The short answer on brewing Ka'u coffee
Our recommended way to brew Ka’u coffee is the French press, which keeps the coffee oils that a paper filter absorbs.
Every coffee has its own best brewing method depending on where it was grown, its type and how it was roasted, so we cannot say flatly that all coffee is better in a French press. For Ka’u coffee, both farm owner John and the author of the farm blog (Kayama LLC) recommend the French press.
Updated
French Press
Why John is a French press person
Keep the coffee oils out of the paper
Before formally starting the coffee business, the author of the farm blog (Kayama LLC) visited coffee farms around Hawaii Island (Kea’au, Mountain View, Kona and Ka’u). Every farmer who brewed coffee for the author used a French press. Farm owner John is a French press person too. The reason: with a paper filter, the coffee oils, which you could call the aroma of the coffee, get absorbed by the paper and go to waste. Drinking the oils along with the coffee gives it body and a mellow taste.
Brewing Ka'u coffee in a French press
The method our farm owner John recommends. Follow your press maker’s instructions: put the grounds and hot water in the pot, wait, then press the plunger down.
Grind the beans
Grind the beans to the coarseness your French press instructions specify. Beans 3 to 5 days after roasting have released their gas and brew with a clear taste.
Put the grounds in the pot and pour in hot water
Put the grounds in the pot and pour in the hot water. Use the amounts of coffee and water your press instructions specify.
Put on the lid and wait
Rest the lid on top and wait for the time your instructions specify.
Press the plunger down and pour
Press the plunger down slowly to settle the grounds at the bottom, then pour into your cup. You get the coffee oils along with the coffee.
Wash
The mesh comes apart. If you do not take it apart, rinse it thoroughly to get the grounds out from between the mesh. Rinse the body well with hot water (the blog author uses no detergent and cleans it with a soft cloth).
John's brewing recipe
For one cup, use 10–12 g of ground coffee and 150–170 mL of water at about 90°C. Add the coffee to your French press, pour the water briskly, rest the lid on top and wait 2 minutes. Press the plunger down slowly and pour into a warmed cup, leaving a little coffee in the pot to keep fine grounds out. The original one-page recipe below is in Japanese and can be saved or printed.
Guidelines for drip brewing
| Item | Guideline | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Water temperature | 93°C (said to be the right temperature for coffee) | Blog post "How to brew cascara tea, and its effects" |
| When the beans are at their best | 3 to 5 days after roasting (the gas in the beans has escaped and the coffee brews with a clear taste) | FAQ: How should I handle coffee beans? |
| Amount of coffee | No guideline set. Follow your equipment's instructions | - |
| Brew time | No guideline set. Follow your equipment's instructions | - |
| A note on paper filters | The coffee oils, the source of the aroma, get absorbed by the paper (why John recommends the French press) | Blog post "The French press story" |
The values in this table are only those written in our blog and FAQ. This site sets no guideline for the amount of coffee or the brew time for drip brewing.
Brewing cascara tea (coffee cherry tea)
Water at 93°C, 5 to 18 g of cascara to 250 g of water, steep for about 4 minutes and strain. Miyuki recommends brewing it a little strong and letting it rest about 5 minutes after pouring, or simmering it.
Heat water to 93°C
Prepare water at 93°C, said to be the right temperature for coffee.
Weigh the cascara
Put 5 g at least and 18 g at most of cascara in the pot. That is the amount for 250 g of water (the average of what sites around the world say).
Pour in 250 g of water
Pour in 250 g of water at 93°C and put on the lid.
Wait about 4 minutes
Leave it to steep for about 4 minutes. After many trials, Miyuki’s two conclusions are: brew it a little strong, and let it rest about 5 minutes after pouring, or simmer it.
Strain and drink
Take out the cascara with a strainer and drink only the tea.
How to brew cascara tea, on video
The video Miyuki Lee, representative of Kayama LLC, recommends as the easiest to follow (produced by The Roasters Pack, in English).
Handling and storing the beans
Usually, 3 to 5 days after roasting, the gas in the beans has escaped and the coffee brews with a clear taste. After that the beans keep breathing and the flavor develops day by day. Coffee farmers usually keep beans in a zip-top bag with the air pressed out, at room temperature.
Used coffee grounds can be dried and used to absorb odors, as a scrub, or as fertilizer for planters. The blog post “Uses for coffee grounds” (in Japanese) has the details.
Get the beans
We recommend brewing Ka’u coffee in a French press
Farm owner John Ah San is a French press person. The reason: with a paper filter, the coffee oils, which you could call the aroma of the coffee, get absorbed by the paper and go to waste. Drinking the oils along with the coffee gives it body and a mellow taste. The author of the farm blog (Kayama LLC) first thought the French press was a tool for brewing tea, but it was originally developed in Europe for drinking coffee.
You can brew it as drip coffee, too
Paper drip works too, but some of the coffee oils stay in the paper. The two guidelines we can offer on this site are water at 93°C (said to be the right temperature for coffee) and drinking the beans 3 to 5 days after roasting. For the amount of coffee and the brew time, follow your equipment’s instructions.
Cascara tea: 93°C, 5 to 18 g, 250 g of water, about 4 minutes
For cascara tea, made from the dried skin of the coffee cherry, use water at 93°C, 5 to 18 g of cascara to 250 g of water, steep for about 4 minutes and strain. After many trials, Miyuki Lee’s two conclusions are: brew it a little strong, and let it rest about 5 minutes after pouring, or simmer it. For cascara tea itself, see What Is Cascara Tea?.