Original is the carefully crafted blend that serves as the base flavor for Waikiki Coffee.
This is the cup that best recreates the brand concept “A spoonful of Hawaii for your everyday.”
When people think of Hawaiian coffee, many imagine the luxury and brightness of Kona coffee.
But in actual Hawaii, many shops serve a typical American-style coffee, so you might notice a gap between expectation and reality.
Original is precisely a blend that pursues that sense of luxury and brilliance.
It delivers a very Hawaiian finish where sweetness, elegance, and easy drinkability come together.
The Original’s Coffee Beans Are Top Grade
First, one point we focused on to create Waikiki Coffee’s sense of “luxury” is this:
When sourcing beans from around the world, we always use the highest-grade lots available.
Brazilian Coffee Bean Grades
| Rank | Grade | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No.2 | Top-class. Extremely high quality. |
| 2 | No.3 | Premium class. High-end beans. |
| 3 | No.4 | High-quality commercial grade. Many export lots fall here. |
| 4 | No.5 | Mid-grade. For mass-market or blends. |
| 5 | No.6 | General retail. Flavors are somewhat coarse. |
| 6 | No.7–8 | Low grade. For instant coffee or domestic use. |
For example, the Brazilian component in one of our blends ranges from No.2 to No.8 (there is no No.1).
What we use is the highest-grade No.2, which meets the standard of no more than four defective beans per 300g and features the largest bean size. This dramatically improves the clean finish and reduces off-flavors, while enhancing aroma and sweetness.
It accounts for only 1–2% of total harvest and reaches specialty coffee level with a cupping score of 85 or higher.
In Hawaii, No.4 and No.5 beans are relatively common, so the taste difference at this point is quite significant.
As a general image: No.2–3 are luxury single-origin or high-priced blends; No.4–5 are for cafes and mass-market; No.6 and below are for instant coffee.
Colombian Coffee Bean Grades
| Rank | Grade | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Supremo | Top-grade. Large, uniform beans. |
| 2 | Excelso | Upper-mid grade. The mainstream export quality. |
| 3 | UGQ | Standard export quality. Cost-effective. |
| 4 | Pasilla | Domestic or instant use. Lowest grade. |
Likewise, the Colombian beans we use range across four grades from Supremo to Pasilla.
The Supremo we use is the highest grade, offering an excellent balance of aroma, acidity, sweetness, and cleanliness—truly a finished product.
Its cupping score sits between commercial-grade and specialty standards at around 83–85 points.
In Hawaii, many brands use Excelso or UGQ; few use Supremo.
Generally, Supremo evokes specialty blends, Excelso is for cafes and hotels, and UGQ or Pasilla are for industrial or low-cost blends.
The Original Blend Follows a Golden-Ratio Formula
The next focus was creating the golden balance where each bean’s characteristics become perfect in combination.
Sorry, the exact blending method Waikiki Coffee uses is confidential.
However, we can say that besides Brazil and Colombia, we also incorporate beans from Hawaii and other countries to achieve the best composition.
Because there are seasonal peaks, the exact ratios actually change a bit from time to time.
With this recipe we create a soft, elegant, and consistently enjoyable blend with excellent balance.
We conducted more than 200 trial variations to reach the ideal formulation that results in a coffee with sweetness, savoriness, body, and a fragrant, distinctly Hawaiian brightness.
We hope you enjoy this carefully balanced blend to the fullest.
Original Features Rated on a Five-Point Scale
| Item | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Acidity | Balanced (★★★☆☆) | Well-balanced acidity. |
| Bitterness | Balanced (★★★☆☆) | Well-balanced bitterness. |
| Sweetness | Sweet (★★★★☆) | Soft sweetness. |
| Savoriness | Rich (★★★★☆) | Mellow and easy to drink. |
| Body | Balanced (★★★☆☆) | Neither too strong nor too light. |
| Aroma | Balanced (★★★☆☆) | Subtle nutty fragrance. |
| Aftertaste | Good (★★★★☆) | Clean finish with few off-flavors. |
| Caffeine | Balanced (★★★☆☆) | Properly extracted. |
| Antioxidant Power | Balanced (★★★☆☆) | Average level. |
Original Product Details
| Name | Original |
| Net Weight | 7oz (198g) |
| Bean Type | Ground, Whole Bean |
| Size | 9 × 5.5 × 25 cm |
| Weight | 0.25 kg |
| Price | 1,780 JPY (tax included) |
| EAN Code | 4595555098030 (ground), 4595555098047 (beans) |
| URL | Product Page |
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