Two Champions of Hawaiian Coffee were crowned in Commercial and Creative divisions during the annual Hawaii Coffee Association’s (HCA) 18th Conference and 5th Cupping Competition at the Kauai Beach Resort on Saturday, July 20. Moloa'a Bay Coffee was awarded the Kaua'i District winner in the Creative category for our natural dry Moloa'a Camp Coffee. Our Moloa'a Camp Coffee was also awarded Kaua'i District winner of this award in 2009, 2010, and 2011!
‘Creative’ entries are those that had less than 300 pounds of the winning coffee available for purchase. The Creative category encourages farmers to experiment with new varietals and cultivation or processing methods without having to produce a commercial-level quantity of coffee. The coffees were "cupped" and scored from a pool of 99 premium Hawaiian coffees from eight statewide districts: Hamakua, Hawai'i, Ka'u, Kaua'i, Kona, Maui, Moloka'i, and O'ahu. Coffee cupping is a combination of art and science where coffees are evaluated and scored based on subtle characteristics including flavor, aroma, "mouth-feel," acidity, sweetness, and aftertaste.
Entries were critiqued by a judging panel of esteemed coffee industry professionals using standardized blind procedures, as defined by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA). Judges for this year's cupping panel were SCAA President Paul Thornton of Coffee Bean International, SCAA Vice President Shawn Hamilton of Java City Roasters and Warren Muller of Inter-American Coffee.
The Hawai'i Coffee Association’s mission is to represent all sectors of the Hawai‘i coffee industry, including growers, millers, wholesalers, roasters and retailers. HCA's primary objective is to increase awareness and consumption of Hawaiian coffees. A major component of HCA's work is the continuing education of members and consumers. This annual conference continues to grow each year and is gaining increased international attention. For more info, visit Hawai'i Coffee Association's website at www.hawaiicoffeeassociation.com.
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