The Rising Sun Farm of Ka’u reached the pinnacle of the specialty coffee world by earning the 2010 Coffee of the Year award in the Hawaii-USA category at the prestigious Specialty Coffee Association of America’s Roasters Guild international cupping competition at the SCAA’s 22nd annual expo.
Coffee cupping is a combination of art and science where coffees are evaluated and scored based on subtle characteristics including, flavor, aroma, “mouth-feel,” acidity, sweetness and aftertaste. Participating coffees are cupped blind by a panel of highly qualified experts.
This marks the fourth consecutive year Ka’u coffees have earned international acclaim in the prestigious competition and the second time Rising Sun has earned a top spot.
Competing against 134 exceptional coffees assembled from such legendary coffee origins as Columbia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru, the Rising Sun earned an impressive 87.563 score.
The seven-acre farm, operated by Will & Grace Tabios of Na’alehu is located at 1900-foot elevation on lands upland of the town of Pahala where the family cultivates Guatemalan Typica and Bourbon varietals. Will & Grace’s winning coffee was produced by the labor-intensive “pulped natural” method which produces pleasantly sweet, bright, citrus and floral flavors.
Rising Sun coffee is available at Alan Wong’s famous King Street restaurant in Honolulu, Will and Grace’s store in Naalehu or by calling (808) 557-4441.
The SCAA is the world’s largest coffee trade association dedicated to supporting a vibrant specialty coffee community. For more information, visit www.scaa.org
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