International Jury Cupping Score
87.91
Region
Kona District,
Hawaii Island
Altitude
1,800 - 2,000 feet
above sea level
Estimated Lot Size
116 pounds (1 bag of 50 lbs, 1 bag of 66 lbs)
Winning Bidder
Linking Coffee
Franck and Nathalie Carisey founded Uluwehi Coffee Farm in Holualoa. This 5-acre farm was planted in 2018 by Kraig Lee of Kona Farm Direct. Lee continues to manage it. Half of the farm is planted with SL34, and the other half is planted with Red Bourbon.
Uluwehi’s Red Bourbon seeds originally came from Hula Daddy in the Kona District. In turn, many of Hula Daddy’s Red Bourbon seeds came from Rusty’s Hawaiian in the Ka‘u District. It’s a variety that has proven to be excellent under Hawaiian growing conditions: Red Bourbon from Rusty’s Hawaiian won Grand Champion in the Hawaii Coffee Association’s (HCA’s) cupping competition in 2011. Asli Yaman took third place in the 2014 World Brewers Cup with Rusty’s Red Bourbon. And Hula Daddy’s Red Bourbon won Grand Champion of the HCA’s 2015 statewide competition. Both Hula Daddy and Rusty’s Hawaiian have roasted it to 94+ scores in Coffee Review.
The Red Bourbon has had similarly excellent results from Uluwehi’s farm. Beans from its first harvest roasted by Miguel Meza’s Paradise Coffee Roasters scored 95 points in Coffee Review. (Meza also is a co-owner in Isla Custom Coffees.)
Anaerobic, Yeast-Fermented, Washed Red Bourbon
This lot is a combination of harvests from November 14, 2020 and December 12, 2020. Both were hand harvested, then processed by Meza and Lee. After harvest, the coffee cherries were pulped, placed in bags and inoculated with a wine yeast selected to showcase floral and stone fruit attributes. The bags were sealed and the coffee fermented anaerobically. The resulting coffee was pre-dried on patios, then finished in mechanical dryers designed and built by Lee.