Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 2, 1 February 1994 — Brewing up a coffee revolution [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Brewing up a coffee revolution

bv Patrick Johnston A eup of coffee to go: the expression is as mueh a part of American food culture as the Big Mae and fries. But few of us have any idea what's in that eup o' joe. For most people, knowledge of coffee doesn't extend past caffeinated and decaf and the names of a few coffee-growing eountries. Few are aware of the vast assortment of beans available, the array of different ways of cultivating those beans, and the various means to process, package and serve them. OHA Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan recipient Sandy Cirie is out to change this. On Jan. 15 Cirie had the "soft opening" of her Red Ram Roaster, a Kailua-based coffee shop, retailer, wholesaler, and educator in one. The Roaster will be more than just a plaee to gather with friends to discuss the weather or maybe the impending implosion of the Democratic Party. It will wholesale freshly roasted beans and specialty blends to restaurants and coffee shops, sell whole and ground beans and flavored blends to the general public, and offer drinks and pastries to people who just want to sit down and have a

eup. Cirie will also offer seminars to those in the coffee industry who want to learn more about the trade. Guests will be treated to a variety of music from classical to contemporary and there will be the occasional live artist. "This is not just a 'eool' coffee house," says Cirie. "This is coffee headquar-

ters." The star of the show - and what distinguishes Red Ram from other coffee shops - is the coffee roaster. Imported from France, the device will allow Cirie to roast her own coffee beans, enabling her to control both the taste and freshness of her product.

Cirie explains, "Most coffee shops don't have an on-site roaster. We do. It lends credibility to the shop because the assumption is you wouldn't use it unless you knew all the details of coffee growing and processing." Outside of freezers or sealed continued on page 13

Sandy Cirie and her coffee roaster.

Red Ram Roaster

from page 8 bags, Cirie says roasted coffee stays fresh for only about a week. Many col¥ee retailers in Hawai'i buy beans that are roasted on the mainland then shipped over here requiring them to seal or freeze their product. The process works as long as you never expose the beans to the outside world. "Oxygen is coffee's worst enemy," Cirie says. "Onee you break the seal the bean starts to lose flavor quickly." Having her own roaster will allow clients to get their roasted beans faster and sell it fresher. Cirie knows her stuff. Her Portuguese grandfather was one of the first to cultivate coffee on O'ahu and her childhood was filled with the rich smells of roasted brev. After studying at Kamehameha Schools she went to Europe with her family. There she learned how to speak German and all about coffee. "Europe magnified my understanding of coffee." says Cirie. "It sets ihe standards for the specialty coffee drinking world." Actually. the U.S. is the world's largest coffee drinker, but most of

what is consumed here is made with lower grade brazil or robusta type of beans produced for large coffee manufacturers. Specialty coffees, those made from arabica type beans, are popular in Europe and that is what Cirie is offering at the Red Ram Roaster. She considers her operation a microroaster, a step more specialized than coffee shops like Lions. She ean offer more - over 40 different blends - but ean adjust to changing market conditions because she is smaller. The roaster also allows her to provide even more variety because she ean vary the roast of any of her beans to alter their flavor. Cirie is on a mission. She feels that consumers and industry people are uneducated or undereducated about coffee and are getting treated to poor quality coffee as a result. As a case in point she uses Kona coffee. "People don't realize that if you roast beans a certain way it will destroy the taste of the coffee. Many people French roast Kona coffee without knowing this will hurt the product." Cirie feels that there is a prob-

lem of standards in the coffee industry and that specialty colfee wholesaIers and retailers should take the time to understand the whole process of coffee production to ensure clients get the best possible product. She has taken the time, not only to learn about coffee, but also to understand business. Before opening Red Ram Roaster, she spent several years promoting Hawaiian products in Europe. She encourages other Hawaiians to find out what it takes to open their own businesses and make the effort to go through with it. "I'm a real advocate for small, native Hawaiian businesses. I know a lot of Hawaiians don't like the process that you must go through to start and maintain a business butthat's what you have to do." The Red Ram Roaster is located at 45 Ho'ola'i street in Kailua (254-5399) and will be holding its grand opening on Feb. 12. For information about OHA's Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund eall 586-3777