Lesson in coffee processing

While vacationing in Kona, any tourist worth their… coffee, has to visit a coffee plantation. In fact, Kona coffee is the market name for the arabica coffee cultivated on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the North and South Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii.

It is one of the most expensive coffees in the world, reasons being limited supply and high labor costs. Only the product from the Kona Districts can be described as "Kona".

The coffee plant was brought to the Kona district in 1828 by Samuel Reverend Ruggles from Brazilian cuttings. The weather of sunny mornings, cloud or rain in the afternoon, little wind, and mild nights combined with porous, mineral-rich volcanic soil create favorable coffee growing conditions. 

While on the island we indulged in one of those visits and learned a lot of things we ignored about making good coffee. 

To get to the point, we realized in the process of learning about coffee production that the brew we purchased from Costco and co-branded by Starbucks was really as bad as it had tasted lately and were determined to switch to something much better!