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Hawaii Kona. Many of you will have heard of it in connection with coffee. On Wednesday, Johanna and I returned from a two-week vacation in Hawaii. As I mentioned in my last post, we couldn't just pass by the coffee farms on these beautiful islands and visited three plantations/owners. “Waialua” was the first plantation on our tour. It is operated by the Dole company – known to all of you for another natural product: the company grows pineapples on a large scale on the island of O'ahu. Anyone who has ever eaten a Dole pineapple directly on the farm (www.dole-plantation.com) knows what this fruit should actually taste like. What we can buy here in our supermarkets has very little to do with the taste of what is harvested ripe in Hawaii. The coffee that Dole grows incidentally is sold by the company exclusively in its shop at the "Dole Plantation" in roasted form. However, the quality did not convince us much. The plants and cherries do not look particularly well-maintained, and they are harvested mechanically. Here, quantity definitely takes precedence over quality. For us, this was once again confirmation that not all coffee is created equal. Even if "Hawaii" is on the package, quality is not necessarily inside. Even in Hawaii, mediocre or bad coffee grows. So, if you're ever on O'ahu, you shouldn't miss a pineapple ice cream (!) with fresh pineapple pieces at Dole. {loadposition gallery-hawai-dole} In our second week of vacation, our friend Andrew Hetzel and his wife Heather invited us to their home on the island of Big Island. Andrew is a highly respected colleague in the coffee industry. As a consultant, he brings farmers and roasters together, supports start-ups, and advises large coffee shop chains. He is a judge at the WBC, the CoE, and one of the certifiers for the Q-Grader program. We had already traveled with Andrew to plantations in India in January 2010.After a short 45-minute flight from Honolulu, we landed at Hilo Airport on Big Island. Of course, we really wanted to see the island's active volcanoes, so our first stop was the "Volcanoes National Park" (www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm). The volcanic soils give Hawaiian coffee its unique taste. Visiting the volcanoes was an overwhelming experience. {loadposition gallery-hawai-vulkane} The next day, Andrew introduced us to two wonderful plantation owners: Our first visit was to the "Hula Daddy" plantation. (www.huladaddy.com) Lee, a retired lawyer, and his wife Karen had fulfilled a lifelong dream. In 10 years, they achieved something almost unbelievable. In 2002, they bought 11 acres (4.5 ha) of pastureland and set out to grow one of the world's 10 best coffees there. They planted 7,000 coffee trees and harvested their first cherries after 3 years. The coffee at that time was not outstanding, but it had potential. In the following years, the coffee got better and better, and "Hula Daddy" won its first awards. In 2008, Lee hired a coffee expert from Minnesota and began a close collaboration with our friend Andrew. Within 6 months, everything from cultivation to harvesting to roasting was turned upside down. Production costs tripled – but the effort paid off. At the end of 2008, "Kona Sweet" from Hula Daddy was recognized as one of the top 6 coffees in the world. You can truly feel the love for coffee and the passion in every step of the work. We were allowed to participate in the harvest and later sort the cherries. Lee doesn't just use the "red" cherries from his hand-picked harvest. Only those with a very specific pink-red are meticulously selected. Lee has found that these cherries have the highest sugar content and measures this with a Brix meter directly on the bush. The cherries are then processed in different ways: washed, pulped-natural, and dried natural. Roasting is done on a 4kg roaster directly on the farm with a view of the coffee bushes and the sea. Yes, that's how I imagine my retirement someday. At a final tasting, we were convinced of what was already clear to us after a few minutes on the plantation: Kona Coffee of the highest quality! The dried-natural was our favorite, by the way. It's a shame, though, that Hula Daddy only sells its coffee roasted. Yes, you read that right: the coffee is not available as green coffee, so we won't be able to offer it in Tegernsee. A shame. But I like people who stick to their principles. {loadposition gallery-hawai-HulaDaddy} After the visit to "Hula Daddy", the bar was naturally set high. At lunch, Andrew said: "Okay, we're going to a coffee shop owned by a young woman. She also runs two coffee plantations, and you've probably heard of this coffee before. "The Kona Coffee & Tea Company" (www.konacoffeeandtea.com). And had we heard of it? None other than Pete Licata, US Barista Champion and Vice World Champion at the 2011 World Barista Championships in Bogota, Colombia, competed with coffee from Malia Bolton and her "Waiono" farm.This farm covers 254 acres (approx. 103 ha), with 122 acres (50 ha) planted. The second plantation, "Malia Ohana", on the other hand, is much smaller: on 13.5 acres (5 ha), coffee trees are planted on 8.5 acres (3.5 ha) to this day. The family business manages the entire production chain, from growing seedlings (nursery) to harvesting (harvest) and processing in their own mill, all the way to roasting. In 2003 and 2009, "The Kona Coffee and Tea Company" won 1st place in the legendary "Gevalia Cupping" and was thus awarded as the best "Hawaii Kona".We met Malia in her coffee shop and were able to discuss the first steps of our collaboration with her. Malia has never shipped coffee to Europe before. So, we will be the first to offer this amazing coffee here. We brought 6kg of green coffee in our suitcases and will now roast them for testing. Next, together with Andrew, we will look for a way to bring the coffee from Hawaii to Tegernsee or Vienna. {loadposition gallery-hawai-Kona} Just when we were in Hawaii, I received an email with a current price list from a specialty coffee importer. The list included, among other things, "Hawaii Fancy Washed Screen 18, Grade 1, Typica" at a purchase price of €40.67 net – green coffee, logically, in stock in Hamburg. I asked Andrew what kind of coffee this was exactly. Andrew's answer:"Yes, those prices are pretty insane, but I can’t say that I’m very surprised. Your landed costs buying direct should still be less than these — and for much better quality than standard Fancy grade from some blend of various low elevation producers or the local Kona cooperative."There is nothing more to add from our side. It confirms once again that importing coffee directly with our friends is exactly the right path. We are looking forward to another highlight in our product range and will keep you regularly updated on the status of the import. Best regards, Your Mario Felix

  Hello dears, I'm writing to you today from Hawai'i, specifically from the island of O'ahu. I'm actually on vacation - but you don't really believe I could drive past coffee trees without stopping. Oh, my own plantation here would be something. Well, one can dream. In that spirit - ALOHA and see you soon! Your Mario Felix

Growing Region: Country: EcuadorProvince: PichinchaTown: NanegalFarmer: Magdalena ZavalaVariety: TipicaProcessing: dried naturalHarvest method: hand pickingAltitude: 1,300 m Magda Zavala produces outstanding coffees in Nanegal, a suburb of Quito, the capital of Ecuador, in the province of Pichincha. Magdalena recently won 4th place at the "Taza Dorada", the Ecuadorian auction of top coffees! This exceptional coffee was sun-dried exclusively for us! Character: The "Perla Negra" captivates with its floral-sweet aroma of citrus fruits and apricot. It has a pleasant fruity acidity, a medium body, and enchants with aromas of blackcurrant and raspberry, as well as cocoa-chocolate notes. These characteristics and its balanced, syrupy mouthfeel make it a new highlight in our range. Coming soon to "Felix" and here in the webshop!

Dear Coffee Lovers, A few weeks ago, we updated our website – and in the meantime, we've been working hard behind the scenes on our new webshop. Now the time has come: we have put the new shop online. We are very much looking forward to your feedback. Should any problems arise during the transition phase or should anyone discover errors, we would appreciate a message and will take care of it immediately. Thank you in advance! -> to the online shop The team of “Erste Tegernseer Kaffeerösterei”

Vienna will be entirely dedicated to coffee next week. The “Wonderful World of Coffee” will be held from June 13-15, 2012 at the Vienna Exhibition Center. It will feature a three-day exhibition, numerous workshops for sharing experience and knowledge, and many networking opportunities. The highlights are the four World Championship competitions that will take place during the Wonderful World of Coffee – Vienna 2012. The world's best baristas (national champions in their country in their respective discipline) will compete against each other and demonstrate their skills. The World Champion titles will be awarded in the four categories of World Barista, Cup Tasting, Brewers Cup, and Cezve/Ibrik. More about the individual competitions can be found at World Coffee Events. Stay up to date and follow the Wonderful World of Coffee – Vienna 2012 via LIVE STREAM at http://new.livestream.com/worldcoffee We will, of course, also be there live. Therefore, our Café Felix will be closed on Friday, June 15, 2012. We will be in Vienna with the team that day to support our German champions. We will be reporting daily from the championships on our Facebook page.

News from the business world – Das gelbe Blatt June 2, 2012770.13 KB