Kona Coffee

Kona Coffee is the market name for a variety of coffee (Coffea Arabica) that is cultivated on the slopes of Mount Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the North and South Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii. Only coffee from the Kona Districts can be referred as Kona.

This type of coffee requires a very specific combination of sun, soil, and water. It is successfully grown in only a limited number of locations around the world. The Kona weather pattern of bright sunny mornings, humid rainy afternoons, and mild nights create favorable coffee growing conditions. Pure Kona coffee is considered one of the premium specialty coffees of the world.

It takes seven pounds of cherry to make one pound of roasted coffee. Kona coffee beans are classified based on the seed type. Type I beans consist of two beans per cherry, flat on one side, oval on the other. Type II beans consist of one round bean per cherry. The further grading of these two types of beans depends on size, moisture content, purity of bean type and size. The grades of Type 1 Kona coffee are: Kona Extra fancy; Kona fancy; Kona Number 1; and, Kona Prime. The grades of Type 2 Kona coffee are: Peaberry Number 1; and Peaberry Prime. There is also a lower grade of coffee called Number 3 which can not legally be labeled as "Kona" due to the industry's standard.

Because of the rarity and price of Kona coffee in the marketplace, some retailers sell Kona Blends. This can be misleading to the consumer. These blends are not a combination of different Kona coffees but rather a blend of Kona and Colombian or Brazilian coffees. These blends usually contain only 10% Kona coffee and 90% cheaper imported beans. Current Hawaiian law requires blends to state the percentage of Kona coffee on the label. There is no matching Federal law. However, the current Hawaiian state labeling laws for Kona coffee permitting the prominent display of the wording "10% Kona Blend" are in direct conflict with the Federal Fair Packaging and Label Act of 1966, which requires that the specification of identity should not be false, misleading, or deceptive in any respect, or that amounts of the product which are not present in the commodity in a significantly effective amount can not be mentioned in the identity statement. Some retailers have resorted to using the nonsensical term "Kona Roast." The premium price Kona brings makes the association with Kona irresistible to coffee marketers.

The Kona Coffee Region

The Kona coffee region has an ideal climate, grown on the mountain slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa volcanoes with tropical sun-drenched mornings and misty afternoons. The special processing using the wet-method of processing and sun-drying, insure a certified gourmet coffee product. Woven into every cup is the history and culture from the early Polynesian settlers to the unique blend of peoples that have fashioned Kona's renaissance farmers.

Kona coffee is a very special variety grown on the slopes of dark volcanic lava rock, with enviable consistent quality. Kona coffee is a deliciously rich, medium-bodied and slightly acidic coffee with a heady aroma and a complex, winy, spicy taste.

The Kona region, on the west coast of Hawaii island (also known as The Big Island), has produced Kona coffee continuously since the early 1800's. The Kona coffee name only applies to beans grown in the North and South Kona area. Coffee beans grown elsewhere in Hawaii cannot be called official Kona coffee.

Kona coffee is grown in the perfect climate. Coffee requires a very specific combination of sun, soil, and water and is only successfully grown in only a limited number of locations round the world. The magical diurnal cycle of bright sunny mornings, humid rainy afternoons, and mild nights create perfect growing conditions for exotic plants to flourish. The Kona coffee trees thrive on the volcanic rocky land, and mild frost-free temperatures.