Best 100% Kona Coffee Brands | From Hawaii To Your Mug

Where is Kona grown?​

The Kona coffee belt is located on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa, two dormant volcanoes located on the big island of Hawaii.

This region provides the ideal growing climate – rich volcanic soil, sunny mornings, overcast afternoons, mild nights, and humid air. Afternoons are generally misty or rainy. These specific conditions produce Kona’s distinctive flavor.

How is Kona cultivated?​

The growing season is a full 12 months:

• February and March – plants bloom and pollinate
• April through August – fruits develop
• September through January – fruits are harvested

Can you guess how long it takes for a Kona tree to bear fruit? Three years are required to reach maturity! Each tree produces roughly 25 pounds of “cherries.” It takes eight pounds of cherries to make one pound of coffee. Doing the math, one tree yields about three pounds of coffee. Currently, roughly 700 Hawaiian farms produce the entire world’s supply!

The fruit begins as a green berry that turns deep red when ripe. Each cherry contains one or two seeds, which are the coffee beans. The cherries are hand-picked at peak maturity.

Why are the berries hand-picked?​

The berries ripen at varying times, requiring a discerning eye. The lava landscape also doesn’t lend itself to mechanical cultivation, being rocky and hilly. Therefore, planting, cultivating, and harvesting are all done by hand. Kona cultivation is the most labor-intensive agricultural industry in the world!

How are the berries harvested?​

Workers select berries on the basis of size, color, and firmness. Then they’re sent through a machine that removes the flesh. What remains are the coffee beans, which are then cleaned and dried.

Once the berries are picked, the coffee is processed within 24 hours. How’s that for freshness! This expediency is necessary to protect the fruit from spoilage.

 

What is the history of Kona coffee?​

This will surprise you! Kona isn’t native to Hawaii. Coffee beans and plant cuttings were first brought to Oahu from Brazil in 1828. The Hawaiian climate proved ideal, and Kona crops flourished. In the late 1800s, the Brazilian plants were replaced by stock from Guatemala, from which modern crops are descended.

During the 1960s, Kona production slowed, reflecting changes in labor costs, pricing, and market demand. In the late 1980s, interest resumed when gourmet coffee gained popularity. Coffee shops increasingly sold the novel joe, and the beans appeared on store shelves.

Why does Kona cost more than regular coffee?​

Prices reflect the labor-intensive production expenses, high demand, and limited supply. To make it more affordable, many retailers sell Kona blends.

​What are Kona blends?

Kona blends are a mix of less expensive beans. They may be sourced from Africa, Brazil, Central America, or Indonesia. Hawaiian Kona blends must include at least 10 percent Kona. Outside Hawaii, a blend may have only 1 percent or less of Kona. In fact, technically, a blend can have merely one Kona bean!

State law mandates that blends must show the percentage of Kona on their labels. For pure products, labels must prominently display the words “100% Kona Coffee.”​

Does a government authority oversee production?

The Hawaii Department of Agriculture requires Kona coffees to pass inspection before they can carry a “Kona” label. Beans are first classified and then assigned a grade.

​Inspectors also certify the coffee by “cupping” it, sampling the brewed coffee to assess its aroma and flavor. State certification is required for Kona growers and processors to sell beans outside the Kona District.

How are the beans classified?

There are two types of beans:

• Type I – two beans per cherry
• Type II – one bean per cherry

Usually, a cherry contains two beans which are flat on each side. Sometimes only one of the seeds gets fertilized, and a single seed develops, with nothing adjacent to flatten it. The oval seed is known as a “peaberry.”

Only 5 percent of Kona beans grow as peaberries. In other words, out of every 100 bags of Kona coffee, just 5 bags are Peaberry! Although the beans are small, they produce a more robust flavor than regular Kona beans. Peaberry is the “champagne” of coffee beans.

How are the beans graded?​

​Kona beans are graded by:

• Size
• Shape
• Defects
• Moisture Content

Generally, larger beans have more flavor, and beans with the least defects are preferred. If beans are hollow, chipped, or deformed, they don’t roast uniformly and have less flavor.

This grading system applies only to beans from the Kona District. Beans from other Hawaiian regions are merely separated by size, resulting in varying taste profiles.

What are the grades?​

There are five primary grades of beans:

• Kona Extra Fancy – the very best, with superior flavor, derived from the largest beans.
• Kona Fancy – excellent, but made with slightly smaller beans
• Kona Number 1 – medium coffee beans, with a mild nutty flavor
• Kona Select – small beans, with up to 5% defects
• Kona Prime – the smallest beans, with up to 20% defects

*Defects are scored as either full imperfections or less than full imperfections. Less than full imperfections are scored as one‐fith of a full imperfection.

Kona is King!

Kona is favored for its full-bodied flavor and low acidity. Only coffee from the Kona District is state-inspected and certified for origin.

This is your assurance of the best Kona coffee available. One sip will convince you that Kona is the King of coffees!