Often,
coffee connoisseur is asked, "What is best coffee in world?" Almost unequivocally answer is… "The one I roast in my kitchen." However, when pressed to name a commercially available bean answer is more often than not, a Hawaiian coffee.This is quite a remarkable achievement considering that coffee plant was not introduced to Hawaii until 1825, almost a thousand years after commercial cultivation began in other, older, growing regions of world. Hawaiian coffee growers have benefited from many centuries of trial and error without ever having pruned a branch, you could say that coffee gods saved best for last.
Humans first set foot on Hawaiian soil around 600 A.D. The same time that a goat herder in Ethiopia was observing his goats odd, excited behavior after eating a strange cherry-like berry from a curious bush. Intrigued by their enthusiasm, shepherd picked a basketful for himself but upon tasting bitter fruit shepherd tossed entire basket into fire in disgust.
As fire burned away husks of berry and seed, or bean, began to roast and crackle a very enticing aroma was released and peasant herder had another idea, to infuse roasted beans with boiling water. What was born was world’s most popular beverage for a millennium to come.
