When Brazen Hazen founders Cassandra Hazen and her husband Paul were looking at retiring, the island of Hawaii was already beckoning them home. After years of rejuvenating visits, the couple bought a house by the beach and their early retirement days were spent soaking up sunshine and getting in rounds of golf. But after a while, it became clear that Cassandra needed something more.

Her husband knew before she did, she needed a project. Being in Kona, which is world renowned for coffee, Paul suggested they buy a coffee farm. Neither one knew a thing about growing coffee; nevertheless, the search for a property began.

When Cassandra first set eyes on the property in Holualoa in 2005, the coffee fields were overgrown, and the various buildings were in disrepair, but even then, something about the land felt special. Originally built in the late 1970s as a private residence, the main building on the property had been repurposed into an inn, but at the time was more akin to a hostel for backpackers.

The amount of work required to restore the coffee farm and repair the inn was daunting. Her family told her she was crazy to attempt it. Cassandra looked for some kind of sign that she was making the right choice. During a walk along the beach, she noticed a green sea turtle (Honu) basking in the sun. In Hawaii, sea turtles are a form of 'aumakua, a deified ancestor taking on a physical form to provide wisdom and guidance. She told herself, if the turtle was in the same place the following day, it would serve as a cosmic sign she was on the right path. Sure enough, the turtle returned the following day, and Cassandra knew in her heart she had found the place she was meant to be.

To Cassandra, taking over property was first and foremost, a land preservation endeavor. "It's a special place that needs to be cared for," she says. "I feel it."

With the sun setting on 2024 and the season of gratitude in full swing, we at Brazen Hazen are taking a moment to reflect and give thanks for the successes of the last year. From the bottom of our cups and the bottom of our hearts, we wish to thank:

You, Our Customers

The dream of Brazen Hazen has always been to offer farm-to-cup, top tier, 100% Kona coffee. By selecting only the finest beans, we try to capture the true quality and essence of authenticity- no blends, no compromises. We have always believed that if we focus on quality, the business will follow. It’s incredibly gratifying to have that faith rewarded by fellow coffee connoisseurs who support our labor of love with their ongoing commitment to excellence.

Fresh Brew Club Members

We are so grateful for all the customers who have enjoyed our delicious 100% Kona coffee this year, but especially for our Fresh Brew Club members. Our Fresh Brew Club members are subscribers committed to quality who opt to have our premium fresh-roasted Kona Coffee shipped directly to their door each month. As annual subscribers, not only do our members save money, but they also help us on our journey to deliver perfect beans every time.
Subscriptions allow us the consistency to roast in small batches that ship the same day for uncompromising value and freshness. So, we know, and you know, that the beans that arrive at your doorstep are the best they can possibly be.

The Operations Team

We believe that coffee is an art form and strive to provide you with an experience with each cup of coffee, but this standard doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It is only achieved through precise technique, refined expertise, and commitment to excellence at every stage of production. That’s why this year and every year, we are grateful for Brazen Hazen's master roaster, Brian Axelrod and his wife Amy.

Brian and Amy provide "tree to cup" services for Big Island coffee farms, including Brazen Hazen. From harvesting, to pulping and separating, to soaking and rinsing, to drying, to hulling and grading, to roasting, to packaging and shipping, Brian manages every step of the process.

"If I'm putting my name on it, I want it to be the highest quality it can be," says Brian.

This day-to-day quality control from start to finish is what gives the Brazen Hazen brand resilience and defines the product our customers have come to
trust and love.

Our Big Island Home

Even in a master’s hands, we know that the best coffee couldn’t exist without Kona’s ideal coffee-growing climate. Located right in this sweet spot for coffee cultivation, Brazen Hazen coffee is grown on
property featuring rocky, volcanic soil which provides our Kona coffee beans with essential nutrients. We get a perfect mixture of rain and sunshine and many of our trees sit beneath sprawling canopies of avocado and mango trees, which provide helpful shade.

The ‘aina (island) provides us with an unrivaled product and we consider it our job to get it to our customers with as little interference as possible.

At Brazen Hazen, we think the richness of Kona Coffee is a true gem that demands to be experienced and savored. With its smooth velvety texture and enticing aroma, each cup you brew will transport you to a world of paradise. But what does Kona Coffee mean and why does it matter?

Kona Coffee is the term for an Arabica coffee grown exclusively in the Kona District on the island of Hawaii (known commonly as the “Big Island.”) Roughly 35 miles long, a mile and a half wide, and at an elevation between 500 to 3,200 feet, the Kona District sits on slopes of the Mauna Loa and Hualalai volcanoes.

With its consistent temperature, well-drained mineral rich soil, and 70-plus inches of rainfall a year the Kona District has the perfect climate for coffee to thrive. Kona Coffee is known for its smooth, mellow, and well-balanced taste with low acidity. It often exhibits notes of nuttiness, chocolate, and sometimes fruity undertones. It is considered by coffee connoisseurs as some of best in the world due to its high quality, unique flavor profile, and limited production.

When purchasing coffee grown in this unique terroir, there’s an important distinction between the terms “Kona Coffee” and “100% Kona Coffee.” As of this writing, a product being sold only needs to contain 10% Kona Coffee to be labeled as “Kona Coffee.” Meaning you could purchase a product you believed to be entirely Kona
Coffee but is a mixture of Kona and potentially inferior beans. In its current state, the law doesn’t stop companies from using the Kona label for low-quality, high-profit coffee that often misleads consumers. An example of this is when companies use logos and branding utilizing Hawaiian iconography (such as images of hula dancers, palm trees, or outlines of the Hawaiian Islands) but the coffee only contains 10% Kona coffee, the rest from elsewhere. Not only is this marketing deceptive, but it also competes with small farmers producing pure, 100% Kona coffee.

At Brazen Hazen, we believe that coffee is an art form and strive to provide you with an experience with each cup of coffee. This standard is only achieved through precise technique, refined expertise, and commitment to excellence. That's where Brazen Hazen's roaster, Brian Axelrod, comes in. Brian has gone by many titles; "Roaster," "Chief Roast Master," "Master Roaster," and at one time his LinkedIn profile even said, "Head Bean Wrangler."

Brian and his wife, Amy, provide "tree to cup" services for Big Island coffee farms, including Brazen Hazen. From harvesting, to pulping and separating, to soaking and rinsing, to drying, to hulling and grading, to roasting, to packaging and shipping, Brian manages every step of the process.

Brian's is one of only 3 or 4 operators on the Big Island that offer "tree to cup" coffee. Most farmers lack the equipment to do every step of the process themselves. By keeping all the production in-house, Brian has complete control of the quality of the product he provides. He says as soon as the coffee is picked, it starts deteriorating. His job is to preserve the coffee and remove imperfections so that the final product reaching the customer is the best that it can possibly be.

Brian has been honing his craft as a master roaster since 2007. When he and Amy came to the Big Island from Ohio, they fell under the tutelage of Bob Nelson, the then-owner of Lehuula Farms. He shared the fruits of his more than 20 years of experience running a coffee farm, eventually passing the reins and selling the farm to Brian and Amy. Building on that foundation, Brian toured other facilities on the island and conducted extensive research on best practices to perfect their process. The result is the cultivation of a true standard of excellence.

"If I'm putting my name on it, I want it to be the highest quality it can be," he says.

That meticulous level of scrutiny makes it to the final product, meaning Brazen Hazen always offers only the highest-grade beans.

We already think our 100 percent Kona coffee beans are some of the best in the world, but we get a lot of strong opinions about the best WAY to prepare and enjoy our coffee. Coffee is an artisanal beverage, and variances in the brewing process can provide vast differences in the final drinking experience. So how does one brew the perfect cup of coffee?

The perfect cup of coffee must start with perfect beans. Brazen Hazen beans, grown on the lush slopes of the Big Island of Hawaii, have a unique flavor profile that Brazen Hazen owner and coffee connoisseur David Duron is proud to share with his customers.

"I find 100 percent Kona coffee to be much smoother than coffee grown in other regions," says David.

In addition to the perfect coffee-growing climate, David says some of that distinct Kona flavor can be attributed to the quality regulations and heritage farming practices employed to grow it. Kona beans are always hand-picked, never with machines, ensuring only perfectly ripe cherries get harvested.

With the finest beans, David weighs in on his favorite way to turn them into the perfect cup of coffee.

"I love this conversation because flavor varies so much depending on how the coffee is prepared," says David. "Even within a given preparation, the taste can vary with grind size, coffee/water ratio, water temperature, etc."

Roasting is a critical part of the flavor process and requires precision and timing. The difference between perfectly roasted coffee and a ruined batch can be a matter of seconds. At Brazen Hazen, coffee is always roasted in small batches to ensure freshness and consistency of flavor.

"Generally, I would describe our coffee as being rich and nutty with notes of chocolate and fruit," says David who offers both medium and dark roasts of his beans.

But what's the difference? Like the name suggests, dark roasts spend more time in the roasting process, making for bolder flavor and less acidity. However, more time in the roasting process can also mean more uniformity in flavor resulting in less nuance and fewer individual or distinct characteristics of the beans prior to roasting. So, for more subtlety or complexity, there's an argument to be made for medium roast.

This choice ultimately comes down to personal preference and David has his.

"While I enjoy both roasts, I am partial to the Dark Roast," he admits. "I really enjoy the flavors that pop as a result of the roasting process. To me it is robust but smooth...best of both worlds."

Not sure which one to try? David has come up with the perfect gift idea.

"I'll send friends who haven't tried my coffee yet the Mixed Roast Gift Basket. That way they get the wonderful presentation of the gift basket and our two different roasts so that they can try each and determine which flavor best suits them," he says.