Ka'u Coffee Places Top 10 Worldwide Yet Again, SCAA 2013

After placing in the top ten in the Roasters Guild competition, Miguel Meza and Joan Obra get the
interview by a German television crew who recently filmed Ka`u Coffee farms. Photo by Julia Neal

Ka'u Coffee roasters who returned victoriously from Boston this Monday with two awards, showing regional excellence for Ka'u Coffee, will offer free coffee tastings at the Ka'u Coffee Festival Ho'olaule'a from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pahala Community Center on Saturday, May 4. Both Rusty’s Hawaiian 100 Percent Ka'u Coffee and Ka'u Coffee Mill placed in the top ten worldwide in the coveted Roasters Choice awards for 2013. The competition is sponsored by the Roasters Guild, which is the trade guild of the Specialty Coffee Association of America. The SCAA considers itself the world’s coffee knowledge leader and largest coffee trade association. The competition was held at the Boston Convention Center last weekend.

Rusty's Hawaiian representatives in Boston,
 Joan Obra and Miguel Meza.
Photo by Julia Neal

The top 10 coffees were showcased with two mornings of tasting at the Brew Bar in the convention center on Saturday and Sunday. Winning coffees were three from Colombia, two from Ka'u and one each from El Salvador, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Ecuador.

The tasting notes described Rusty’s Hawaiian as having “crisp acidity, sweet, bright, fruit flavor. This gives a caramel and molasses note that is a very clean cup.” According to the roast philosophy, “We prefer to roast lighter to maximize the sweetness and aroma of the coffee.” Rusty's Hawaiian is a multiple SCAA top 10 award winner.

Ka'u Coffee Mill team at Boston from left:
Ka'u Coffee Mill founder Edmund C. Olson,
coffee grower Sammie Stanbro,
Ka'u Coffee Mill general manager John Cross,
chief roaster Kalikoweo Keolanui-Daniele,
harvest manager Lou Daniele,
The Ka'u Calendar publisher Julia Neal
and interns William Neal and Lee Neal.
Front and center is multiple SCAA Coffees of the Year
 top 10 worldwide winner Bull Kailiawa.

Chief roaster Kalikoweo Keolanui -Daniele represented Ka'u Coffee Mill at the event and said the top 10 entry was a collaboration with chief roaster Lee Segawa. Daniele said the win confirms that Ka'u has incredible coffee and that the mill, which was built by Edmund C. Olson to help farmers save time and distance for processing their coffee, is also gaining a reputation as a fine roaster.

The tasting notes for the competition described the Ka'u Coffee Mill entry as coming from typica beans. The notes call it "rich in flavor with piquant acidity and intriguing hints of sweetness and spice. Citrus and jasmine aroma. Fresh butter undertones, hints of lime, currant, bergamot and a long spiced finish.” The roast philosophy reported by Ka'u Coffee Mill is: “Delicate Hawaiian coffees are required to be lightly roasted to enhance their exquisite taste profiles. Therefore, our preference is to roast at the lower end of the roast spectrum to ensure our customers taste our crop in each cup!”

Rusy's Hawaiian rep. Ralph Gaston, The Ka'u Calendar
publisher Julia Neal, Ashley Manfredi, and
Ka'u Coffee Festival Committee Chair and Ka'u Farm
Bureau President Chris Manfredi. 

Also attending the SCAA convention for the fourth year was Bull Kailiawa. His coffee is a multiple winner of SCAA awards.

Also in attendance was the Ka'u Coffee Festival Committee Chair Chris Manfredi, Ka'u Farm Bureau president and land manager for property where Rusty's Hawaiian and many other Ka'u Coffees are grown. Manfredi is the person who first encouraged Ka'u Coffee growers to submit their coffees to the SCAA competition more than five years ago.

Pete Licata with Lorie Obra, of Rusty's
Hawaiian Coffee, at Ka'u Coffee Festival.
Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

Pete Licata, who spends time in Ka'u and chose Rusty’s Hawaiian Coffee for previous competitions around the world, took first place in the 2013 United States Barista Championship held over the weekend in Boston. Competitors showed off their skills in making four espressos, four cappuccinos and four original signature drinks of their own creation – all within 15 minutes. Licata will represent the U.S. at the World Barista Championship in Melbourne, Australia May 23 – 26. Licata won the U.S. Barista’s Championship in 2011 with Rusty’s Hawaiian and was accompanied by Miguel Meza, of Rusty’s Hawaiian, for the world championships in Bogota, Colombia. Licata has also led the Ka'u Coffee Experience at the annual Ka'u Coffee Festival.