee production has expanded beyond the islands of Hawaii, 95% of the state’s coffee production still comes from the Big Island.
In 1940 World War II caused the price of Kona coffee to begin to rise again. The high demand for coffee at this time led the U.S. government to cap the price of coffee in the U.S., including the Kona coffee region (although Hawaii did not officially become a state until 1959).
After the end of World War II, prices for Kona coffee remained relatively high and continued to rise steadily even as prices occasionally declined. a frost event in South America in the 1950s caused prices to soar again, and Hawaiian coffee production reached a new high of 8,165 tons in 1957.
Today, there are approximately 650 farms growing coffee in the Kona area. The typical size of a Kona coffee farm is 1.2 hectares. Kona coffee accounts for approximately 95% of the coffee produced on the island. Approximately 573 hectares of land are used for Kona coffee cultivation, producing about 1,724 tons per year, worth about $14 million.
Coffee cultivation
Hawaii is an archipelago of several islands, and the large islands where coffee is grown include Hawai’i island, Kuai, Maui, Molokai, and Oahu. The Kona area of Hawaii Island is so productive that it is also known as the Kona Coffee Belt.
Hawaii Island
Kona (Kona)
The Kona Belt refers to the territorial area on the west coast of the Big Island where Kona coffee is cultivated and harvested. The Kona Coffee Belt is about 48.2 kilometers long and 1.6 kilometers wide, at an elevation of about 152 – 914 meters, and grows along the cool, fertile western slopes of Mount Mauna Loa and the Hualalai Volcano.
The volcanic soil is full of essential minerals that enhance the quality of Kona trees. In addition to this, the Kona coffee belt has a perfect climate with plenty of sunshine, but temperatures tend to be mild, hovering around 21°C.
Generally speaking, most of the Arabica species coffee trees are planted at high altitudes. Higher altitudes usually produce coffee with a warm and smooth taste and excellent quality.
Relatively speaking, the area around Kailua Kona is at a lower altitude than the other major coffee producing countries, but it makes up for some of the difference by being located further north of the equator than the other origins. The Kona coffee belt also receives a lot of rain, which is beneficial to any plant.
KA’U
The KA’U coffee farm consists of about 200 hectares of smallholder farmers growing several varieties.
The growing conditions for KA’U coffee are ideal. Soil, climate, varietal and processing methods combine with the hard work of KA’U coffee growers to produce the perfect Hawaiian coffee. KA’U is now a select coffee in the Starbucks Reserve Program and can be found in the best roasters and coffee shops around the world.
puna
Puna is the wettest region on Hawaii Island, with an average annual rainfall of 3800 – 5500 mm. In the mid 1990s, farmers began growing coffee again, primarily on 2 hectares of land in the Hawaiian Acres agricultural subdivision. However, small, independent farms are scattered in areas at altitudes of 90 – 790 meters. To date, there are about 50 hectares under cultivation in Puna, mostly Typica, Caturra and Catuai; but there are also small amounts of Mokka and Bourbon cultivation. The total coffee production in Puna is approximately 22.680 tons of coffee cherries per year.
Although small and new to the Hawaiian coffee scene, Puna coffee has proven its excellent cupping quality by placing at the top of the HCA’s annual statewide cupping competition, even taking first place in 2013.
Kuai (Kauai)
The first large-scale cultivation on Kauai began in 1987. But coffee was first grown commercially in Kauai’s Hanalei Valley in 1842. The coffee varieties here are all Arabica: Catuai (yellow/red), Blue Mountain, Mundo Novo, and Typica.
Most of the coffee grown on Kauai is processed in a honey-treated manner. Farms are typically 4 – 1215 hectares in size and process approximately 1360 tons of raw coffee beans per year.
The smaller farms are hand-picked and the largest farms are mechanically harvested using a modified blueberry harvester. This area produces more than half of all coffee in Hawaii.
Maui (Island of Maui)
Maui’s total coffee production is nearly 243 hectares, of which 203 hectares are in large commercial production and about 40 hectares are small, independent farms that are picked and processed by hand. Maui coffee is known for its excellent quality and unique diversity. In the HCA’s annual statewide coffee tasting competition, Maui’s coffee is consistently ranked as one of the best in Hawaii.
Due to the diversity of the product, it is difficult to give an accurate description of Maui coffee. Maui coffee farmers grow many different varieties, including Typica, Catuai, Caturra, Bourbon and Mokka, and in the different microclimates of the Haleakala slopes and West Maui Mountains, many farmers also experiment with different processing techniques, such as wet planing, semi-washing, honey treatment and solarization. These creative processing techniques have added many different flavors to different varieties and have put Maui farmers at the forefront of innovative developments in Hawaiian coffee.
The Maui coffee industry continues to grow and develop through the many efforts of the Maui Coffee Association, which unites all aspects of the industry on the island and improves education and awareness of the Maui coffee industry.
Molokai (Moloka’i)
Moloka’i is located between the lively islands of Oahu and Maui. This small island of 7,500 inhabitants has a 57 hectare plantation. It is the only source of Moloka’i coffee.
Catuai (red) is grown on the island of Moloka’i. This coffee was selected in the mid-1980s for its exceptional quality and compatibility with local growing conditions. These Arabica coffee trees are rooted in the red soil of the central island.
Kualapu’u is the traditional name for the area, or “sweet potato hill. Sweet potatoes (uala) are a staple of Hawaiian culture and are grown almost everywhere the land is too dry to support taro (kalo). As the name implies, this land was fertile agricultural country long, long ago.
The plantation is located in the town of Kualapu’u on the Farrington Highway.
Oahu (Island of Oahu)
Dole Food Company grows 73 hectares of coffee on Oahu. Most of these coffees are planted between the towns of Waialua and Wahiawa.
The altitude of the coffee plantation is about 213 meters above sea level and the plantation is surrounded by the Koolau and Waianae Mountains, located under the Kaala Mountain. The annual rainfall is about 508 mm and the average temperature is 26°C.
The majority of the coffee grown here is Typica, which is hand-picked and the coffee cherries are processed by the water-washing method.
Coffee Species
Kona coffee can be understood as a brand name for coffee that is produced in the Kona area and meets the local grading requirements. There are actually many different varieties grown in the different islands of Hawaii.
Typica
Currently Typica, is divided into three main sources.
Typica, which originated in Brazil and is still grown in some places, is called “Old Hawaiian”.
The other is Typica, which was introduced from Guatemala and is now grown in more than 90% of the Kona area.
Finally, Typica from the Blue Mountains of Jamaica is also grown in a few areas of Kona.
Caturra
Red and yellow Caturra is the second most common variety. It is found in Ka’ū, Puna, Hilo, and Maui.
Katuai (Catuai)
Catuai is grown in the Moloka’i, Maui, Kaua’i, Ka’ū, and Puna regions.
Bourbon
Red, yellow, and pink bourbon are common varieties that are common but very rare throughout the island. It is commonly grown on Hawai’i Island, Maui, and O’ahu.
Maragogype
A natural variant of Typica found in 1870 near the Brazilian city of Maragogipe. The mutation results in exceptionally large beans, internode spacing and leaves, and is caused by a single dominant gene.
Maragogipe is one of the parents of the Pacamara variety and a related variety called Maracaturra.
It is generally found in limited cultivation in small farms in Kona, Ka’ū, Puna, and Maui.
Genuine pure Kona coffee is marked with the words 100% Kona Coffee and the corresponding grade on the package.
There is also a “Kona blend” which is also known as blended coffee. These are blends that use a certain percentage of Kona coffee and add coffee beans from other origins for sale.
Coffee Organizations
Hawai’i Coffee Association (HCA)
The Hawaii Coffee Association primarily represents coffee growers, processors, retailers and service providers to provide a forum for education, communication and the pursuit of common goals for the continued profitability of the entire Hawaiian coffee industry.
Kona Coffee Cultural Festival (KCCF)
The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is a signature festival supported by the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) and made possible with the support of UCC Upland Island Coffee Company, LLC, Kamehameha Schools, Alaska Airlines, Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union, KTA Superstore, and numerous other corporate and community donors.