All About Kona Coffee

Everything You Need To Know About Kona Coffee Before You Buy

Kona coffee is one of Hawaii’s most prized exports. Renowned for its exceptional flavor, distinct aroma, and unparalleled quality, a fresh bag of Kona coffee is the ultimate souvenir for every coffee enthusiast visiting the islands.

But what makes Kona coffee special and different from other coffees grown in Hawaii? Let’s delve into the world of Kona coffee by exploring the crop’s fascinating history and meticulous cultivation process – and uncover what makes a Kona brew so exceptional.

Whether you’re a coffee aficionado or simply curious about Kona’s famous beans, here is everything you need to know about Kona coffee.

First Off – Where Is Kona?

The Kona coffee growing region is located on Hawaii Island – more commonly known as the Big Island – the largest and most southern island in Hawaii. Kona is on the island’s west side, and the Kona coffee belt runs southward along the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa at an elevation between 700 and 2500 feet. This area is said to have some of the world’s best conditions for growing coffee.

The elements here align perfectly for growing coffee. The Kona coffee belt boasts rich volcanic soil, ideal temperatures (the average temperature in the belt is 69 degrees Fahrenheit), ample rainfall, calm winds, and sunny mornings with cloudy afternoons. Coffee grows like a weed out here.

What Does Kona Coffee Taste Like?

Usually, Kona coffee has a light, fruity, slightly earthy flavor and can have notes of spice, nuts, and chocolate. Experts describe Kona coffee as clean and sweet with a creamy, smooth texture. Brews are medium-bodied and lack acidity and bitterness.

Obviously, the flavor profile can vary greatly depending on the roast, grind, ripeness and even the altitude at which the coffee was grown. But the overall flavors of Kona coffee remain consistent from one grower to the next.

Medium-roasted Kona beans are known for their well-rounded flavor profile – where no one flavor overpowers another. This roast is usually recommended to people trying Kona coffee for the first time.

Meanwhile, the scents and flavors of dark roasted Kona beans are more pronounced. Dark roasting brings out the beans’ natural oils and, once brewed, has hints of chocolate and berries.

Light roasted beans have the highest caffeine content and are said to be the most delicious – with notes of hazelnut and fruit and a mild earthy aftertaste.

Kona Coffee Is Expensive – But For Good Reason

Kona coffee doesn’t come cheap. But there’s a reason for that.

Kona's high price is due to a multitude of factors. For starters, all Kona coffee is handpicked. The terrain in Kona’s coffee-growing belt is too rocky and rough for mechanical harvesting.

Handpicking each bean is labor-intensive and time-consuming – and it’s said to account for about 40 percent of the cost of each bag of Kona coffee. Whereas it costs three cents per pound to pick beans mechanically, it costs 75-85 cents per pound to handpick Kona beans. However, handpicking beans also ensures the utmost quality.

Secondly, labor costs are higher in the United States than, say, Guatemala.

While coffee producers in other countries can pay next to nothing for labor, those harvesting coffee in Kona are paid an equitable wage. (This also means that “Fair Trade Kona Coffee” doesn’t exist because coffee farms in Kona adhere to US labor laws.)

And lastly, there is a limited supply of Kona coffee – due to a small area of suitable farmland – and an ever-increasing demand. Naturally, this drives prices up.

…And It Might Get Even More Expensive

Now this is purely speculation because no one can tell the future. But several factors point to the price of Kona coffee increasing.

Unfortunately, coffee production in Hawaii has taken hits from pests like the coffee borer beetle and coffee leaf rust in recent years.

As their name suggests, coffee borer beetles bore into mature coffee beans to lay eggs, which can destroy crops. Likewise, coffee leaf rust – a type of fungus – appears as small spots on the bottom of coffee leaves, then eventually causes all leaves and berries to fall off the tree. The plant can take 2-3 years to be productive again.

While experts are floating solutions to save Hawaii’s coffee industry from these pests, nothing is concrete. These pests could cause coffee production in Kona and beyond to drop, driving up prices.

And with ever-increasing costs for labor, production, and shipping, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the price of Kona coffee jump a bit in the near future.

Not All “Kona Coffee” Sold Outside of Hawaii Is Authentic

People will pay more for Kona coffee. Unfortunately, some dishonest coffee purveyors take advantage of this.

The problem reached its apex in the early 20th century when coffee supplier Michael Norton resold cheap coffee labeled as 100 percent Kona coffee. This led to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture requiring inspection and certification for all coffee exported from Kona. But more on that later.

“Kona counterfeiting” is still a real thing on the mainland. Some coffee sellers imply that their coffee is from Kona, so that they can charge a premium. Be wary of terms like “Kona Blend” or “Kona Style Roast.” Sometimes sellers get away with downright lying on the label or only including trace amounts of Kona coffee in their blend.

In Hawaii, there are laws against “Kona counterfeiting.” A bag of coffee must contain at least 10 percent Kona coffee in order for “Kona Blend” to be printed on the label. However, this isn’t the case elsewhere in the United States, and “Kona Roast” and “Kona Style” aren’t protected terms – even in the islands.

To be considered 100 percent Kona coffee, every single bean in the bag must be grown in Kona. And if you’re going to splurge on coffee to bring home, you might as well go with 100 percent Kona.

Kona Coffee Has Its Own Grading System

Unless you’re a coffee connoisseur, it can be tough to decipher the Kona coffee grading system – and pick a truly outstanding coffee.

All Kona coffee must undergo – and pass – an agricultural inspection by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture before it can be sold. During inspection, coffee beans are separated and sorted into five grades:

1. Kona Extra Fancy
2. Kona Fancy
3. Kona Number 1
4. Kona Select
5. Kona Prime

The grading process considers the coffee beans’ size, moisture content (more moisture means more flavor), and number of defects.

So Kona Extra Fancy – the highest grade of bean – should contain the largest, most moisture-rich, and blemish-free beans.

Most Kona Coffee Farms are Family Owned

Unlike Hawaii’s once-ubiquitous sugar and pineapple industries, Kona coffee usually comes from independent family farms. Some families in Kona have been producing coffee for generations.

There are about 600 family-owned coffee farms in Kona. But it wasn’t always this way. In the mid-1800s, Kona coffee production was controlled mainly by large plantations. But in 1899, the global price of coffee crashed, forcing coffee plantation owners to lease out their land to plantation workers.

Many of these workers were from Japan, and by 1910, most of the coffee farms in Kona were owned by people of Japanese descent. Later, people from the Philippines and even the US mainland immigrated to Hawaii to work on – and eventually purchase – coffee farms, laying the foundation for the family-owned Kona coffee empire of today.

If supporting small local businesses is important to you, then buying Kona coffee is a no-brainer!

Real Kona Coffee Is Extremely Rare

Another reason why Kona coffee is more pricey than other coffees: it's one of the world’s rarest coffees.

Kona coffee grows in an area about 30 miles long and 2-3 miles wide. Only coffee grown in this tiny strip can be called “Kona coffee.”

There are less than 4,000 acres of coffee growing in this region – accounting for less than 1/10th of one percent of the world’s coffee production.

Most Kona Coffee Is Its Own Varietal

In 1892, Hermann Widemann planted Guatemala Typica beans on Kona’s slopes. Coffee plants from Brazil had been growing for over sixty years in Kona, but Widemann’s Guatemalan stock quickly became the region’s bean of choice.

Over time, the Guatemalan plants mutated and adapted to Kona’s climate – as coffee is known to do – and today is its own Hawaii varietal: Kona Typica. Today, many Kona farms exclusively plant Kona Typica.

Well, there ya have it. We hope we answered all your questions about Kona coffee. Have anything more to add – or any other lingering questions? Let us know!

A hui hou!