Hawaii's Annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival

Hawaii is so proud to offer to the world one of the best types of coffee, Kona coffee. Every November, the annual Kona coffee festival takes place in the community of Kona. The purpose of the festival besides just having great fun and excellent coffee tastings is to celebrate 180 years of coffee harvest and cultural traditions. This miracle crop that has allowed coffee farmers and their families to thrive and survive year after year. The tradition will continue to pass on from generation to generation.

Kona Coffee Standards

This heavenly brew of smooth, delicious coffee starts out growing on coffee trees that are cared for and nurtured in the nutrient filled volcanic soils of Kona. The coffee cherries are only picked when they are very ripe and red waiting to be picked at just the right moment. This is only one of the reasons the coffee is so good. It thrives on the Kona coast in almost perfect growing conditions. The highest quality harvesting standards and how the coffee cherries are picked is what counts when processing the world's finest coffee.

The 2008 festival will carry on its signature events such as theKona coffee picking contest, the Miss Kona Coffee scholarship pageant, the Kona coffee cupping competitions,and theKona coffee recipe contest.The 10 day event has so many interesting activities. There are workshops like the Cupping Coffee & Sensory Evaluation- A hands on workshop on quality cupping standards. International Lantern Parade- Kona's unique cultural heritage with different groups walks down Ali'i Drive to Hale Halawai.Kona Historical Society Kona Coffee Living History Farm Tour- is an educational self -guided tour tracing the history of the early Japanese Kona coffee farmers between 1925-1945. In the Kona Coffee pageant there are different categories. They range from the crowned Queen, Little Miss Kona coffee, young Miss Kona Coffee, Junior Teen Kona Coffee and all the way to Teen Kona Coffee. Elementary through high school girls from Waikoloa to Honaunau take the stage for this honorable competition. First the girls show off their finest Kona coffee picking clothing. They wear jeans, straw hats and carry coffee baskets some outfits are practical looking and other are very stylish, and won't really be worn to pick coffee cherries. There is a talent part like most pageants which includes singing, dancing, or playing an instrument etc. The night ends with the evening wear category. The 2009 winners are chosen and crowned. The best show in town.

Local artists show off their coffee inspired artwork and give honor to all the hard working farmers and Kona coffee drinkers. Art exhibits are displayed and shown during the coffee art stroll. An international panel of judges will ultimately choose 5 crown finalists to compete in final rounds in the Kona coffee competition. The competition finalists are cupped 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners of each event. The community and festival participants will vote for their favorite artwork in the public pick awards.

The tradition shall live on as long as we drink Kona's special one of a kind brew of coffee.

For more information visit www.konacoffeefest.com