Aloha to you all!
This is Hasan (with Hussain) speaking to you about our super fun and interesting trip to the big island of Hawaii. Of course, you know the main reason we had to come to this American state is because it’s the only place in the world where they grow and process the very special, famous Kona Coffee. This area is right next to the ocean. Because there are many tourists who come to the plantations, they are very easy to get to by regular cars.
All of the more than 10 different plantations and a few Kona shops and museums are lined up along the central west coast of Hawaii. Most of the plantation companies give regular public tours right into their fields and main processing plant. It was a beautiful sunny day when my brother and I visited the fields of tall bushy Kona plants. The workers must hand pick 4-5 bags each of these red coffee cherries per day to make a living. Next, they pour the fruit into a water pass so the good fruits sinks, and the bad are skimmed off. The good fruits go into a water vat for overnight fermentation. The next morning, the fruits are removed and then spread out on mats under a canopy in the open air to dry for 8 days. Once they are dry, they are milled into the green, bean-shape and roasted in a large kettle until dark. Workers bagged the beans by hand.
We tasted many coffee products in the showroom. The coffee is wonderful. Hussain and I are crazy about the chocolate covered Kona beans! I think they made him a little hyper.
Until next time- Aloha again- that also means “goodbye.”
Hasan