North Shore farm at 600-700 ft between Wahiawa and Waialua, planted in Typica and harvested by machine, on the island where Hawaiian coffee began.
Oahu's commercial coffee sits near the North Shore at 600-700 ft (about 183-213 m) between Wahiawa and Waialua, where the Hawaii Coffee Association booklet counts about 155 acres of Typica. Most of the acreage belongs to a single farm, which is one of the four Hawaiian farms that harvest by machine, and a smaller part belongs to an agricultural research company. The booklet describes the cup as smooth, mellow and well balanced, with medium body, a clean finish and a hint of chocolate.
Field notes
- i
Oahu is where Hawaii's coffee story starts: Don Francisco de Paula Marin recorded planting seedlings in 1813, though their fate is unknown.
- ii
John Wilkinson planted Brazilian coffee in Manoa Valley with land from Governor Boki, but he died in 1827 and the trees did not thrive.
In the cup, according to guides
- ChocolateOften notedThe Hawaii Coffee Association booklet describes a hint of chocolate in a smooth, mellow Oahu cup.
Varietals
Sources · 2 Every sentence here was checked against a source we read. Taste notes are what guides describe, not promises about your bag. Last revised 2026-11-11. Some details here are less settled than others.
- Grown with Aloha: A Guide to Hawai'i's Coffee Industry · Hawaii Coffee Association (with the Hawaii Department of Agriculture), 2018
- Coffee production in Hawaii · Wikipedia