Description
Ka‘anapali Estate • West Maui • Hawaii
Hawaiian 100% MauiGrown: Yellow Caturra Natural
Region West Maui, Ka‘anapali Estate • Process Natural • Variety Yellow Caturra • Elevation ~350–1,800 ft
QUALITIES: floral • citrus • silky • clean
RECOMMENDED ROAST: Medium (Light–Dark works)
CHAFF LEVEL: Normal
TASTING NOTES – ROASTING NOTES
Light Roast
Floral aroma • Round citrus & honey • Plum & nut • Silky mouthfeel • Earthy caramel-toasty finish
Medium Roast
Sweet & defined • Soft fruit & floral • Malty undertone • Balanced silky body
Dark Roast
Sweet Roasty and Toasty Tones • Subtle spice • Dark malt & chocolate • Full body •
Natural adds a hint of floral and soft fruit over a clean base; medium roast is the sweet spot, a touch darker turns hefty and full bodied.
Flavor Profile
Honey • Citrus • Plum • Floral • Nut • Cocoa
Clean and silky rather than explosive: a floral aroma with round citrus and honey-like sweetness, then a delicately silky cup of citrus, plum, nut and flowers that closes on caramel and a quiet toasted note. Low in acidity and very defined. If you want a cleaner, less fruit-leaning cup, look to the Washed. If you want a touch more body, soft floral-fruit and a gentle edge, this Natural is the one.
Roasting Notes
A medium/small beans size, pretty even roasting with medium/high chaff levels. Recommended City+ to Full City roast levels (lighter side of a medium to borderline dark), too light it can pick up a little nutty/earthy quality, too dark it can get some bitter contrast. A bit softer beans so watch your temps after first crack, it can go quickly. A longer setup time after roasting really smooths it out.
ORIGIN: Ka‘anapali Estate, West Maui, Hawaii
MauiGrown Coffee
This lot comes from MauiGrown Coffee’s Ka‘anapali Estate, a roughly 500-acre farm near the historic town of Lahaina in the West Maui Mountains. The estate is a slimmed-down revival of the older Kaanapali Coffee project, where coffee was used to diversify Maui’s sugar plantations. After extensive field trials to find the Arabicas best suited to this soil, altitude and climate, MauiGrown settled on four varieties: Maui Mokka, Yellow Caturra, Red Catuai and Typica. The Yellow Caturra ripens yellow instead of red, is a high-yielding semi-dwarf with short internodes, is rarely planted outside Hawaii, and is typically the first variety to ripen each season.
AREA
West Maui Mountains, Ka‘anapali
Planted in hedgerow style between 350 and 1,800 ft above sea level, the estate is drip irrigated from West Maui’s fresh mountain streams, which feed a century-old ditch system left over from the sugar era. Standing guard above the slopes is Pu‘u Kukui, the highest peak in West Maui and the second wettest spot in the world. Coffee is harvested once a year starting around September, and the estate’s own processing plant pulps and dries the cherries, separating ripe from overripe and immature fruit before hulling, polishing and grading by size.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Primary harvest window: Sep → Dec (West Maui, Ka‘anapali)
John (verified owner) –
I found it tastes good by itself but was even better when I mixed it with some Mexican Chiapas. Will try it with some Colombian El Cortijo and Venicia next.