Happy New Year

So it happens again. Another year has flown by, another coffee season ends. All the best wishes to you in the coming year!

Coffee season may be over, but we're not done yet. The next step is pruning each tree by hand. The coffee tree will grow to upwards of 30 feet if we let it. Hard to pick at that height, so we keep them pruned back to about 9 feet. That means every year we go through each tree and cut off all fourth-year branches. We also trim off most of the new growth, leaving only 2 new shoots. Once we finish pruning (about May), each tree will have between 6-8 vertical branches left of staggered ages.

Right now, after a year of growth, the tree are bushy and big. After their "haircuts", they'll be slimmed down and ready to flower. Pruning the trees forces them to put their energy into reproducing (growing fruit) rather than growing wood. Somehow that's an appropriate metaphor for this New Years Eve. It's time to pull back, refocus, and prepare for the coming season.

Aloha!

Mele Kalikimaka!!

Oh my, it is finally here! Christmas! I celebrate the season for so many reasons. The coffee harvest is winding down. The retail orders have all been shipped. and it is a chance to sit still and relax. I treasure it, simply because it marks a shift to a slower season, and one where I can appreciate all the blessings in my life.

This year, we chose not to give gifts, a refreshing change from the commercialism that has become the Holiday season. We all have more stuff than we need, when what we really needed was just to be together as a family. So we cooked, ate, laughed and enjoyed each other. My brother Bill was over from the Mainland in addition to my parents and grandparents. it's always raucous with him in the mix.

The ancient Hawaiians celebrated this time as Makahiki. Once the constellation Pleiades began to appear in the Fall sky, the harvest was completed. Intertribal wars and hostilities were suspended. Feasts and sporting contests were planned. Makahiki was a time of play and enjoyment. It typically lasted around four months. Oh, wouldn't it be nice if we could all have a four month break!

Traditional blessing: As it has been through time, may this season of Makahiki be a time of new growth and rejuvenation for you physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually

Merry Christmas.

In the air

Coffee season smells like a fruity wine. All over Kona, the tart scent of fermenting beans, composting coffee pulp and roasting coffee mingle together aromatically. I catch the smells as I drive down the road. I'm overwhelmed by them on my farm. It has a certain romance to it, like a bottle of just-uncorked wine.

Today I roasted about 30 pounds of coffee. I'll do that every couple of days between now and Christmas, as the Holiday rush is on. Roasting coffee is my favorite part of the job, and one of the few I can actually sit down to accomplish. As the green beans transition through the roast, the smells range from grassy to popcorn-y, to a roasted nutty to a carmelly toast. When the medium roast comes out, I get a berry undertone with chestnut overtone. With a dark roast, it's carmel and vanilla. These fade quickly as the coffee cools, but I can still catch a hint of them on the first grind. yum.

Coffee has approximately 1600 flavor compounds in it, giving a mind-boggling number of possibilities across the palate and nose. And of course, flavors range wildly between regions such as Guatamala and Kenya. But also within regions even as small as Kona (2300 acres). My friend of 36 years(!!), Melanie has a farm right up the hill from me. We've cupped our coffees several times and it's always fun to note the differences. Subtle, yet distinct. In a typical 10-cup Mr Coffee you probably wouldn't even notice the difference. But in a cupping, it shows up.

Try it with your next morning cup. Put down the briefcase for a minute. Stop rushing out the door. Take a deep inhale and ponder the flavors that show up. Then a small sip. Treat it like wine. Enjoy!