Kohana Coffee | Slow Roasted Coffee | Waialua Estate Select Reserve | Coffee Notes

Good day happy sippers!

Today I bring to you a coffee from a well known coffee region known for having some of the highest priced coffees, as well as top rated in taste tests. Today I bring to you Waialua Estate - Select Reserve from none other than the coffee gurus at Kohana Coffee . The same guys that are known for their exclusive Hawaiian coffee lots as well as putting the "slow down" in a cup of coffee.

I received my coffee a few days before Christmas, so I had the perfect coffee gift. However, I have been so busy with farming and coffee life in general, I hadn't had a chance to "slow down" and sip the coffee until today. What a perfect 'Friday unwind and relax' coffee to do it with. Before I go any further, I would like to thank the whole Kohana Coffee Team for sending me this great coffee.  Also for all the hard work they are putting into their products and the efforts with farming sustainability. Thank you, Nate For your motivation and grind time hustle. To Piper, thanks for your inspiration, words of encouragement, and believing in me, you are appreciated.

Tasting time! I'll start now with my method of madness, so that you can better understand my notes. I started with about 14grams of coffee. I used my Virtuoso Baratza grinder set on 30 to get a coarse grind. I used my small 10 ounce french press as my brewer of choice. I also used hot water temperature of 200 degrees with a steep time of 4 1/2 minutes. Also to note - a little stir at the end of the hot water pour to ensure all grounds are properly wet. Some stir at the end of the steeping cycle, neither method is right or wrong. It's all about you and your taste preferences, and what yields you your "best" extraction.

Waialua Estate Select Reserve

The first thing I noticed was the sweet, toasty, & nutty aroma. I found it to be very enticing - a 'take a deep breath' kind of moment. I then noticed the color of the beans. My eyes detected a medium roast, with very slight oil in the appearance.

After grinding the coffee I noticed a heavy cherry fragrance with a slight citrus smell, accompanied by the toasted nuttiness. The cherry fragrance stood out the most. I'm thinking because this was a dry/natural processed coffee. Meaning that the beans had more contact with the fruit of the bean. In this case the beans are sun-dried on the plant, then processed.

Stirred French Press Of Kohana Coffee

My initial tastes of this coffee, was a nice bright cup! Not overwhelmingly bright, but the acidity play was alive, very vibrant. This coffee had a nice balance of cherry flavors, rustic toasted nuts, and a subtle back end of chocolate, with the citrus remaining on the tongue. This coffee had a nice clean finish, almost as if it's requesting sip after sip, to remain in the moment.

As this coffee cooled, it became sweeter. I also noticed more fruity play. I picked up some date nuances, as well as some light cinnamon. This coffee truly tells the story of an Island coffee, provided you have the time to slow down and listen. I took this coffee one  step further and put just a little sugar in to see how it would change. All I can say is wow! I then got some extra notes of sugar cane, which I know a lot about sugar cane, having growing up on a farm, and harvesting it. I did some research and found that, this coffee was grown on lands that was used to grow sugar cane years ago. I thought that was a great find in my coffee cup. I wont speculate whether the coffee picked up those notes from the grounds or the way it was processed. I will say this, it's not everyday you find a coffee, even after adding sugar with sugar cane notes.

Overall, this was an excellent coffee. I would recommend having it in the evening time. I only say this because, you want to be able to enjoy the coffee. This is a limited coffee, I highly recommend it. For $15.73 a 12oz bag of great tasting Hawaiian coffee, You cant go wrong!



Kohana Coffee Cup Notes: Dried fruit fragrance, smooth, full body chocolate character and strong pleasant finish.


Additional BODY Drip Coffee Notes: Dark deep fruit, more berry than fruity, chocolate, with mild acidity finish. A well balanced cup, straight forward complexity.




Special Note: I received this coffee from Kohana Coffee, as a gift. I was not paid or asked to do a coffee review. I use this review as a "Thank You" & to exercise the capabilities of #BODY. We offer roasted coffee, green coffee evaluations, equipment evaluations as well as consulting services. For product evaluations send products to contact info below or contacts us directly for inquiry or other needs via email Thanks!




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