The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1890-12-02
HAWAIIAN COFFEE.

The San Francisco Grocer Of a
recent date calls attention to the
increasing demand for "Kona
coffee" and urges planters here to
pay more attention to planting and
growing coffee. 1t may not be
aware that formerly the growing
of coffee was much more extensive
ly engaged IN than now, and that
the cultivation of it was abandoned
owing to a blight which some
thirty years ago devastated the
plantations, and nearly put an end
to all coffee culture. During the
past few years the blight appears
to have in q measure disappeared,
and little more coffee has been
gathered of late from the few trees
scattered through the valleys of
Hawaii. Several parties have been
endeavoring to secure land suitable
for coffee growing, and we trust
will be successful, as on their sue
cess depends IN a great measure the
future expansion of this business.
There is no doubt but that all the
coffee that can be grown here will
find market abroad. There are
parties IN New York, Boston and
other cities of the Eastern United
States who annually procure their
supplies of g Kona coffee here, and
have 1t shipped to them, consider
ing it far superior to the best Java
or Mocha. Its flavor or aroma is
very superior, and no one who has
ever drank coffee made by some of
our expert housewives will ever
forget its ,,unrivalled righteousness,
which no other coffee possesses IN
the same degree. But to the re.
marks of the San Francisco Grocer:
KoNA CoFFEE.-This article of con.
sumption is a comparatively unknown
product in this market; a small amount
has been imported from the Hawaiian
Islands, where it is grown, but 50 slight
have been receipts up to the present
time that it has cut little figure among
the trade A few facts concerning the
coffee may not be amiss, however as
there seems little doubt that planters in
I,l. L.
few years devote much more attention
to coffee culture than heretofore. Ar
appropriation of $40 900 was made by the
Legislature of Hawaii to be devoted tC
the encouragement of coffee raising, anC
the import duty on foreign coffees was
raised to six cents per pound IAN increase
OF three cents.
Although coffee is grown in several Of
the islands comprising the Hawaiian
group, the Kona district on the island o
Hawaii has been found the best produ
cling section, on account of most favor
able climatic conditions, and it is from
this section that the coffee imported into
this city from the Islands has come. The
bean somewhat resembles the Costa RIGS
coffee, but the aroma ,odor and flavor are
entirely different from either that de-
scription or any other ever on this
market. The writer is informed that in
the Islands this coffee is used almost
entirely, and strangers, tourists and
other visitors who taste it consider that
it makes a most delicious beverage.
A number of leading retail grocery
houses of this city are handling the
coffee with the best of results, and are
always ready to take all that can be
secured The misfortune is that but
FIVE or six hundred bags have been i'm
ported this year, and the major portion
of that has gone into consumption.
There can be little doubt that the
quality of this coffee will create stu
among consumers as soon as it becomes
better known, and that new industry
of profit 10 the Hawaiian Island planters
will develop which will, if properly cul-
tivated, put even the raising OF sugar in
the shade.