International Jury Cupping Score
87.94
Region
Kona District,
Hawaii Island
Altitude
1,200 - 1,400 feet
above sea level
Estimated Lot Size
111 pounds (1 bag of 50 lbs, 1 bag of 61 lbs)
Winning Bidder
Valley Coffee Roasters (山谷咖啡),
Gee Coffee Roasters,
Cut Hand Group (剁手咖啡群）
This boutique farm high above Kealakekua Bay and Pu‘uhonau O Honaunau (Place of Refuge) was founded by the late Melvelyn Ronett “Roni” Washington. Roni had an MS in Agricultural Economics and was an avid horticulturist whose dream was to farm in the tropics. Her vision came true in February 2015, when Black Rock Farm’s first six acres of Kona Typica were planted. Black Rock dedicates these coffees in Roni’s memory.
The farm’s first harvest was in 2017. In 2019, Isla Custom Coffees’ Miguel Meza began managing the field, and has worked with the pickers to hand harvest ripe cherries to the highest standards possible. Multiple Black Rock coffees have 93+ scores in Coffee Review, all roasted by Meza’s Paradise Coffee Roasters. Four of its coffees are in this auction.
Yeast-Fermented, Aerobic/Anaerobic Natural Typica
This lot was harvested on October 8, 2020 — shortly after the peak of the harvest season, when ripe cherries consistently measured 20+ brix. After harvest, the coffee cherries were placed in bags and inoculated with a wine yeast selected by Meza to produce red fruit and berry flavors. In the initial stage of fermentation, the bags were left open. (Hence the “aerobic” fermentation environment.) Later, water was added to the bags, and then they were sealed to complete the fermentation in an anaerobic environment. The coffee was dried by Doug McKanna of Kealakekua Bay Farm Management/Kona Geisha Farm, using a J. Estrada dehumidifying dryer.