All about Coffee Grinders and all things coffee. Read for more information and see what other people say.
http://www.chow.com
Maria Cleaveland of Equator Estate Coffees & Teas thinks that the blade grinder most of us have in our kitchen just doesnt do the trick because it produces an inconsistent grind. She recommends burr grinders, which crush the coffee beans rather than smash them, and which offer the most control.
Duration : 0:0:35
When the Waialua Sugar Mill closed in 1996, Dole Food Co. Hawaii sought crops that could replace sugar. Michael Conway, Doles manager of agriculture operations on Oahu, had a personal interest in planting cacao, the tree from which chocolate is created.
I had toured different cacao estates and so we used seeds I had collected from around the world, Asia, South America. We put in other crops, too, lychee, coffee. In about 20 acres, in the lowest spot in Waialua, a protected area, which you need for cacao, we got the cacao trees going. But busy with other projects, Dole turned away from the project and the crops lay abandoned for close to four years. But then Conway went back and the trees were still there. We pruned the trees and they were fine. We had never even harvested the pods before.
The pods are cut off the tree, and then the wet beans, covered in a fruity pulp, are scooped out, by hand. One bean is about twice the size of an almond. We put them in wooden boxes or barrels, and allow Mother Nature to take over, kind of like composting, says Conway. Yeasts and bacteria digest the fruity pulp around the bean. You get all sorts of smells coming out—like bread baking, like vinegar. It gets to be 118 degrees in there. A week later, we take them out and spread them in the sunshine. You can smell when theyre done. Now theyre each the size of an almond. Theres no mechanical way to do this process.
Conway sent the beans to a chocolate company on the West Coast, Guittard, and asked if they were any good. He didnt hear from anyone for two weeks, and just as he was ready to pick up the phone to follow up, the president and vice president of Guittard called.
They were here on Oahu—they had flown over to see me. They said, You have a very interesting chocolate. Its got some flavors and flavor notes and features that we normally dont see in chocolate. And when you do see them, the chocolate comes from high-end producers, like estates in Ghana or Equador. That meeting developed into a partnership in which Dole provides the beans, Guittard buys them and Dole buys them back in the form of chocolate.
Still at only 20 acres, Doles cacao farm is nevertheless the largest in the United States, according to Conway, but very small compared to those in other chocolate-producing counties. We hope to expand on this and to create a whole new industry, says Conway. Its a crop that should be able to follow the Kona coffee model—a lot of small producers growing it, and then selling the beans to us.
The cacao is grown pesticide free. Its not organic because we use inorganic fertilizers, he notes. But it could grow organically. Were not putting anything on the trees; we havent found any pests. Hawaii is at the very edge of the cacao-growing zone; 80 to 90 percent of it is grown within 10 degrees of the Equator, while Oahu is twice as far away. Some believe that the fluctuation in temperature to which the trees are exposed contributes to the flavor characteristics, just as a chilly morning in California helps grapes make better wine.
The resulting chocolate is known to be full-bodied, with flavor notes of raspberries, cherries, red wine and dried fruit. Alan Wong is a big supporter and you can find the chocolate in desserts at his restaurant. You can also buy it at the Dole Plantation Store under the Dole brand name. Its also contained in some products from local company Malie Kai Chocolates.
Its a higher end chocolate, says Conway. It could be considered the rarest chocolate in the world.
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Duration : 0:7:27
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Music: Incompetech - Kevin MacLeod - Funkorama http://incompetech.com/
A short video showing you how to brew cold coffee and why it is useful.
Duration : 0:3:21
Looking to try some Waialua Chocolate? Then head to the North shore to Island X Hawaii.
Established in 1991, on the North Shore of Oahu, IXH is a family run business owned and operated by Bill and Reba Martin, with Bob McLeod helping out big time. We design, manufacture and wholesale three lines of “Hawaiian Lifestyle” inspired clothing: Island X Hawaii, Island X Kids, and One Palm.
Our store is located at the Old Sugar Mill in beautiful Old Waialua Town on the North Shore of Oahu. The Old Mill site is also the site of the Waialua Coffee & Chocolate Mill, the source of our beloved Old Sugar Mill Brand Waialua Coffee. With the mill being literally just out the back door, we personally give visitors a quick unofficial coffee mill tour, where they can see coffee trees and learn about the milling process. We also offer our visitors samples of freshly roasted Waialua Coffee. For those who want to take some home, we sell our guarenteed fresh Old Sugar Mill Brand Waialua Coffee and Waialua Chocolate at our shop as well as online.
We also offer other locally made products such as “Hawaii’s Best Papaya Seed Salad Dressing”, “Waialua Soda Works” and “North Shore Sugar Mill Cookies”. We also import, wholesale and retail a wide range of hand-crafted products for your home and garden including teak furniture, bamboo furniture, rattan funiture, stone and ceramic planters, carved stone buddhas, fountains, river rocks and gazebos.
http://www.islandxhawaii.com/
Island X Hawaii
67-106 Kealohanui Street
Waialua, HI 96712
(808) 637-2624
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Duration : 0:1:11
