Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, May 28, 2017

KA`U COFFEE COLLEGE presented war plans to fight the coffee berry borer and studied the science of fermentation during the final event of the Ka`u Coffee Festival on Sunday. At Pahala Community Center, Ka`u Coffee farmers and coffee enthusiasts learned about the effort to reduce the coffee berry borer infestation by using predator insects, species of flat bark beetles that dine on the borer.

Hawai`i Forest & Trail guide (l) and Ka`u Coffee farmer Leo  Norberte (r) teach a Ka`u Coffee Festivalenthusiast about the art  and science of growing great coffee druing farm tours Saturday . Photo by Jesse Tunison

     Andrea Kawabata, an Associate Extension Agent, and Jen Burt who works on the coffee berry borers challenge, both with University of Hawai`i College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, talked about the history and positive outlook and hard work of Ka`u Coffee farmers in combating the coffee berry borer.

During Ka`u Coffee College on Sunday, Dr. Peter Follett shared research on using predator insects to kill coffee  berry borers. Photo by Julia Neal

     Dr. Peter Follett, a research entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, talked about ways to attract the flat bark beetle to coffee orchards. He displayed packets of pheromones- odiferous attractants that can be placed in an orchard to draw the flat bark beetle to populate the coffee farms and eat the borer. The bark beetle shows no interest and does not damage the coffee crop itself, he said. There are two flat bark beetle species already living in Hawai`i, which are particularly useful in fields where there are raisins or coffee cherry that has fallen to the ground, said Follett.
     Rather than depending on research institutions breeding the beetles and releasing them to farmers, he said it could be more efficient to attract those that are already living on farms and in the wild to the coffee orchards.

Many award winning Ka`u Coffees, such as Rusty's Hawaiian,  are processed with water from the well in Pahala. Photo by Julia Neal

     Dr. Shawm Steinman, owner of Daylight Mind Coffee Co. and Coffea Consulting, talked about the importance of fermentation process in determining coffee quality and coffee taste. Fermentation allows "critters" to remove the mucilage (the cherry) off the coffee bean. Yeast, bacteria and fungi all love devouring the coffee cherry, which is comprised of a lot of sugar and water.
     The level of yeast and the chemical changes that come along with the bacteria and fungi all help determine taste. Fermentation is faster in warmer temperatures with the "critters" moving around and multiplying much faster.
      Steinman said that fermentation can be achieved with adding water to the process or without adding water. He said that it is very important to only use clean water for the fermentation process to make sure it is clean.

Grace and the Rising Sun Coffee that she and Willie Tabios produce, earn many awards, with specific tastes that may have some attributes from fermentation when processing. Photo by Julia Neal

     He noted that coffee taste is subjective and coffee farmers and drinkers have particular tastes they prefer. However, using dirty water or over fermenting can lead to mould. While desired coffee tastes vary widely, coffee that tastes like spoiled milk - or other foulness - are obviously recognized as coffee gone bad.
      Whether the chlorine in the water at Pahala, where many people use fermenation to procdess coffee in backyard operations, may or may not make a difference in taste, suggested Steinman. Since Pahala farmers have produced so many award winning coffees, he pointed out, chlorine in drinking water at the level used here doesn't seem to have hurt Ka`u Coffee when processing with county water.

      The coffee farmers also visited Miles Mayne's coffee farm in Wood Valley for a demonstration of using the Penagos wet mill for processing coffee.
     On the last day of the Ka`u Coffee Festival, farmers discussed the Saturday Ho`olaulea as being the most successful to date in the number of people who attended and coffee sales by the farmers.

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Raina Whiting and Kalika Kastein, teachers at Na`alehu Elementary School, received Masters Degrees in Education from The Johns Hopkins University last week.

MASTERS DEGREES IN EDUCATION are earned by Raina Whiting and KAlika Kastein, both teachers at Na`alehu Elementary School. They graduated last week in Baltimore, each with a Master s of Science in Education degree from the Johns Hopkins University. Johns Hopkins is rated sixth in the country for graduate degrees in education by U.S. News and World Report. Whiting, who ran for County Council last year and worked on the presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders, will teach for her third year at Na`alehu Elementary School. Kastein will head for Japan.

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Rep. Tulsi remebered Hawai`i veterans today, including the first Green Beret and Hawaiian killed in Vietnam, and the late Native Hawaiian Pearl Harbor Survivor Herb Weatherwax. Photo from Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

IN A MEMORIAL DAY MESSAGE,  REP. TUSLI GABBARD talked about the true cost of war,  pointing to  “The cost that exists in the names on these grave stones. It exists in our hearts, and with the memories of our friends who never came home. It exists in the unbreakable bond between veterans of different generations, that we can come together knowing that we have each experienced in one way or another the same pain and broken heart of losing a comrade in arms, while simultaneously appreciating the special courage and selflessness of our friends who paid the ultimate price in service to our country.

      “Today, we honor them. We remember the many heroes who have roots here in Hawai`i and the Pacific who gave all.  People like First Lieutenant Nainoa Hoe, or SP5 Kimo Gabriel, the first Green Beret and the first Hawaiian killed in Vietnam.