November 2025 The Independent Voice

                  The Independent Voice
“Best Agricultural Newsletter in Hawaii”
   Newsletter of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association                                                       
                        November 2025
 PO Box 5436 Kailua Kona Hawaii 96745 USA                                      
www.konacoffeefarmers.org      info@konacoffeefarmers.org

Contents
Message from President Petersen
Trump Addresses Coffee Tariffs for First Time
Federal Charges for “100% Kona Coffee” Fraud
Holualoa Coffee & Art Stroll – November 9th
Volunteers Needed at the Stroll
New Bipartisan Push for Repeal of Trump’s Coffee Tariff
Study: Closed Fermentation Boosts Quality of Unripe Coffee
Drying Parchment at Sammi’s Farm
High-Elevation Coffee Quality Claims
The Double Duty of Copper in Kona coffee Production
From Or Readers
Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden Celebration
Annual Pesticide Disposal Program
Is Specialty Coffee More Suited to “Slow” Cultures?
Compost Reimbursement Program Accepting Applications
Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Latte
Editor – Clare Wilson

MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT PETERSEN
Aloha Coffee Farmers,

We’re at that familiar point in the season where the rhythm of picking, pulping, and processing Kona’s finest is in full swing. For many of us, it feels like halftime—there’s still plenty of work ahead, but we’ve come a long way already. A little rain on Wednesday the 29th was a welcome gift for those who caught it, especially after a stretch of dry weather. While the dryness can be tough on the trees, it does help slow the spread of Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR), so there’s a silver lining.

I’ve been out scouting regularly, keeping a close eye on tree health and watching for any signs of CLR. If I spot lesions returning, I’ll be treating promptly with a long-acting, safe product that has a short pre-harvest interval—important since we’re still actively harvesting and want to avoid any lengthy disruption.

A big mahalo to Buddha’s Cup for generously hosting our recent Farmers Gathering and Potluck on the 23rd. Though I couldn’t attend, I’ve heard glowing reports about the food, the fun, and the fellowship. It’s always heartening to hear how much our community enjoys coming together.

Looking ahead, the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival kicks off next week on the 7th! Be sure to grab your $10 festival button, it’s your ticket to most events. KCFA has buttons available, so reach out if you need one. Let’s show our support for this celebration of our craft. We’ll also be hosting a booth at the Holualoa Coffee& Art Stroll on Saturday, November 9th from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Volunteer to work at the booth or stop by to chat with curious strollers, share your knowledge, and check out some great KCFA merchandise.

And yes, somehow Thanksgiving is already around the corner. Whether you’re roasting coffee or a turkey—or both—I hope the holiday brings you gratitude, peace, joy, and a well-earned rest.

Mahalo for your continued dedication and support.
PURE KONA,
,  KCFA President

Trump Addresses Coffee Tariffs for First Time
https://tinyurl.com/bdeff4zs

“Speaking to reporters at a press gaggle on Air Force One early yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump directly addressed tariffs on coffee for the first time, saying, “We want to get coffee down a little bit.”

The comment marks the first time the president has explicitly mentioned coffee in his tariff policy, which has reshaped U.S. green coffee sourcing from top suppliers such as Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia.

Video shows Trump discussing his golf game before shifting to trade relations with Vietnam, where a trade deal is expected to exempt coffee while bringing most Vietnamese goods down to a 20% tariff.

Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative, underscored the rationale during the press meeting.

“There’s a handful of things like coffee, et cetera, the type of stuff we don’t make in the United States — like, climatologically, we can’t. So it makes sense if people are going to do a deal with us, we’ll give them a good deal there,” Greer said. ☹

https://coffeetalk.com/daily-dose/for-roasters-retailers/10-2025/108558/

“A 66-year-old Kona woman, Patricia Johnson, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on 24 counts including wire fraud, unlawful monetary transactions, and obstructing an official proceeding. The indictment, filed on September 25, alleges that Johnson falsely marketed and sold coffee as “100% Kona coffee,” while the actual beans were sourced from South America, and processed in California and Washington. Kona coffee is strictly defined as beans grown in the Kona district of Hawaii, and any blending must be accurately labeled. Between October 2012 and April 2024, Johnson reportedly profited over $5.2 million by misrepresenting her products….”

Holualoa Coffee & Art Stroll – November 9th

Spend the day strolling through historic Holualoa, sampling Kona coffee from 24 different coffee farms. The many shops and galleries will be open and a wide variety of food will be available. 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
_____________________________________________________________________
Volunteers Needed at the Stroll

New Bipartisan Push for Repeal of Trump’s Coffee Tariff
https://tinyurl.com/32f4rydj

WASHINGTON, D.C., USA – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) introduced the bipartisan No Coffee Tax Act to repeal President Donald Trump’s tariffs on coffee and lower costs for consumers. More than 99 percent of all coffee in the United States is imported.

“I have said from the beginning: there’s a smart way to use tariffs to help support American businesses and workers, but taxing your morning cup of coffee isn’t it,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “This coffee tax doesn’t help American business in any serious way, but it does raise costs at the grocery store for hardworking families across the United States. It’s past time to end Trump’s coffee tax.”

“The United States doesn’t grow coffee and taxing it won’t create a single American job. What it will do is raise prices for families and small businesses because the president is using an emergency declaration as an excuse to raise taxes.

The Constitution is clear about where taxing power belongs, and it isn’t in the Oval Office. Tariffs are taxes, and no president has the authority to raise taxes on a whim. We must follow the Constitution and stop treating it like a suggestion,” said Dr. Rand Paul…”

Study: Closed Fermentation Boosts Quality of Unripe Coffee
https://tinyurl.com/s5bxjkbd

“New research from Brazil suggests that highly controlled anaerobic fermentation can improve the quality of unripe coffees to the point that they meet specialty coffee standards.

Published in the Springer Nature journal FoSod and Bioprocess Technology, the study outlines a post-harvest production pathway through which coffee farmers may add more value to coffees that were picked prematurely and might otherwise fetch lower prices through conventional local markets.

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The Double Duty of Copper in Kona Coffee Production

Copper as a Nutrient: Soil vs. Foliar Application
Copper (Cu) is an essential micronutrient for coffee trees, supporting photosynthesis, lignin formation, and enzyme activity. In Kona’s volcanic soils, copper availability may be limited due to high iron and manganese levels, which compete for uptake.

Copper as a Fungicide: Managing Coffee Leaf Rust
Copper-based fungicides are widely used to manage Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR), a major threat to Kona coffee. Products like copper hydroxide and copper oxychloride function as protectants, forming a barrier on leaf surfaces that inhibits fungal spore germination.
For details on these attributes plus toxicity concerns and organic guidelines, more information may be found here: https://tinyurl.com/3cyy4ukr

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Study Adds Merit to High-Elevation Coffee Quality Claims

https://tinyurl.com/28h98pjj

“…Findings
The study found that the Ethiopian coffees — which were grown at the highest elevation of 2,065 meters (NB-about 6,774 foot altitude)  above sea level — contained the highest levels of desirable phenolic compounds, namely chlorogenic acids.

Total phenolic compounds were highest in the Ethiopian sample and lowest in the Guatemalan sample, which was the lowest-elevation coffee in the study.

Meanwhile, an electronic nose ranked volatile organic compound emission strength — i.e. aroma strength — from highest to lowest as: Ethiopia, Peru, Costa Rica and Guatemala. The authors said the Ethiopian coffee had the most intense and diverse aroma potential.

Naturally, the authors noted a broad range of additional factors that might alter the polyphenolic and aromatic characteristics of coffees, including post-harvest processing, the presence of shade, soil composition and other factors associated with the origin, and ripeness at the time of picking.

In fact, one major recent study from Ethiopia found that picking at peak ripeness with an ideal moisture content was by far the most important factor in coffee quality markers such as sweetness and desirable acidity..

From Our Readers
“It is this kind of informative, detailed and time consuming effort that creates a community.   Congratulations,”

Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden Celebration

Is Specialty Coffee More Suited to “Slow” Cultures?
https://tinyurl.com/3ynxp5n3

• “In the US, specialty coffee is often marketing gloss for a culture focused on speed and scale
• Starbucks built its empire on 2-minute drinks, yet third wave coffee culture thrives on time, patience, and quality
• Europe has slower rhythms – and cafes continue to experience YOY growth, even as consumer purchasing power declines

SPECIALTY coffee, with its emphasis on quality, traceability and ritual, is a curious fit for modern economies obsessed with speed and scale.

At its core, it resembles the slow food movement: beans sourced from specific farms, roasted in small batches, and prepared with patience. The archetypal pour-over, with its meticulous grinding and measured drips, stands in contrast to the mass-market promise of two-minute service and efficiency.

In countries such as the United States, this contradiction is especially stark. The cultural fixation on scale – bigger cups, faster service, exponential growth – runs against the grain of specialty, or third wave, ethos. Starbucks’ 4-minute drink preparation rule stands in sharp contrast with third wave coffee’s original dedication to craft, intentionality and precision.

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Latte
Ingredients
1/2 cup strong hot coffee or 2 shots espresso
2 cups milk of choice, dairy or non-dairy
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree, or more to taste
1 tablespoon sugar or maple syrup, or more to taste
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, plus more for serving
Whipped cream, optional for serving
Directions
1  Add milk, pumpkin puree, and sugar to a saucepan over medium heat. Slowly heat the milk until hot, but do not boil.
2  Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and the coffee or espresso. Taste and adjust with more sugar or spices.
3  Divide the mixture between two mugs.
4  Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.
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RECIPES WANTED If any of you have recipes that you would like to share, please submit them to the editor: clarewilson98@gmail.com

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! >> Write to us. We welcome Letters to the Editor up to 150 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length.  Include your name and email address >> Email: info@KonaCoffeeFarmers.org with SUBJECT: Commentary.

 Suggestion Box
Let us know what you would like to see in our newsletter. Suggestions on what to include or not. What could we do better? Let us know. Clarewilson98@gmail.com