International Jury Cupping Score
88.38
Region
Kona District,
Hawaii Island
Altitude
1,550 feet
above sea level
Estimated Lot Size
270 pounds (5 bags of 50 lbs., 1 bag of 20 lbs.)
***Lot 1A - 150 lbs, Lot 1B - 120 lbs.***
Winning Bidder: Lot 1A
Sarutahiko Coffee Inc.
Winning Bidder: Lot 1B
Valley Coffee Roasters (山谷咖啡),
Gee Coffee Roasters,
Cut Hand Group (剁手咖啡群)
For more than 26 years, Kraig and Leslie Lee have been growing, processing and roasting fine Kona coffee on the slope of Mt. Hualalai. Today, their 4.7-acre farm is home to several coffee varieties, including Kona Laurina Pointu and Kona SL34, both of which have garnered 93+ scores in Coffee Review.
Originally, the SL34 was thought to be SL28. It was part of the University of Hawaii-CTAHR’s coffee germplasm collection and labeled as such. Genetic testing by World Coffee Research corrected this label. This year is Kona Farm Direct’s second harvest of this variety.
Kona Farm Direct’s SL34 seeds originally came from Hula Daddy’s farm in the Kona District. This variety was selected for planting at Hula Daddy 11 years ago by Isla Custom Coffees’ Miguel Meza — and it has proven to be excellent under Hawaiian growing conditions. From Hula Daddy’s farm, it won the Hawaii Coffee Association’s cupping competition and Kona Coffee Festival’s cupping competition, as well as scored 97 points in Coffee Review.
Yeast-Processed, Washed SL34
Kona Farm Direct used an Estrada Pulper from Colombia to pulp this hand-harvested auction lot. It was fermented with a wine-yeast strain selected by Meza to enhance the coffee’s acidity and tropical-fruit character. The coffee was pre-dried on a covered rooftop patio, and then transferred to a mechanical dryer designed and built by Kraig Lee.