Hawaiian coffee is the species arabica, which is comparable to fine, mild Central American coffees. The flavor is described as heavy and flinty, with strong acidity and full body and aroma. Much coffee, especially household instants, comes from robusta trees, a species that also grows in tropical climates and is more vigorous than arabica. Robusta coffee has a coarser flavor, so it's less prized than the ultra-smooth arabica. Ask the locals and they'll laugh and tell you that it's because the trees live in Hawaii, where everything is expensive.
Coffee plants have low yield.
A tree produces only 10 to 15 pounds of beans each year. Once a tree is planted, it's three years before fruit can be picked and five years to full maturity. Every coffee company does it a little differently, but it has to specify if it's a blend. They bear labels from the individual farm on which the coffee was grown. The coffee harvest begins in late June or early July and ends in late February or early March, depending on the weather.