Other Ka’u coffee farms do well at SCAA expo

Anaheim, California

The top honor at the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s Roasters Guild international cupping competition has been awarded to a Ka’u coffee farm.

Rising Sun Farm of Ka’u earned the 2010 Coffee of the Year award in the Hawaii-USA category at the prestigious cupping competition at the SCAA’s 22nd annual expo.

William Tabios of Rising Sun Ka'u Coffee

According to a press release generated by those involved with the upcoming Ka’u Coffee Festival:

This marks the fourth consecutive year Ka’u coffees have earned international acclaim in the prestigious competition and the second time Rising Sun has earned a top spot. Competing against 134 exceptional coffees assembled from such legendary coffee origins as Columbia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru, the Rising Sun earned an impressive 87.563 score. After an initial vetting round, the 134 entries were winnowed down to 74 coffees scoring 84 or better. Ten of the 74 finalists were chosen from Hawaii and were among 18 entries collected from across the state. Six of the 10 Hawaiian finalists are from Ka’u farms.

The seven-acre farm, operated by Will & Grace Tabios of Na’alehu is located at 1900-foot elevation on lands mauka (upland) of the town of Pahala where the family cultivates Guatemalan Typica and Bourbon varietals. Will & Grace’s winning coffee was produced by the labor-intensive “pulped natural” method which produces pleasantly sweet, bright, citrus and floral flavors. The steady evolution of Ka’u’s coffee quality has been influenced in part by consultant Miguel Meza.

Among other fine Ka’u coffees whose final scores were 84 or better are Castaneda Coffee Farm (85.35), R&G Farms (84.9), and Rusty’s Hawaiian (84.75). Other Ka’u farmers who entered the competition and are on hand to promote Ka’u coffees are Efren Abellera of Kehua’s Coffee Farm, and “Bull” Kailiawa. Kailiawa Coffee Farm scored an impressive 7th in the 2009 Coffee of the Year competition. These entries into the SCAA competition are sponsored by Ka’u Farm and Ranch Company, LLC, the management entity of the lands on which the award-winning Ka’u coffee farms are located.

The award announcement comes as Pahala prepares to host the second annual Ka’u Coffee Festival on May 1-2, where enthusiasts can join industry professionals for tasting, entertainment and education.

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