Okinawa’s ‘Juan Valdez’

When it comes to a cup of coffee, it can’t get any better or fresher than Hiro’s. This Okinawan version of ‘Juan Valdez’ grows his own, harvests it, cleans it, roasts it and then brews it, too.

Hiro Adachi tends his field in the hills of Yambaru at the picturesque, northern part of the island. There, his twelve hundred trees yield over thirteen hundred kilograms of organic beans from December through May every year. Most of the crop is sold through his small coffee house on Route 70, which is managed by his daughter, Tomoko. But many customers who have found the small wayside coffee haven after having been stationed in Okinawa receive his product via mail as far away as California.

Camp McTureous is nearby and Adachi commented that a lot of Marines come to know his place and appreciate the brew he offers. As he has noted in articles written about him in such coffee gourmet magazines as “Lightening- The Coffee Style Magazine”, published on mainland Japan, “my coffee has a natural, sweet taste to it – easy to drink, even for people who don’t drink a lot of coffee.”

He says the differences in types of coffee are all in the place it’s grown and in the way it is roasted.

“Coffee trees likes cool mornings and hot afternoons,” he points out. And, he adds, “an interesting fact that is that the lighter the roast, the stronger the caffeine content.”

“On the other hand,” he continues, “roasted beans with a very dark color actually have less caffeine and can be drunk in the nighttime before going to sleep. People who like a deep taste with a little bitterness will prefer the dark roast.”

Adachi began his personal coffee plantation in 1993 after working with his uncle and cousin in Kona, Hawaii for a few years. He imported Arabica trees from Brazil and waited patiently for the five years it took for them to mature and begin producing.

He is originally from Osaka where he was involved in electronics and even had a six-year career as a racecar driver. Leaving Osaka for Saipan and other Pacific islands he discovered he was suited to a casual life style. Visits to Okinawa made him realize he could use the knowledge he gathered working in Hawaii to create the unhurried life he wanted while still being in Japan.

For coffee lovers, his decision to settle here is fortuitous. There are probably not many places where one will get the opportunity to savor the taste of homegrown coffee no matter what price they pay.

To have a sip of Hiro’s you will need time to meander all the way to the tiny village of Takae. Highway 70, an extension of Highway 58 on the Pacific side of the island, is a winding, slow road far away from the traffic of central and southern Okinawa. It is worth the trip alone simply for the incredibly beautiful scenery. Coupled with the taste bud pleasing experience of his coffee (and Tomoko’s home baked cookies) it is a very nice way to spend a day.

Adachi speaks English well and can be contacted by phone at 098-043-2126 or by e-mail at hirocoffeefarm@k5.dion.ne.jp.