Earlier this year, Chris Brown was promoted to associate head coach for Hawaii football. His aim since he joined Timmy Chang’s staff two years prior was to bring along with him a piece of Bishop Gorman High School, the national powerhouse headquartered in Las Vegas.

Ahead of the 2024 season, UH rosters six Bishop Gorman alumni, though the impact Brown intended goes well beyond any one player.

Brown, who worked at Bishop Gorman from 2015 to 2021 in various roles (assistant head coach, defensive coordinator, linebackers coach), said he hasn’t been around a team at any level that practiced and trained “as hard as those guys.” Coming from a former three-time All-WAC linebacker who played a few NFL seasons on the Baltimore Ravens, that is high praise.

“The motto there is hard work and discipline,” said Brown, who helped the Gaels to their second and third straight national championships in 2015 and 2016. “That’s what’s on every single t-shirt, that’s what’s in the locker room, and that’s what is taught to them day in and day out.”

Hawaii practiced in shoulder pads for the first time Friday, as the team carried out tag tempo, the act of tagging the hip of a ballcarrier during practice to promote full-speed play without the potential risk of contact injuries. Brown said he recently gave all players a presentation on the concept, widely used at the college and professional levels.

The Bishop Gorman group — sophomore defensive backs Fabian Ross and Elijah Palmer, sophomore linebacker Jamih Otis, sophomore running back Cam Barfield, redshirt freshman defensive lineman Aiden McComber and freshman quarterback Micah Alejado — had already received the memo.

“Those little traits go a long way in the game that I feel helped us at Gorman,” Otis said.

“We’re foot off the line, we’re holding planks, don’t drop knees — just accountability things that translate to the field. And one of them is keeping our brothers safe, practicing like pros.”

Palmer added: “At the end of our career, it’ll be something that was preached for like eight years.”

Such discipline even stretches beyond the gridiron and, for some, into religion. Otis and Palmer were baptized as Christians in May, with Brown as their godfather. They said Bible study sessions are held among some of the players up to two times a week, and perhaps more if discussing scripture at lunch counts.

To grow closer to God required a leap of faith for the two of them. When they consulted Brown ahead of their baptism, his answer was one already familiar to them.

Don’t take it lightly.

“If you look at the Gorman boys that we have here, one thing that always stands out is they’re very disciplined in every single thing that they do, whether it’s in the classroom, whether it’s on the field, whether it’s in the weight room or just in the public eye,” Brown said.

“It’s so good for the program because they just bring along that hard work, discipline mindset, and it becomes contagious.”

(BIVN) – The winners of this year’s Hawaiʻi Coffee Association cupping contest have been announced. 

The Hawaiʻi Coffee Association’s 15th Annual Statewide Coffee Cupping Competition took place during the 29th HCA conference, held from July 18 to 20 at the Ala Moana Hotel in Waikiki. 

“We are thrilled with this year’s turnout and seeing such enthusiastic participation in our diverse range of presentations,” says conference chair Juli Burden of the Hawaii Agricultural Research Center. “This support is a testament to the dedication of the coffee community here in Hawaii.”

From a Hawaii Coffee Association news release:

Statewide Cupping Competition Results

A total of 103 entries, up from 68 in 2023, vied in the 15th Statewide Hawaii Coffee Association Cupping Competition. Brittany Horn, HCA cupping committee chair and co-owner of Pacific Coffee Research (PCR), notes the competition’s 51 percent higher turnout is likely due to a positive bounce-back after the 2020 introduction of Coffee Leaf Rust and a high-yield year.

“Additionally, the competition committee brought back the commercial division this year,” adds Horn. “In a similar manner to an auction, the commercial division requires a two-pound sample be submitted representative of a 300-pound lot.”

Cupping Competition Winner of Hawaii (Hilo and Puna) District: Deaus Beacomo of Hilo Coffee Company with cupping chair Brittany Horn (courtesy Hawaii Coffee Association)

The annual competition received 20 commercial and 83 creative division entries. The top three scoring coffees of the 103 entries were in the creative division and all hailed from Kona. This division is reserved for smallholder farms with entries under the direct control of owners.

Taking first place overall was a fruit-dried (natural process), 36-hour anaerobic fermentation Geisha variety with yeast inoculation produced by Geisha Kona Coffee earning a record final score of 87.83 points. Monarch Coffee Farm entered a 36-hour ferment parchment-dried (washed) Geisha variety placing second with a score of 87.40. Uluwehi Coffee Farm received a score of 87.25 with a 100-hour ferment with K1 yeast and fruit-dried (natural process) SL34 variety.

Advertisement

The top 10 highest scoring coffees were recognized and awards were also presented to the top coffees produced in Hawaii Department of Agriculture-recognized growing regions located throughout the islands. Top placing coffees by district were all from the creative division. They included Miranda’s Farms of Ka‘u with a parchment-dried Geisha scoring 85.63 and O’o Farms of Maui earning 84.20 with a pulp-dried (honey-process) Red Catuai variety. On O’ahu, Waialua Estate’s 72-hour ferment and fruit-dried Typica earned 83.42. Hilo Coffee Company of the Hawaii region (encompassing Hilo and Puna) scored an 80.63 with their 72-hour ferment Typica and Hog Heaven Coffee’s Typica of Hamakua earned 80.58.

Cupping Creative Winners of Ka’u from left: Jose & Berta Miranda of Miranda Farms, Joan Obra of Rusty’s Hawaiian Farm, Louis Daniele of Ka’u Coffee Mill (courtesy Hawaii Coffee Association)

Coffees in the commercial division were bested by Hula Daddy’s of Kona’s parchment-dried and yeast-innoculated Typica with 84.29 points. Kona’s Mauka Meadows’ parchment-dried and 24-hour ferment Typica and Kona’s Kopika Farm’s parchment-dried Red Bourbon tied for second place with a score of 82.63. Ka’u Coffee Mill followed in scoring 81.63 with a pulp-dried Typica. Commercial entrants can be growers or processors with corporate brands and multi-estate coffees being eligible.

“I was so impressed with the top scores from this year’s competition,” noted Horn. “The Top Ten’s average score was an 86.6—up from 85.48 last year—and all coffees in the Top Ten scored over 85 points.”

Cupping Creative Winners of Kona from left: Douglas McKanna of Geisha Kona Coffee, Abigail and Sal Munoz of Monarch Coffee Farm, Franck Carisey of Uluwehi Coffee Farm. (courtesy Hawaii Coffee Association)

Kona-based PCR (Pacific Coffee Research [PCR]) organized the competition utilizing a cupping panel composed of local and global coffee professionals led by Madeleine Longoria Garcia, PCR co-owner. “Judges from around the world applied to participate in this yearʻs competition and were invited based on their experience, training and opportunity for engaging with Hawaiiʻs coffee producers,” notes Longoria Garcia.

The panel of sensory judges included:

Advertisement

• Lora Botanova – Production Roaster of Big Island Coffee Roasters, Q Arabica Grader
• Alex Brooks  -Independent Consultant, Q Arabica Grader
• Krude Che – Hao Lin-Founder of Taiwan Coffee Laboratory, Q Arabica Instructor, SCA AST, Director with the Taiwan Coffee Association
• Madeleine Longoria Garcia – Co-Owner of Pacific Coffee Research, Q Arabica Assistant Instructor, Vice President of Synergistic Hawai’i Agriculture Council
• Marc Marquez – Director of Coffee, Q Arabica Grader
• Oliver Stormshak – Co-owner, President, and Green Coffee Buyer of Olympia Coffee, Oliver’s Custom Coffee and Moonrise Bakery; Q Arabica Grader

Horn served as head competition facilitator and was assisted by PCR’s Meg Duka and Head Roaster Eric Musil.

The panel employed the standard Specialty Coffee Association’s cupping methodology and scoring format. It is a form of scientific sensory analysis where coffees are evaluated and scored based on a variety of subtle characteristics: flavor, aroma, acidity, aftertaste, body, balance, overall cup experience, presence of sweetness, lack of defect and uniformity.