What Is Ka'u Coffee?
Ka’u coffee is coffee grown in the Ka’u district of Hawaii Island, known for its rich aroma, low bitterness and soft body.
The Ka’u coffee on this site is a single-origin (100% Ka’u) coffee grown at Kau Ocean Vista Coffee Estate in the Ka’u district (farm owner: John Ah San).
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A Message from Farm Owner John
“Aloha! I’m John. Welcome to Kau Ocean Vista Coffee Estate.” John introduces Ka’u coffee from the farm.
Six Chapters on Ka'u Coffee
Three Proofs Behind Ka'u Coffee
- Hawaii Seal of QualityCertified under the Hawaii Department of Agriculture's quality program in October 2020.Read more
- Natural Farming Without Chemical FertilizerSoil analysis, a clay spray, a perennial peanut ground cover and pollination by bees.Read more
- Semi-Washed ProcessWe leave the sticky fruit pulp on the bean so that the sweetness and aroma soak in.Read more
Frequently Asked Questions About Ka'u Coffee
What is Ka'u coffee?
How is it different from Kona coffee?
What do "No1 grade" and "No2 grade" mean?
Where can I buy it?
Taste Ka'u Coffee
What does Ka’u coffee taste like?
Ka’u coffee has a rich aroma, refined fruitiness and sweetness with little bitterness, moderate acidity and a soft body. When people think of Hawaiian coffee, Kona is the famous name, but Ka’u coffee is drawing attention as a rare and delicious Hawaiian coffee. Our watchword at Hawaii KAU Coffee is “Coffee: from bitter to sweet.”
| Item | Ka’u coffee |
|---|---|
| Aroma | Rich (5 on a 5-point scale) |
| Bitterness | Low (1 on a 5-point scale) |
| Acidity | Moderate (2 on a 5-point scale) |
| Sweetness | Refined fruitiness and sweetness (4 on a 5-point scale) |
| Body | Soft body (5 on a 5-point scale) |
| Origin | Ka’u district, Hawaii Island (Kau Ocean Vista Coffee Estate) |
| Variety | Arabica, Typica |
| Processing | Semi-washed process, sun-dried |
The 5-point ratings are the values in the chart (aroma, bitterness, acidity, sweetness, body) on our “Feature” page. See The Land Behind the Taste for details.
Hello, I’m John Ah San, the farm owner
We grow coffee in a district called Ka’u, on the southeastern side of Hawaii Island in the State of Hawaii. Have you heard of Hawaii’s “Ka’u coffee”?
Still hardly known in Japan
Ka’u coffee is a rare coffee that is hardly distributed in Japan. At the tastings held before we entered the Japanese market, people sometimes asked, “Cow coffee?” or, not catching the word Ka’u, “Canned coffee?”
In recent years, however, JAL’s in-flight magazine and Hawaii features in popular magazines have introduced Ka’u coffee, and it is slowly becoming known among coffee lovers and people who know Hawaii well.
My wife is of Japanese descent. I want more people in Japan to drink our coffee
My wife is of Japanese descent. Out of the wish that more people in Japan would drink our Ka’u coffee, we started selling in Japan in August 2020 with the motto “Change what people expect from black coffee.”
Read on
- John’s Story: how sugarcane land became coffee land, starting in 1989
- The Land Behind the Taste: good soil on a lava plateau and the climate
- Natural Farming: four methods that do not rely on chemical fertilizer
- From Harvest to Cup: hand-picking, milling, the semi-washed process and grading
- Ka’u vs. Kona: a comparison table of soil, climate and taste
- Hawaii Seal of Quality: certification by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture
Key Points on This Page
- Ka’u coffee is coffee grown in the Ka’u district on the southeastern side of Hawaii Island. The beans on this site are 100% Ka’u coffee (single-origin) from Kau Ocean Vista Coffee Estate.
- The history of Ka’u coffee began in 1989, when Senator Daniel Inouye personally entrusted our farm owner John with developing coffee farming in the Ka’u district.
- The taste goes “from bitter to sweet”: on a 5-point scale, aroma 5, bitterness 1, acidity 2, sweetness 4, body 5. The variety is Arabica Typica.