In this review, I check out Hula Daddy’s “Kona Oli” 100% Kona Coffee!
So, who or what is Hula Daddy?
Hula Daddy has a reputation of being one of making the world’s best coffee from the Kona region.
Established by Lee and Karen Paterson in 2002, the couple invested in an 11 acre cow pasture in the Kona region of Hawai’i (the Big Island) to create one of the test best coffees in the world.
But to make sure it was done right, the couple hired a local agronomist who had a positive reputation for planning Kona Coffee plantations. Which would lead to the couple planting 7,000 coffee trees.
Three years later, the Paterson’s harvested their first crop but as years passed by, they noticed their coffee beans getting better and better and eventually earning Hula Daddy multiple awards and positive reviews.
But the couple didn’t stop there. They then hired a coffee expert from Minnesota, retained a soil consultant from the Napa Valley wine industry and changed every operation on the farm from planting to roasting.
An expensive endeavor, it paid off as Hula Daddy tripled their cost of production and the quality of their coffee became known worldwide.
So, where is Kona?
Kona is the orange portions of the map.
But to show even a more detailed map… As you can see, there are two major volcanoes, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.
Manua Loa is considered the largest volcano on Earth (Note: Research announced in 2013 that Tamu Massif, an extinct submarine shield volcano in the northwest Pacific Ocean, may now be the largest, but more research is being done) and is a sub aerial volcano and also an active shield volcano. Also, it’s non explosive. Mauna Loa’s most recent eruption was back in 1984
And the soil of Mauna Loa is rich volcanic oil and has a rain forest climate so, on the Hilo side, that is where the popular Macadamia nuts are grown.
Now that’s two of the volcanos I have discussed, but for this, I will discuss a third for coffee cultivating in the Big Island of Hawai’i.
Hualalai is an active volcano on the the Big Island and is the third most active of the five volcanoes after Mauna Loa and Kilauea. The volcano hasn’t erupted since 1801 and has been inactive for the last 2,000 years and the area had been inhabited by Hawaiian natives and is the home to many rare species and natural reserves.
While for Kona coffee, its cultivated on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa. Many coffee crops are grown on Hualalai’s western slope near the town of Holualoa. Hula Daddy is located in Holualoa.
Six years later, the company bought a 20-acre pasture at 2,500 feet on the slope of the Hualalai Volcano and by 2014, Hula Daddy was the top coffee in the Kona Cultural Festival Cupping Competition and in 2015, they were the top Kona Coffee and the Top Hawaiian Coffee in the Hawaiian Coffee Cupping Competition.
You are getting 100% Kona Coffee direct from the plantation and once again, I have to say, if you are or want to be a coffee connoisseur, when it comes to coffee from Kona District of Hawai’i, I’m talking Grade A 100% Kona Coffee, not prime “Kona Coffee” (the not so good coffee beans purchased by companies) which you see sold at a department store for cheap.
Also, Hawai’i is one of the most expensive places to live and there is no such thing as cheap labor. For quality coffee, beans that have to be picked and separated by hand, it all comes with a price.
Expect to pay a premium for quality coffee, similar to those who are used to spending a lot more money for fine wine. Also, to know you are getting authentic coffee from a region, you purchase direct from the farmers.
For this review, I check out Hula Daddy’s “Kona Oli”:
According to Hula Daddy:
A pulped natural coffee. Rich, sweet with flavors of caramel, raisin and soft earth notes.
In addition, Kona Oli happens to be Hula Daddy’s most popular coffee.
So, what is “Oli”? Oli is a Hawaiian acapella chant. When you hear people singing at a luau, striking an ipu during the hula, that is an oli.
This was how Hawaiians preserve their history and legends before it became a written language. Individuals were selected and trained at a young age to memorize oli, so it can be passed from generation to generation.
So, in terms of Hula Daddy’s Kona Oli, the oli is a pulped natural coffee aka honey or meil coffees. Hula Daddy leaves the fruit on the beans and dry it like a raisin. While the fruit is later removed, where some coffee farms/roasters remove the layer of natural sugar surrounding the bean, Hula Daddy leaves it on there for Kona Oli and caramelizes it when it dries.
The Kona Oli coffee beans are Guatemalan Typica and when prepared, it’s like a perfect cup of coffee.
I learned that Kona Oli is very difficult to produce. Why many farms/roasters tend to remove it because they feel that the sugar is sweet, it attracts bugs and it is quite sticky, or it affects the taste, Hula Daddy did a lot of experimentation from where to produce Kona Oli. From seeing how doing it at the plantation would invite fungus and mold, they moved the production at near sea level where it got hot during the day. The heat would dry out the sugar layer on the outside of the bean.
Normal drying time for coffee beans by Hula Daddy is three days, for Kona Oli, it’s nine days, since they have a sugar coating they get stuck on their drying racks and they have to break them loose.
But the natural sugar carmalizes the beans, turning them to reddish brown and are dried down to 10% moisture or else they won’t go through their hulling machine or else, because of the stickiness, they can fuse together.
But I can see why Kona Oli is the company’s most popular coffee. Sure, Hula Daddy has their popular Laura’s Reserve SL 28, their most award winning coffee and also the Karen J Red Bourbon which I have reviewed. But Kona Oli, is a medium dark roast coffee that I find deliciously sweet with hints of caramel, raisin and while a bit earthy, the chocolate/caramel finish is something that I find delicious, and here I thought Mokka was sweet.
As mentioned, not many coffee farms or roasters like to caramelize their beans and prefer the natural sugars to be removed. But for those who always wondered of what if they kept the natural sugars on the coffee bean? Hula Daddy’s Kona Oli is the prime example of keeping the natural sugars in tact and what a joyous and delicious coffee experience it came to be!
Hula Daddy’s Kona Oli is deseriving of 5 STARS!
